SEC notebook: Elite Eight, Final Four on the line for final six SEC teams

South Carolina, Texas — the league’s top two teams all season — LSU, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Tennessee will seek to punch their tickets to the Elite Eight and Final Four starting Friday in the regional semifinals in Birmingham, Alabama and Spokane, Washington. The SEC’s six teams in the Sweet 16 tied the conference record for the most teams competing in this round of the tournament since 1997.

In the last two seasons, two SEC teams — the Gamecocks and the Tigers — have advanced to the Elite Eight. Since 2015, at least two SEC teams have competed in the Elite Eight in five of the last nine years. That timeframe does not include the league’s newest additions in Oklahoma and Texas this season.

The last instance of three teams in the league competing in the Elite Eight was 2007 when LSU, Mississippi and Tennessee accomplished the feat. This year, five of the total six SEC teams — Texas and Tennessee will battle each other — could continue their trail of magic into the regional finals on Sunday and Monday. Even more, since 1982, at least two SEC teams have advanced to the Final Four on 10 different occasions. Those years include 1988, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2017 and 2023.

Additionally, there have only been three teams not seeded No. 1 or 2 to win a women’s NCAA tournament championship since 1994. Those teams were No. 3 seeds North Carolina (1994), Tennessee (1997) and LSU (2023). Ironically, LSU and Oklahoma are the remaining No. 3 seeds while Mississippi and Tennessee are the No. 5 seeds still playing in this year’s tourney.

As the tournament’s most intense matchups get underway, this is a reminder that March provides the greatest moments in college basketball. Get ready for an action-packed weekend of games, storylines as well as stunning heroics and bittersweet losses. Here are some things to know about the final six SEC teams heading into Sweet 16 action:

Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.

Birmingham 2 Region

No. 1 seed South Carolina (32-3)

After overcoming a first half scare to defeat No. 9 Indiana in the second round, the Gamecocks will compete in their 11th consecutive Sweet 16 — not counting the COVID-19 2020 campaign — on Friday. Indiana led South Carolina 26-25 at halftime. Prior to Sunday’s victory, the last time SC trailed an opponent at halftime was the Gamecocks’ loss to UConn in February. Te-Hina Paopao told reporters that South Carolina was “overthinking a lot of things” and rushing shots in the first 20 minutes of action. “I just told the team, let’s keep it simple [in the second half],” the 5’9 senior guard added. SC’s defense also clamped down on Indiana in the third quarter, holding the Hoosiers to 14 points while the Gamecocks exploded for 26 in the frame.

SC plays best when it is locked in defensively (11th nationally in defensive rating per CBB Analytics), getting points on fastbreak opportunities (17.7 points per game, fourth nationally), creating efficient shots through great ball movement, winning both the offensive and defense glass as well as using its depth (41.5 points from bench production, leads the nation) as the great separator from its opponents. If SC lives up to its own standards, along with the Gamecocks containing Maryland’s trio of top scorers — Sarah Te-Biasu, Kaylene Smikle and Shyanne Sellers — who combined for a massive 78 of the Terrapins’ 111 points in their double overtime win against Alabama, the Gamecocks will earn their fifth consecutive Elite Eight appearance and move one step closer of securing their fifth straight trip to the Final Four on April 4 in Tampa, Florida.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. Maryland

Maryland Terrapins: Terrapins classic, double overtime win against Alabama

Birmingham 3 Region

No. 1 seed Texas (33-3)

Although the Longhorns didn’t eclipse the century mark in points in their 65-48 second round win on Monday against No. 8 seed Illinois, Texas’ defense held the Fighting Illini to 48 points, 13 fewer than what they allowed No. 16 seed William & Mary (105-61). SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker produced a second 20-point performance powered by great shooting efficiency (50% from the floor on 9-of-18 shots in Longhorns’ victory). In fact, the AP first-team All-American has converted on 61.4% of her shots from the floor in the Longhorns’ two tourney games. While Kyla Oldacre and Taylor Jones only combined for 14 points in Monday’s win, they generated 12 of the Longhorns’ 33 rebounds while junior forward Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda poured in a season-high 19 points. 

But with Tennessee standing in the way of Texas and its fourth Elite Eight appearance in the last five years, Booker must remain efficient. The Longhorns post combination — Jones, Oldacre and Mwenentanda — must control the glass to limit Volunteers’ second chance points while also increasing the team’s scoring opportunities with much-needed offensive rebounds for second-chance points. The Longhorns must also get frequent trips to the free throw line, refrain from turning the ball over against the Vols’ vaunted full-court defensive pressure and defend the 3-point line against a Tennessee team that has splashed the third most 3s in the nation this season (338) while also averaging the third most 3-point attempts nationally (31.8) per contest.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. Tennessee

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

No. 5 seed Tennessee (24-9)

The Volunteers followed up their first round, 100-plus point performance with a dominant 82-67 upset against No. 4 seed Ohio State. Tennessee led Ohio State for more than 65% of the game, despite OSU averaging a better shooting clip from the floor and beyond the arc than Tennessee. The reason for the Vols’ success? Look no further than head coach Kim Caldwell’s aggressive defensive pressure, a unit that forced the Buckeyes to commit 23 turnovers that resulted in 37 points for Tennessee. The Volunteers also held a plus-six advantage (14-8) on offensive boards that led to domination in second chance points (21-6), bench points (38-13) and the edge in points in the paint (44-38). Caldwell, in her first season in Knoxville, Tennessee, hopes to lead the Vols to their first Elite Eight since 2016 and ultimately its first Final Four since 2008, marking Candace Parker’s second national championship run with the program. However, to accomplish the Elite Eight feat, they must hit shots — particularly 3s — at a high clip to put pressure on the Longhorns offensively, win or keep the rebounding margin close, as well as force Texas to commit turnovers and empty possessions on offense.

