STOCKTON, Calif. -- What does Leticia Romero remember most vividly about Florida State's 2015 game against South Carolina? The pain.
"I remember that it was like a fight," the Seminoles senior point guard said. "I remember finishing the game and my whole body was hurting."
That loss wasn't limited to physical pain. Losing an 80-74 game on the precipice of the Final Four sticks in the body and the mind.
But on the other side, South Carolina experienced the elation of a breakthrough game, the Gamecocks making their first trip to the national semifinals.
The same high stakes are on the line Monday night in Stockton, two athletic, physical teams from the east matching up on the West Coast for a trip to Texas and a shot an at NCAA title.