South Carolina is back in the Final Four. The Gamecocks led by Dawn Staley won the last time they reached the semifinals and are looking to win their second title of all time. South Carolina has secured four double-digit wins at the March Madness so far. Let’s take a look at how they got to the Final Four and the history of the show.
How South Carolina made it to the 2021 Final Four
South Carolina finished the regular season in sixth place in the country. They won the SEC tournament over Georgia before the NCAA Tournament and won a general offer as the first place. Then the Gamecocks started a dominant race for the fifth round.
The Gamecocks defeated No. 16 Mercer in the first round 79-53. Forward Aliyah Boston led the way with 20 points and 18 rebounds, while Victaria Saxton matched her with 20 points of her own. Boston followed its performance in the first round with 19 points against No. 8 Oregon State in a 59-42 victory, but was overcome by the second-year highlight of Zia Cooke in the Gamecocks’ 76-65 victory against No. 5 Georgia Tech . Cooke awarded 17 points to help bring South Carolina to Elite 8. Everyone followed South Carolina in the fourth round, with four different Gamecocks – Boston, Cooke, Saxton and Destanni Henderson – reaching double digits in points to secure a 62 -34 victory against No. 6 Texas.
When did South Carolina last appear in the Final Four?
Gamecocks made it to the Final Four for the last time in 2017. They won their first and only championship that season and hope to secure their second title in the program’s history this year.
How many times did South Carolina appear in the Final Four?
This is Gamecocks’ third appearance in Final Four. They did this in 2015 and 2017, winning the national title in the last year.