March Madness is officially upon us. Both the men's and women's field of 68 brackets were revealed yesterday on Selection Sunday and South Carolina, coming off of a national championship just last year, is looking to become the 10th women's basketball team to go undefeated for an entire season as they enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
Projected 1st overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, Aliyah Boston, leads the charge for the Gamecocks, averaging 13.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. The defending champions will play Norfolk State in their first round game.
Related: Don't Miss One Shining Moment: A Quick Guide to Watching March Madness 2023
The other three number one seeds in the tournament, along with South Carolina, are Indiana, Virginia Tech, and Stanford. The Hoosiers and Hokies are both number one seeds for the first time in school history for women's March Madness, while the Cardinal are prepared for their 13th number one seed entry. The tournament begins Wednesday, March 15, with the first four games then the madness starts Friday, with 16 games and then the following 16 games on Saturday.
Related: Parity: Why Women's Basketball Is More Unpredictable
South Carolina, the favorites to cut down the nets in the end, are the 18th team in women's college basketball history to reach the tournament with an undefeated record. Their path to the Final Four is very favorable–if they go on to defeat Norfolk State in the first round, they would play their second round game at home. Then, if they continue to win, their next two games would be just 90 minutes away in Greenville, South Carolina. When asked about the potential “home” games, head coach Dawn Staley said, “We're blessed that Greenville was a region. We're blessed that we did enough to get sent to this region and we have to make it work for us. We know it won't be easy.”
Related: Triumph in Women's Sports: A Brief History of Women's March Madness
The other top teams in South Carolina's bracket are No. 2 seed Maryland, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 UCLA. The Gamecocks beat both Maryland and UCLA earlier this season.
Related: The Best March Madness Brackets Recorded Since 2015
Four schools will be making their first appearance in the tournament: Southern Utah, Southeastern Louisiana, Sacramento State and Saint Louis. The first four schools that were just short of making the tournament: Columbia, Massachusetts, Kansas, and Oregon.
The action kicks off this week! Look forward to more coverage of women's March Madness here at 2aDays to come as the tournament transpires.
Have an idea for a story or a question you need answered? Want to set up an interview with us? Email us at [email protected]
Image Credit: South Carolina Athletics
* Originally published on March 15, 2023, by Ashton Grenon
