It was a slightly smoother ride for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the NCAA selection committee Monday night.
Slightly.
The Gamecock women were awarded the second overall seed in this year's bracket and the top seed in the Sioux Falls SD region. The Gamecocks will host Jacksonville in the first round of the tournament on their home court in Columbia. Here's an early look at what the Dolphins bring to the table in their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Ever since arriving on campus in April of 2013, Coach McCuin has been building the Dolphins from the ground up. When she took over, McCuin was only the third women's basketball coach in the program's short history. Before arriving to Jacksonville, she spent three seasons on Clemson's staff. She also serves as the head coach for the Bahamian Women's National Team.
Record: 22-10 overall after posting an 11-3 conference record as part of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Dolphins enter the 2016 tournament in a surreal state of mind after overcoming a 13 point deficit in the Atlantic Sun Tournament championship game to top Florida Gulf Coast, who was undefeated to that point in conference play. The Dolphins won off a game-clinching jump shot by Brandi Buie to secure their first ever tournament championship and inaugural NCAA invite.
Who to watch: You won't find a dominate scorer across the Dolphins stat line. Much like South Carolina, they rely on a total team effort and balance across the board. Jacksonville is led by junior guard Sherranda Reddick (12.4) and senior forward Briona Brown (11.7 ppg). However, six Jacksonville players average 7+ points per game.
South Carolina will host Jacksonville inside Colonial Life Arena Friday night at 7:30 pm.