Bracketology breakdown: South Carolina bounces back in rankings after Ole Miss win

South Carolina had its week-long hiatus and stepped right back into the final stretch of conference play. After playing just one game last week, USC picked up an important road win to put its best foot forward for the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Gamecocks (22-5, 9-4 SEC) have four more games to help secure their fate for the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Here’s a look at what bracketology predictions are saying about USC’s seeding outlook for March Madness and how its postseason resume has changed over the last week.

AP Top 25 update

The Gamecocks are back in the teens this week, jumping two spots to No. 18 in The Associated Press Top 25. It’s the fourth-straight week South Carolina has been ranked inside the poll’s top 20. USC was also No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches poll.

South Carolina played one game last week, picking up a 72-59 win over Ole Miss on the road. The Gamecocks snapped their first two-game skid of the season, coming off losses to Auburn and LSU.

South Carolina’s tournament projections

South Carolina is an overall No. 7 seed, reaching as high as a five seed and as low as an 10 seed, according to 107 bracket projections averaged by Bracket Matrix. Other seven seeds include Colorado State, Utah State and Florida. The last Bracket Matrix update was published Monday afternoon.

CBS Sports’ bracketology update, done by Jerry Palm and updated Monday, lists the Gamecocks as a No. 6 seed in the Salt Lake City regional and facing No. 11 seeded Princeton in the first round. No. 3 Baylor and No. 14 College of Charleston are the opposite matchup for the second round in the Salt Lake projection from CBS. It’s the second-straight week Palm listed USC as a No. 6 seed.

ESPN’s bracketology’s last update was updated on Feb. 27, with USC was listed there as a No. 6 seed in the Pittsburgh regional. Its projected first-round matchup would be against a No. 11 seed, the winner of the Providence vs. Gonzaga play-in game, seeded Nevada, with No. 3 Dukes and No. 14 Cornell playing the opposite side.

USC’s March Madness resume

South Carolina’s latest NET ranking is No. 48, boosted by the win over Ole Miss and bumping the Gamecocks up 10 spots from their position of No. 58 a week ago.

The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) factors in strength of schedule and the quality of a team’s victories and strength of schedule, among other things, as a metric the NCAA selection committee for Selection Sunday. Opponent quality is broken into four quadrants, with Quad 1 being a marquee victory and Quads 3 and 4 are games where losses can be detrimental.

South Carolina remains undefeated against Quad 2 (5-0) and Quad 4 teams (11-0), and are 2-2 against Quad 3 opponents.

The Gamecocks’ lone game against Ole Miss last week put them at 4-3 against Quad 1 opponents this year. USC’s next game at Texas A&M is also a Quad 1 opportunity, with the Aggies sitting at No. 58 in the NET rankings.

Head coach Lamont Paris is 0-1 all-time as a head coach in the NCAA tournament, after falling in the first road at Chattanooga during the 2021-22 season. He’s reached the national championship game during the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach at Wisconsin and Final Four during the 2013-14. He helped lead the Badgers to seven straight tournament appearances, from 2011-17, and made the Division II NCAA Final Four as an assistant at IUP in 2001-02.

Gamecocks schedule

South Carolina closes out its final multi-game road trip on Wednesday, taking on Texas A&M (15-12, 6-8 SEC) before returning to Colonial Life Arena to host Florida (19-8, 9-5) on Saturday. Both games are projected to be Quad 1 games.

South Carolina played against Ole Miss without junior Myles Stute (sprained knee). USC hasn’t announced a return time for the forward.

They wrap up at home against Tennessee (March 6) and on the road at Mississippi State (March 9).

The Gamecocks’ final four games this season will determine where USC finishes in the regular season SEC standings. South Carolina is tied for third place in the SEC, and winning three of the next four games will secure a double-bye in the conference tournament.

When is the men’s SEC tournament?

The SEC men’s basketball tournament is March 13-17 in Nashville, Tennessee. It will be a single-elimination bracket, with the top four teams receiving first- and second-round byes into the quarterfinals. The championship game will be on Sunday afternoon on ESPN.

When is Selection Sunday?

The March Madness Selection Sunday show is 6 p.m. March 17 and will be broadcast on CBS.

What are the NCAA Tournament dates?

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be March 21-24. Game times for those rounds will be announced following Selection Sunday.