Game Details: Monday, March 23 | Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C. | Time TBD | ESPN/ESPN2
How It Was Set Up
The matchup everyone in the Columbia Regional suspected might happen is now confirmed. Southern California advanced to the second round for the third consecutive year, defeating Clemson 71-67 in overtime on Saturday, setting up the most layered second-round game of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Southern California will meet South Carolina in the second round in Columbia, South Carolina. It is USC vs. USC — the two schools that share the same abbreviation, the same nickname, and now the same bracket on the sport’s biggest stage. The series between the programs even carries an official name: “The Real SC,” a bicoastal showcase that began in November with South Carolina winning 69-52 in Los Angeles. Round two happens Monday, this time on the Gamecocks’ home floor.
How to Watch
The game will be played at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. on Monday, March 23. The 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, and ESPNU, with all games also available to stream via the ESPN app.
South Carolina: The No. 1 Seed Coming Off a Statement Win
South Carolina (31-3, 15-1 SEC) remains squarely in title contention as usual. The Gamecocks rank third in the country with 12 Quad 1 wins and will host the first two rounds of the tournament, where they are 16-0 at home.
Saturday’s first-round demolition of Southern set the tone emphatically. Joyce Edwards and Ta’Niya Latson combined for 11 of South Carolina’s first 19 points. Edwards checked out with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter with 23 points, setting a new NCAA tournament career high. Agot Makeer scored a career-high 15 points. The 69-point win marked the largest margin of victory in program history and tied for the seventh-largest in NCAA tournament history.
The Gamecocks have been led by sophomore forward Joyce Edwards, who averages 19.6 points per game. Guards Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson have combined for an average of 23.2 buckets per game. Ta’Niya Latson, Raven Johnson, and Joyce Edwards were all named Associated Press All-Americans heading into the tournament, giving South Carolina one of the deepest collections of individual honors in the field.
Projected South Carolina Starters: Ta’Niya Latson, Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson, Joyce Edwards, Madina Okot
South Carolina Injury Report: The Gamecocks continue to operate with a reduced rotation. Chloe Kitts is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Notably, Ashlyn Watkins has been out for the season, but the Gamecocks have compensated with a deep frontcourt rotation.
Minor availability concerns (practice absences like Maddy McDaniel) have surfaced but have not significantly impacted rotation strength.
Southern California: The Cinderella Survivor Coming Off an Overtime Thriller
USC enters Monday’s game battle-tested and emotionally charged after one of Saturday’s most dramatic finishes. Clemson led 28-26 at halftime and carried a 43-39 advantage into the fourth quarter. USC responded in the final period, taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Jazzy Davidson, who finished with 31 points. Clemson’s Mia Moore delivered late with a step-back 3-pointer to put the Tigers ahead 54-51 with 4:41 remaining. In overtime, USC pulled away to secure the four-point win.
That performance from Davidson — 31 points in an overtime tournament win as a true freshman — announced the Trojans’ most important player on the biggest stage she has yet encountered.
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson wrapped the regular season leading USC outright in every major statistical category, including points (17.9), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.3), steals (2.0) and blocks per game (2.1), a feat unmatched by any other Division I player this season. Davidson headlined the squad as Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Big Ten selection, while also claiming spots on the All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams. Senior Kara Dunn earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
This season the Trojans finished ninth in the Big Ten regular season standings, going 9-9 against conference opponents. The 17-13 record is modest on paper, but the résumé includes games against UConn, South Carolina, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio State — a schedule that has hardened this team for moments exactly like Monday.
Projected USC Starters: Jazzy Davidson, Kara Dunn, Kennedy Smith, Malia Samuels, Laura Williams
USC Injury Report: USC star guard JuJu Watkins has not played in the 2025-2026 season after suffering an ACL tear in March of 2025. She is present in Columbia and watching her team, but her return to the court belongs to next season. There was concern regarding true freshman guard Jazzy Davidson following a shoulder injury in the Big Ten Tournament, but she is confirmed available — and after Saturday’s 31-point overtime performance, any lingering doubts about her readiness have been put to rest.
Series History and November’s First Chapter
USC and South Carolina faced off back in November in Los Angeles. The Trojans played the Gamecocks tough, but ultimately fell 69-52. That game, the first installment of “The Real SC” series, was competitive in stretches before South Carolina’s depth and defensive pressure ultimately proved decisive. JuJu Watkins was courtside and hugged Dawn Staley before tip-off — a detail that adds personal texture to a rivalry that is still in its early stages but already carrying genuine weight.
The second game of the series was originally scheduled for November 2026 in Greenville. The bracket has accelerated the timeline considerably.
What to Watch
The central matchup is Davidson against South Carolina’s suffocating defense. Against a USC team sporting long and athletic defensive playmakers, a South Carolina halfcourt offense that aimlessly tries to get more players involved is almost sure to fail. But as the Trojans know well from their two seasons with Watkins, just letting a scoring star go to work can lead to wins. Latson, if unleashed, can do that for the Gamecocks.
Davidson is the only Division I player this season averaging at least two blocks and two steals per game. She will face a South Carolina defense that held Southern without a field goal for an entire quarter on Saturday. Something has to give.
For the Gamecocks, the shorthanded rotation remains a wildcard. Nine players carried them through a blowout on Saturday. A deeper, battle-tested USC team coming off an overtime game presents an entirely different test — one that will demand more from every player in South Carolina’s rotation, not just the starters.
ESPN’s odds give the Gamecocks +800 odds to win the tournament, and they remain the heavy favorite Monday. But USC survived overtime on Saturday, Davidson is playing the best basketball of her young career, and Colonial Life Arena is about to host the most compelling second-round game in the Columbia Regional.
The real USC gets decided Monday.
