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The South Carolina Women’s basketball team kicks off the postseason with their SEC Tournament debut Friday against Georgia in the day’s first quarterfinal matchup.
When: Friday, March 3 @ 12:00 p.m. EST
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
How to watch: SEC Network
How to listen: 107.5 The Game
After securing their fourth straight SEC Regular Season Championship and the top seed in this year’s conference tournament, A’ja WIlson and the Gamecocks have enjoyed five days of rest and post-season preparation. Their game against Georgia will be their first since since last Sunday.
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Three Point Preview
- Georgia (16-14 ; 7-9) comes into this matchup in the full swing of tournament play defeating Alabama Thursday afternoon 56-52 in their first game. With no national tournament bid expected after this weekend, the Bulldogs are fighting for their season with every game now as they’ll need to run the table this weekend to earn a bid into the NCAA’s. South Carolina took both match-ups between these two teams in the regular season, but in different ways. The Gamecocks escaped with a 3-point win the first meeting, but took care of business much more handily the second time around with an 18-point, 62-44 win.
- A’ja Wilson is taking home her second SEC Player of the Year award in as many seasons in 2017. And, the junior forward may be getting things rolling just in time for a postseason run. Wilson has 10 20+ scoring games on the season, but three of those have come in the last three games of the season. While she’s found increased production on the offensive end, her success on the glass may be the reason she’s taken on more of load. She’s averaging over 11 rebounds per game in her last three games.
- South Carolina enters the SEC Tournament with work still left to prove to convince the Selection Committee they’re worthy of one of the four #1 seeds. With three losses to their name, one of which to an unranked Tennessee team at home and on the road to middling Missouri, the Gamecocks need to put an exclamation mark on their SEC play with a tournament championship this weekend to be in play for a top seed. Yet, Dawn Staley may have her team primed to do just that as her team is currently playing some of their most efficient basketball of their season with their best player leading the way.