COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 7/7 South Carolina is set for its fifth-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance on Sat., March 24, against Buffalo in the Albany Regional. The Gamecocks (28-6, 12-4 SEC) and Bulls (29-5, 16-2 MAC) tip off at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN.
>> Reigning National Champion South Carolina is in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fifth-straight year and the sixth time in seven seasons. The Gamecocks have played in two of the last three Final Fours.
>> The Gamecocks’ primary trio of frontcourt players — A’ja Wilson (21.0 ppg), Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (10.2 ppg) and Alexis Jennings (9.0 ppg) — are the team’s top three postseason scorers. They combine to average 40.2 points, accounting for 60.0 percent of the team’s 67.0 points per game in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Their offensive efficiency has surely been aided by 35.6 percent 3-point shooting from the Gamecock guards, who entered the postseason hitting just 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. Including the three wins over nationally ranked opponents en route to the SEC Tournament title, South Carolina has a +11.0 rebounding margin in the postseason after closing the regular season with a +6.6 margin.
>> National player of the year candidate A’ja Wilson’s raw numbers this season prove that she is having the best season of an already decorated career, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in scoring, rebounding and blocks averages — 22.6 ppg (6th), 11.9 rpg (9th), 3.3 bpg (5th). In fact, she is the only player in the top 35 of all three categories. Taking a deeper dive into her performance shows that 35.3 percent of the Gamecocks’ offensive possessions end in her hands, which makes her usage rate among the top 0.2 percent in the nation. Even with that volume, Wilson’s true shooting percentage (.591) is in the top 5.3 percent in the nation. (Breakdown courtesy of HerHoopStats.com)
>> Sophomore forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has been locked in since starting the three games at the SEC Tournament, averaging 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in the postseason. After three high-scoring games that earned her a spot on the SEC All-Tournament team, Herbert Harrigan posted her first double-digit rebounding game of the season (second of her career) against Virginia in the NCAA second round. Her effort on the glass and as a scoring threat helped her to the biggest plus/minus rating on the team in her 20 minutes against the Cavaliers (+20.05).
>> Freshman guard Bianca Jackson is back in rhythm offensively over the last three games, averaging 13.3 points on 50.0 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range. The effort shook off a two-point scoring effort over the first two games of the SEC Tournament combined, during which the first-year shooter became too unselfish in passing on shots her teammates expected her to take.
>> Junior guard Doniyah Cliney is the often overlooked member of the starting lineup, but she is just as often the Gamecock making the most timely, momentum-shifting play. Routinely logging 34+ minutes in games, she bears the toughest defensive assignment yet still manages to hit a clutch shot, grab a needed rebound or swipe a steal just as the game is at a tipping point. An effort that belies her 7.8 scoring and 3.2 rebounding averages on the season.