South Carolina WBB set for rematch with LSU in SEC Tournament semifinals
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team have learned their opponent for the SEC Tournament semifinals.
The No. 1-seeded Gamecocks will face rival LSU. A win over the No. 4-seeded Tigers would put South Carolina back in the SEC Tournament championship game Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
How to watch South Carolina vs. LSU
- Who: No. 1 seed South Carolina vs. No. 4 LSU
- When: Saturday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m.
- Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC
- TV: ESPN2 (Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe)
- Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN the app
- Radio: 107.5 FM, SiriusXM Channel 106 or 190 (Brad Muller)
The last time these two teams played
South Carolina and LSU’s most recent matchup was must-see-TV.
The teams squared off on the national stage in Baton Rouge on Valentine’s Day. South Carolina and LSU battled down to the wire before the Gamecocks were able to pull away in the final moments and win 79-72.
The Gamecocks had four players finish in double digits. Tessa Johnson led the way with 21 points and notably had LSU head coach Kim Mulkey begging for someone on her team to step up and guard Johnson. Raven Johnson had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Madina Okot finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Joyce Edwards had 10 points.
LSU’s star guard, Flau’jae Johnson, led her team with 21 points, but missed a pair of clutch free throws late that cemented the win for South Carolina. Mikaylah Williams finished with 11 points and MiLaysia Fulwiley scored six points.
What Kim Mulkey and MiLaysia Fulwiley said about South Carolina
LSU head coach Mulkey expects Saturday’s matchup with South Carolina to be a game between two teams that are “good for the SEC, good for women’s basketball.”
“When you toss it up, you’re trying to win,” Mulkey said. “Someone’s going to win. Someone’s going to lose. But think of what’s ahead. It doesn’t matter what happens in this tournament, it’s what all of us are trying to do, and that is get to a Final Four and win a natty. It should be a game that a lot of women’s basketball fans should watch because you’re looking at great talent on the floor, you’re looking at two coaches that — well, I’m old. Dawn’s not quite as old as I am, but they’ve done a lot in the game. It will be good for the game. It will be good TV, and I don’t anticipate anything but it being a good game.”
The extra wrinkle to Saturday’s game is the presence of Fulwiley. The junior is a Columbia native and played at South Carolina the first two years of her career. Mulkey repeated her message from February on Friday, saying she doesn’t feel like she has to do anything extra to prepare Fulwiley for a game against her old team.
“She’s excited to be home,” Mulkey said. “She sees all her friends that she’s grown up with. You don’t have to talk to Lay. Lay is going to make a spectacular play, and she might have you pulling your hair out the next minute, but you let her play. No, this is not one of those where you think you’ve got to calm her down. She’s played them already this year, against them. So we won’t do anything like that. We’ll just do film work and go over our ways to try to beat South Carolina and just go play.”
When asked what LSU could take away from its February loss to South Carolina and apply to Saturday’s game, Fulwiley kept it short.
“I don’t remember that. I’m a new player. (New) mindset,” Fulwiley said.
How they got here
LSU finished the year 26-4 and posted a 12-4 record in SEC play. As a result, Mulkey and the Tigers earned a double-bye as the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament.
LSU advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals with a win over Oklahoma in the quarterfinals Friday. The Tigers were led by a 22-point performance from Fulwiley in the 112-78 win over the No. 5 seed Sooners.
South Carolina won its fifth straight SEC regular-season title this season after going 15-1 in conference play. The Gamecocks were rewarded with the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament as a result.
Staley and the Gamecocks started their SEC Tournament slate with an 87-64 win over No. 9 seed Kentucky in the quarterfinals Friday.
Quick opponent scout
Here’s a glance at the stats of some key players for LSU:
- Scoring leaders: Fulwiley (14.3 ppg), Flau’jae Johnson (14 ppg), Williams (13.5 ppg)
- Rebounding leaders: Amiya Joyner (7.3 rpg), Kate Koval (6.4 rpg), ZaKiyah Johnson (5.9 rpg)
- Assist leaders: Williams (3.7 apg), Fulwiley (3.5 apg), Jada Richard (3.3 apg)
LSU had four players earn All-SEC awards this year. Johnson and Williams were both named to the All-SEC First Team and ZaKiyah Johnson earned an All-Freshman team nod. Fulwiley was named the SEC’s Sixth Woman of the Year for the second year in a row. Fulwiley won the award as a sophomore at South Carolina last year.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 6:14 PM.
