They call it March Madness, but at least on the women's side, the NCAA Tournament often has played out exactly as you'd expect over the years, with the very top seeds advancing past the first few rounds with almost no exceptions.
That's changing, and Dawn Staley and South Carolina have had a front row seat to that change. In 2017, the Gamecocks faced No. 12 seed Quinnipiac in the Sweet 16. This season, they'll face No. 11 seed Buffalo in Albany on Saturday.
Buffalo, along with fellow 11 seed and MAC-member Central Michigan, is part of a select group of a dozen No.