South Carolina’s Historic Home Streak Ends in Stunning Fashion Against UConn
For the first time in 71 home games, South Carolina women’s basketball has suffered a defeat at Colonial Life Arena. The UConn Huskies ended the Gamecocks’ historic run in emphatic fashion, delivering a dominant 87-58 victory on Sunday. It marked South Carolina’s worst home loss since 2008—Dawn Staley’s first season—when they also fell to the Huskies.
Gamecocks Slip in Rankings After Blowout Loss
With the loss, South Carolina drops to 23-3 overall and 11-1 in SEC play, still tied with Texas for the conference lead. If both teams finish with identical records, the SEC Tournament’s No. 1 seed will be decided by a coin flip.
Following the defeat, the AP Top 25 rankings saw a shake-up. The Gamecocks slid from No. 4 to No. 6, as the top teams continue to battle for positioning ahead of the postseason.
New AP Top 25 Rankings (First-Place Votes in Parentheses):
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16)
- Texas Longhorns (8)
- UCLA Bruins (6)
- Southern Cal Trojans
- UConn Huskies
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- LSU Tigers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- TCU Horned Frogs
Despite the loss, the Gamecocks remain in the mix for a top tournament seed, with two weeks left in the regular season. UCLA, the last remaining unbeaten team in the nation, also suffered a loss, adding further intrigue to the rankings race.
Gamecocks Look to Bounce Back in SEC Play
With the home streak behind them, South Carolina turns its focus to two crucial SEC matchups this week.
- Thursday, Feb. 20 – South Carolina vs. Arkansas (Colonial Life Arena, 7:00 p.m., SEC Network)
- Sunday, Feb. 23 – South Carolina at Vanderbilt (3:00 p.m., Streaming on SEC Network+)
The Arkansas Razorbacks will be the first challenge, as Dawn Staley’s team looks to regroup in front of their home crowd. Then, they’ll hit the road to face the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville.
With the postseason approaching, expect South Carolina to come out with something to prove in the final stretch of SEC play.
