Tournament time! Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks learn March Madness path, schedule

South Carolina begins March Madness as the team to beat.

The Gamecocks were selected Sunday as the No. 1 overall seed for the second year in a row in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. It’s the third-straight year they’ve been among the top four overall seeds.

South Carolina will play its first game on at 2 p.m. Friday (ESPN) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, facing 16th seeded Norfolk State.

The other two teams competing in Columbia (11:30 a.m. Friday, ESPN2) are No. 8 seed South Florida and No. 9 Marquette — the winner of that game would play Sunday against the winner of the USC-Norfolk State game.

Colonial Life Arena hosted an inaugural First Four game last season, but there won’t be a play-in game in Columbia this year.

“It’s real helpful that you don’t have to prepare for two teams,” head coach Dawn Staley said Sunday. “We know who we’re playing and we can get going on it.”

Staley and the rest of the Gamecocks watched the Selection Sunday reveal along with USC fans inside Colonial Life Arena.

USC will play in the Greenville 1 region, as this year’s tournament will play the regional rounds in two locations. Seattle is the other regional spot.

South Carolina is one of four No. 1 seeds, with Indiana, Virginia Teach and Stanford as the others. The Hokies and Cardinal will play in Seattle.

The other top seeds in the Greenville 1 region are Maryland, Notre Dame and UCLA. The Gamecocks defeated Maryland and UCLA earlier in the year, though the Terrapins didn’t have star guard Diamond Miller. Both teams have picked up their play since their early matchups against USC.

“If we take care of business, we’ve got a first round (game) and a second round (game) before we even have to see them,” Staley said. “They have to get through their bracket. Anything could happen in March. But there’s a lot of familiarity.”

USC’s title repeat efforts will begin in Columbia, as the team will host the first- and second-round games in Colonial Life Arena. Those Round of 64 and Round of 32 games will be held from March 17-20.

If it advances, South Carolina will return to Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena, where the SEC tournament was played, for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Those rounds will occur from March 24-27.

This year’s Final Four and national championship game will be held at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The national semifinals are scheduled for March 31 with the championship on April 2.

The Gamecocks finished the regular season 29-0, the best record in program history. Now 32-0, USC has the potential to become the 10th women’s basketball team in the NCAA era to finish the season as the undefeated champion.

A championship win in this year’s tournament would be the third in program history, and the first repeat title for the Gamecocks.

COLUMBIA’S NCAA WBB TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday: No. 8 South Florida vs. No. 9 Marquette, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)

Friday: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Norfolks State, 2 p.m. (ESPN)

Sunday: Winners of Friday games, TBD (TBD)

USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Listed by year and with tournament seed, finish; 2020 tournament was canceled

2023 — No. 1 seed, TBD

2022 — No. 1 seed, national champion

2021 — No. 1 seed, Final Four

2019 — No. 4 seed, Sweet 16

2018 — No. 2 seed, Elite Eight

2017 — No. 1 seed, National champion

2016 — No. 1 seed, Sweet 16

2015 — No. 1 seed, Final Four

2014 — No. 1 seed, Sweet 16

2013 — No. 4 seed, second round

2012 — No. 5 seed, Sweet 16