The South Carolina women’s basketball team, ranked first in the ESPN Top 25, will play the Women’s Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic 2020 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from November 28 to 30.
The four-team round-robin event will also include Oklahoma, South Dakota and Gonzaga, which ranked No. 24. The four programs at the event have a combined 41 participations in NCAA tournaments along with 24 Sweet 16s, five Final Fours and a national championship.
Gamecocks had 32-1 last season and would have been seed number 1 and the favorite to win the national championship before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. No. 13 Gonzaga (28-3) and No. 17 in South Dakota (30-2) also finished in the final top 25 of the AP a year ago.
“We are thrilled to be involved in the Women’s Crossover Classic this season and to travel to Sioux Falls, which I know is a great city for basketball,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “Everyone we worked with at this event was wonderful and I know it will be among the best-contested tournaments in the country. After working in a pre-season that looked very different from previous years, these three games will be great for determining where we are as a team in beginning of the season. “
All members of each team’s travel group will be tested regularly for COVID-19 once they arrive in Sioux Falls. All traveling members will remain in a controlled environment throughout their stay.