South Carolina Eyes Ninth SEC Tournament Title as Momentum Builds
The South Carolina Gamecocks are set to begin their quest for a ninth SEC tournament title on Friday afternoon in Greenville. Dawn Staley and her squad (27-3, 15-1 SEC) enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, riding a four-game winning streak and looking stronger than ever.
Here’s why the Gamecocks are in prime position heading into the SEC Tournament:
Winning the Coin Toss Pays Off
South Carolina’s coin-flip tiebreaker win may be old news, but its impact is huge in the team’s championship pursuit.
With the No. 1 seed, the Gamecocks avoid tougher early matchups and get more favorable game times.
- They will face the winner of No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 Tennessee at noon Friday.
- If they advance, they’ll play either No. 4 Kentucky or No. 5 Oklahoma at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
South Carolina has already beaten all of these teams this season by an average margin of 22 points.
Had they lost the coin flip, they would have been scheduled for a 6 p.m. Friday game, followed by a potential clash with No. 3 LSU at 7 p.m. Saturday. While Dawn Staley’s team would likely embrace the challenge, facing LSU (who will be without star Flau’jae Johnson) in a semifinal instead of a championship showdown would have made the road tougher.
Gamecocks Peaking at the Right Time
Before last week’s 75-59 win over Ole Miss, Dawn Staley emphasized the importance of playing their best basketball now, rather than waiting for March Madness.
One week later, she believes her team is nearly there.
“I think we’re moving toward that,” Staley said. “I think certain players are certainly playing a lot better, a lot more focused, a lot more impactful on both sides of the basketball. … We used to have just one or two players playing well, but now a lot of them are stepping up. That makes us feel really good heading into postseason play.”
Chloe Kitts is on Fire
Chloe Kitts is peaking at the perfect time, delivering a historic triple-double (16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) against Ole Miss before following up with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Kentucky.
Her dominant performances earned her USBWA National Player of the Week honors.
Now averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, Kitts leads the Gamecocks in rebounding and is proving to be a force on both ends of the court.
Dawn Staley on Kitts: “Obviously, triple-doubles give you confidence. Chloe got it because she played the right way, and if she keeps doing that, she might find herself in another triple-double situation.”
‘Tournament Tessa’ is Back?
Tessa Johnson had been in a shooting slump, averaging just 4.4 points per game and making 28.6% of her three-pointers over five games.
That changed against Kentucky, where Johnson broke out with a team-high 16 points off the bench, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-2 from deep.
Her postseason reputation speaks for itself—Johnson was a key player in last year’s NCAA Tournament, averaging 10 points per game and making 39% of her three-pointers. She also made the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, thanks in part to her 19-point performance in the national championship game against Iowa.
If “Tournament Tessa” finds her rhythm early, the Gamecocks will be even tougher to stop.
Lockdown Defense Could Be the Game-Changer
The Gamecocks’ defense came up big in crunch time against Kentucky, sealing the win with a dominant final five minutes.
- After Kentucky cut the lead to one, South Carolina forced seven turnovers, sparking a 13-2 run to close out the game.
- The Gamecocks forced 14 total turnovers, converting them into 19 points.
If South Carolina can replicate that defensive intensity consistently, their path to a conference title and deep NCAA Tournament run becomes even clearer.
Raven Johnson on South Carolina’s defensive mindset: “Defense, that’s something I cherish. I think defense wins championships.”
Next Up: SEC Tournament Action Begins Friday
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks tip off their SEC Tournament run Friday at noon, determined to take another step toward championship glory.
