Dawn Staley, South Carolina learn NCAA path. Here’s which teams are coming to Columbia
South Carolina (30-3) is one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and is part of the Birmingham 2 Region, but the Gamecocks are not the top overall seed.
UCLA earned the distinction as the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness, the NCAA Tournament selection committee announced Sunday. The Gamecocks are the No. 2 overall seed and will host the first two rounds of the tournament in Columbia at Colonial Life Arena.
Dawn Staley and South Carolina will face No. 16 Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. Friday (ESPN). Tennessee Tech (26-5) won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
The NCAA Tournament’s No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup in Columbia is between Utah (22-8) and Indiana (19-12), respectively. That game is 1:30 p.m. Friday (ESPN2).
“We’re gonna play the cards that we’ve been dealt,” Staley told the fans gathered Sunday for a watch party at Colonial Life Arena.
It’s the first time since the 2021 tournament that the Gamecocks were not the No. 1 overall seed.
Duke is the No. 2 seed in South Carolina’s corner of the bracket. UNC is No. 3, while Maryland is the No. 4 seed.
“I think that group is going to see some great basketball,” Staley said of the teams coming to Columbia. “They’re going to participate in great basketball. They’re going to see how we built such an awesome fan base. I hope they bring their fans so we can all put on a really good show for women’s basketball.”
If the Gamecocks advance out of the Columbia games, they’d head to Birmingham, Alabama for the Sweet 16 round. This year’s Final Four games will be played in Tampa, Florida.
Texas and Southern Cal are the tournament’s other No. 1 seeds.
South Carolina fell from a No. 1 seed to a No. 2 seed in the selection committee’s last Top 16 bracket reveal in late February. But a win over then-No. 1 Texas in the SEC Tournament championship pushed the Gamecocks back to the No. 1 seed line. ESPN’s Charlie Creme’s even had them as No. 1 overall in his final bracketology projections.
South Carolina has earned 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament with Staley as the coach. The Gamecocks have played in four straight Final Fours.
USC has won three national championships in its program history, all under Staley. The first came in 2017, the next in 2022 and the Gamecocks went undefeated last season to clinch its third title.
Columbia games schedule
Friday
▪ 1:30 p.m.: No. 8 Utah (22-8) vs. No. 9 Indiana (19-12), ESPN2
▪ 4 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina (30-3) vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech (26-5), ESPN
Sunday
▪ Time and matchup TBD
NCAA Tournament Birmingham 2 region
- 1. South Carolina (30-3)
- 2. Duke (26-7)
- 3. North Carolina (27-7)
- 4. Maryland (23-7)
- 5. Alabama (23-8)
- 6. West Virginia (24-7)
- 7. Vanderbilt (22-10)
- 8. Utah (22-8)
- 9. Indiana (19-12)
- 10. Oregon (19-11)
- 11. Columbia/Washington
- 12. Green Bay (29-5)
- 13. Norfolk State (30-4)
- 14. Oregon State (19-15)
- 15. Lehigh (27-6)
- 16. Tennessee Tech (26-5)
This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM.
