In each of the past four years, South Carolina has charged into the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, fresh off a championship run in the SEC tournament, eager to keep up its momentum.
At the Gamecocks’ watch party Monday, however, things were different, and not just because the bracket had been accidentally leaked several hours early.
For the first time since 2010, USC failed to win a single game in the conference tourney. When Dawn Staley’s team finally starts its NCAA journey on Friday against Belmont, it will be two full weeks since Arkansas shocked the Gamecocks in the SEC quarterfinals.