Since the tourney expanded in 1994, it is worth noting that No. 5 seeds entered this year’s tournament with a 141-120 overall record with the best finish for a fifth seed being a runner up to the national champion once when Lousiville did so in 2013.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. Texas

Spokane 1 Region

No. 3 seed LSU (30-5)

With the Tigers’ resounding 101-71 victory on Monday against Florida State, it is safe to say that LSU is certainly back in the mix of teams that could potentially compete for a national championship in nearly a week. Seminoles star Ta’Niya Latson lived up to her scoring prowess, finishing with 30 points in the loss. However, the Tigers limited Latson to seven points in the second half, one of the defining factors of the contest. While much of the emphasis is often placed on the Tigers “Big Three” of Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow, other players like Sa’Myah Smith and contributors off the bench like Shayeann Day-Wilson, Jada Richard and Kailyn Gilbert have stepped up when their numbers have been called. The Tigers will need key minutes and solid production from their bench — a unit that averages 21.3 points per game — efficient play from their Big Three, dominate the rebounding statistic as well as defend a Wolfpack squad that loves to score in transition. NC State gets great play from its guards in Aziaha James, Madison Hayes, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks. When the two teams clashed in November during the regular season, LSU defeated NC State 82-65 with a huge part of the Tigers’ win coming from their success on the boards.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. NC State

LSU Tigers: How LSU’s second-half blitz stifled Florida State, lifted Tigers to their third consecutive Sweet 16

No. 5 seed Mississippi (22-10)

Before the season started, Mississippi head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin stated that she wanted her team to be among the top four programs in the country competing in this year’s Final Four. However, after the final week of non-conference action, Mississippi spent the next nine weeks of the season unranked before getting ranked at No. 25 in the AP poll following its loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament. In short, after defeating Ball State and upsetting Baylor in the first and second rounds respectively, Mississippi sits in the exact position it would like to be in. After its loss to the Longhorns in the conference tourney earlier this month, Coach Yo stressed that no team wanted to see Mississippi in its bracket. Well, Mississippi will get a huge test against No. 1 overall seed UCLA this weekend, a team powered by the play of Bruins’ AP first-team All-American Lauren Betts. The 6’7 center leads UCLA in scoring and has notched 18 double-double performances (tied for 10th nationally) this season.

Madison Scott stepped up in a big way in Sunday’s 69-63 win against the Bears, finishing with 14 points despite shooting 6-of-15 from the floor. In addition to Scott, Sira Thienou notched 16, KK Deans added 13 while Kennedy Todd-Williams, Christeen Iwuala and Starr Jacobs combined for 22 points. For a UCLA team that averages nearly 79 points per contest, holds the sixth-best offensive rated team in the nation (113.6) and sits fourth nationally in paint points per game (40.4), it will be imperative for Mississippi to contain Betts’ production in the restricted area as much as possible. The team must also remain crisp and timely in all of its defensive rotations as well as notch a collective rebounding effort if Mississippi seeks to punch a ticket to its first Elite Eight since 2007. In Sunday’s win, Todd-Williams, Jacobs, Tameiya Sadler, Thienou and Iwuala recorded five or more rebounds.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. UCLA

Spokane 4 Region

No. 3 seed Oklahoma (27-7)

The Sooners defeated No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast — a 2024 first-round tourney rematch — in commanding fashion while dispatching No. 6 seed Iowa 96-62 thanks to OU crushing the Hawkeyes on the boards (64-33). Raegan Beers notched a double double, recording 13 of Oklahoma’s total rebounds to go along with 11 points in 18 minutes. When OU gets efficient production from Beers (39.8 paint points per contest, eighth nationally) without solely relying on her each possession, maintains a fast pace on offense, creates good ball movement (21.9 assists per game, leads the nation) and gets key contributions from its perimeter players and its bench (28.9 points, sixth nationally) per contest, the Sooners are difficult to beat. However, as the Sooners prepare to face UConn, their greatest strength lies in Beers’ ability to dominate in the interior. OU’s defense will become a major factor in slowing down the Huskies’ dynamic guard duo of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, along with freshman forward Sarah Strong.

In the Sooners’ matchup against Iowa, Payton Verhulst and Skylar Vann combined for 33 points and 13 rebounds. Sahara Williams contributed 13 points and one rebound shy of a double-double while the Sooners’ bench produced 30 points. It is not certain that OU will get that same level of production from its bench against UConn. However, a Sooners’ bench unit that tallies close to that mark would be solid in the program’s efforts to earn its first spot in the Elite Eight since 2010.

• Sweet 16 matchup: vs. UConn

Order ‘Becoming Caitlin Clark’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, just announced his latest book. It captures both the historic nature of Caitlin Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible. Interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and so many others were vital to the process.

If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar.” Click the link below to preorder and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.

Preorder “Becoming Caitlin Clark”