South Carolina Women’s Basketball Climbs in AP Rankings

The latest developments in South Carolina women’s basketball. Head coach Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks have clinched a share of the SEC regular season title for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time in the last six seasons. In a twist of fate, the University of South Carolina secured the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament through a coin flip against the Texas Longhorns, a team they tied with in the SEC standings.

This past Monday, the AP updated its top-25 rankings, and the Gamecocks saw a slight improvement, moving up to the No. 5 spot overall, a one-place jump from their previous No. 6 ranking.

Here’s the latest AP Top 25 poll:

1. Texas Longhorns (25)
2. Southern Cal Trojans (6)
3. UConn Huskies
4. UCLA Bruins
5. South Carolina Gamecocks
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. NC State Wolfpack
8. TCU Horned Frogs
9. LSU Tigers
10. Oklahoma Sooners
11. Duke Blue Devils
12. Kentucky Wildcats
13. Ohio State Buckeyes
14. North Carolina Tar Heels
15. Maryland Terrapins
16. West Virginia Mountaineers
17. Baylor Bears
18. Tennessee Lady Volunteers
19. Alabama Crimson Tide
20. Kansas State Wildcats
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
22. Florida State Seminoles
23. Creighton Blue Jays
24. Michigan State Spartans
25. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

As we move into this week, the SEC Tournament will kick off in Greenville, South Carolina, with games starting on Wednesday afternoon. Thanks to their double-bye, the Gamecocks won’t take the floor again until Friday, when they will face either the Texas A&M Aggies, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, or Vanderbilt Commodores. In the first round, Texas A&M and Tennessee will clash, and the winner will face Vanderbilt in the second round. From there, the winner of that game will move on to face South Carolina.

If the Gamecocks can secure a victory in the quarterfinals, they are likely to face the Kentucky Wildcats. Meanwhile, the Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgia Bulldogs, and Oklahoma Sooners will be fighting to advance from Kentucky’s side of the bracket.

A highly anticipated rematch with the Texas Longhorns is expected to be on the horizon, with both teams potentially vying for the SEC Tournament title. Texas, now ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, split the season series with South Carolina earlier this year.

Following their victory over Kentucky on Sunday, the Gamecocks improved to an impressive 27-3 overall, finishing with a 15-1 record in conference play. After enduring two top-10 losses within just eight days, South Carolina rebounded by winning four straight games to close out the regular season. The AP has certainly recognized this strong finish, rewarding the Gamecocks with their rise in the rankings.

Stay tuned as we continue to follow South Carolina’s journey through the SEC Tournament.