In a bracket full of routs and chalk, any lower seed to take a lead on a higher seed draws outsized attention. But a No. 1 seed, winner of 16 quadrant 1 games, boasting a résumé many believed the selection committee snubbed for the No. 1 overall seed falling behind in the second round? That can be cause for concern.
The last time South Carolina trailed at halftime was that ugly 29-point blunder to Connecticut that ultimately dropped them out of the top overall seed line. The Gamecocks scored nine points in the second quarter of that rout, the fewest of a quarter in their season. They tied the mark with nine in the first against No. 9 Indiana at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday. South Carolina had lost all three games in which it scored fewer than 28 points at the half.
As the Gamecocks often do, they leaned on defense, turned around another slow start and waltzed into their 11th consecutive Sweet 16 with a 64-53 win.
“You’e just got to score more points than the other team and work the kinks out as we advance into the tournament,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.
It tested a squad favored to win a second consecutive championship, but the result, which doesn’t define how close the matchup was most of the way, shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. The teams squared off in the Sweet 16 a year ago with an even closer four-point margin and it ultimately led to a trophy.
“In any run there will be challenges, some good and bad,” Staley said on Saturday ahead of the game. “As I reflect on it, that [Indiana game] was the challenge.”
The 2024 undefeated squad, most of whom returned to South Carolina, cruised into the Sweet 16 off a 97-point winning margin the first weekend. The Hoosiers weren’t going to let that type of route happen and erased a 22-point deficit to push the No. 1 overall seed to the brink in the Albany regional. South Carolina advanced with a 79-75 victory, their closest margin of the tournament. The average margin of victory down the last three games was 14 points.
South Carolina avoided an upset in Albany the same way it avoided that fate on Sunday. Staley and Co. went 10 deep, spreading around the contributions and making the defense play whack-a-mole trying to stop them. With the exception of a slow start, that won’t be easy for Gamecocks opponents to overcome. It’s exactly how South Carolina wins.
As many SEC coaches have pointed out, the list of McDonald’s All-Americans wearing garnet is long. When one can’t get it going in a game, Staley turns to another. That’s worked so far.
Freshman Joyce Edwards turned the ball over five times, tied for the second-most of her career, and went 2-of-8 from the floor. Chloe Kitts came alive after a scoreless first half to finish with a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. Sania Feagin drew them back from a deficit, scoring 10 points.
Bree Hall scored a team-high 11 points and shut down Indiana 3-point record-holder Yarden Garzon in the final minute. Guard Te-Hina Paopao blocked four shots — half of her season total heading into the NCAA tournament and as many buckets as she scored.
“I’m part of the seatbelt gang now, so I’m really proud of that,” Paopao said. “I just have to carry that defensive mindset through the tournament.”
The top-10 defense fueled the 70% shooting clip in the third quarter and a 39-27 second half. The Gamecocks outscored the Hoosiers in transition, 20-6, and off turnovers, 18-12. Four players combined for seven blocked shots and five for seven steals.
“We’re a culture of playing defense, and if you don’t play it, you stick out,” Staley said.
Staley knows what it takes to build toward a championship, and so, too, does nearly everyone on this roster. A scare early is better than a scare late, as they experienced in the 2023 Final Four loss to Iowa in what was an undefeated season. Each championship team under Staley has experienced it.
The 2022 title team faced its challenge in the Sweet 16 with an eight-point win over North Carolina. The total winning margins en route to Staley’s second championship were 58, 16, 8, 30, 13 and 15. The 2017 team needed a go-ahead tip-in and free throws by A’ja Wilson to avoid a second-round upset by Arizona State. The Gamecocks played two more single-digit games in the Elite Eight and Final Four.
“We didn’t think we were just going to walk over two opponents in the first and second round. Getting to a Sweet 16 is hard,” Staley said. “It’s hard, and to do it in as many consecutive years as we’ve done it, it doesn’t get old. It’s not taken for granted, and we cherish the opportunity to move to the second weekend in the NCAA tournament.”
