South Carolina is headed to its fifth consecutive Final Four after narrowly escaping past Duke to secure the Birmingham Regional 2 crown!
At this point, Gamecocks fans are numb to the feeling of reaching this level of success. Head coach Dawn Staley has transformed South Carolina's women's college basketball program into a certified powerhouse. This marks the defending NCAA tournament champions' seventh national semifinal since she took over in 2008.
However, the Blue Devils gave the Gamecocks a run for their money in the Elite Eight, even holding a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. A spectacular showing from Duke freshman forward Toby Fournier nearly had Staley and Co. ready to experience something they don't often do in March: Lose.
When was the last time South Carolina lost in March Madness?
Mar. 31, 2023, was the last time Staley's Gamecocks lost in the Big Dance. They fell short against an Iowa squad led by two-time AP Player of the Year/current WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark. Since then, South Carolina has rattled off 10 straight March Madness wins, including exacting their revenge over the Hawkeyes the following season.
South Carolina had no answer for Clark, though no one did (or does yet). She tallied 41 points on 15-of-31 shooting, adding eight assists, six rebounds and a steal in Iowa's 77-73 victory over the Gamecocks. Nonetheless, Staley's crew redeemed themselves in the 2024 title game, beating Iowa 87-75 to claim the school's third championship.
As impressive as Staley's run, it's not the first time we've seen a sustained streak of success like this in the tourney. UConn won 24 March Madness contests in a row from 2013 to 2017 en route to accomplishing the first four-peat in women's history. The Huskies have also three-peated and earned back-to-back titles (on separate occasions), so the Gamecocks are still playing catch-up.
Eventually, the mighty always fall. It doesn't happen often, but they get knocked off their pedestal, allowing someone else to bask in the glory for once. We saw it this year on the men's side, with UConn and their decorated leader Dan Hurley faltering in the Round of 32 to Florida.