South Carolina women’s basketball has opened the 2025–26 campaign with an impressive 9-1 record through the first five weeks. The Gamecocks’ lone setback came on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater against Texas, but they’ve otherwise dominated a challenging slate that includes victories over Clemson, Duke, Southern Cal, and Louisville. In this week’s AP Top 25, Dawn Staley’s squad remains firmly in the No. 3 position nationally.
The NCAA released its first NET rankings of the season last week, and South Carolina debuted at No. 6 overall — third among SEC programs. That placement held steady in this week’s updated rankings. The teams ahead of the Gamecocks are the UConn Huskies (No. 1), LSU Tigers (No. 2), Michigan Wolverines (No. 3), UCLA Bruins (No. 4), and Texas Longhorns (No. 5).
These rankings were refreshed following Tuesday night’s action across the country.
For context, the NET is the primary evaluation tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. It incorporates factors such as the Team Value Index — which weighs scheduling, results, and game locations — along with an adjusted net efficiency metric that evaluates how effectively a team performs against varying levels of competition.
As of now, South Carolina holds a 2-1 record in Quad 1 matchups: a neutral-site win over Southern Cal (played in Los Angeles), a narrow loss to Texas at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, and a road victory at Louisville.
The Gamecocks are also 2-0 in Quad 2 games thanks to wins over Duke and Clemson. They have yet to face a Quad 3 foe, and they sport a perfect 5-0 mark against Quad 4 opponents — all of which were played at Colonial Life Arena.
True to form, Coach Staley has assembled one of the toughest schedules in the nation. That strategy gives USC ample opportunities to climb even higher in the NET rankings. Over their next two appearances, the Gamecocks will square off with one Quad 1 opponent and another from Quad 2.
Next up is a Sunday showdown at Colonial Life Arena, where South Carolina will host the Penn State Nittany Lions at 3:30 p.m. The matchup will air on ESPN and stream on the ESPN app. Penn State currently sits at No. 69 in the NET, placing them in the Quad 2 category.
