By: Sierra Goodwill
On to Stockton, CA.
The No. 12 seed Quinnipiac Bobcats face No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22 at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
While this is Quinnipiac’s first time making it to the regional round, South Carolina has been a women’s basketball powerhouse for quite some time. This is the fourth straight year the Gamecocks have entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed, as well as reached the Sweet Sixteen.
Below is everything you need to know about the reigning Southeastern Conference champions, who finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Overall: 29-4, 14-2 SEC (1st)
Head coach: Dawn Staley (8th season, 188-76 record)
- Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2012-2017)
- Four SEC regular season titles
- Three consecutive SEC Tournament championships (2015-2017)
- Three-Time Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist (2014, 2015, 2016)
Recent NCAA Tournament History
- 2016: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 4 seed Syracuse in Sweet Sixteen
- 2015: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 1 seed Notre Dame in Final Four semifinals
- 2014: No. 1 seed, lost to No. 4 seed North Carolina in Sweet Sixteen
- 2013: No. 4 seed, lost to No. 12 seed Kansas in 2nd round
- 2012: No. 5 seed, lost to No. 1 seed Stanford in Sweet Sixteen
Key Players
A’ja Wilson, 6-foot-5 junior forward
- Averages 17.7 points per game – 2nd in the SEC
- Averages 2.5 blocks per game – 1st in SEC
- SEC Player of the Year (2015-17,), SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2015-16), All-America First Team (2015-16)
Kaela Davis, 6-foot-2 junior guard
- Averaged 19.7 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 blocks per game in SEC tournament
- Averages 12.2 points per game
- Leads team in made 3-pointers (54-for-157, 34.4 percent)
Alaina Coates, 6-foot-4 senior center
- Averages 10.7 rebounds per game – 2nd in SEC
- All-SEC First Team (2015-17)
- Suffered season-ended ankle injury heading into NCAA Tournament
Notable 2016-17 Team Stats
- Average 76.5 points per game – 1st in SEC
- Average scoring margin is 19.7 points
- Average 39.3 rebounds per game, 15.2 assists per game, 5.7 blocks per game
- First in SEC in field goal percentage (47.3 percent)
- Nine wins over top-25 teams, five over top-10
Road to the Sweet Sixteen
SEC Tournament quarterfinals: W vs. Georgia, 72-48
- Held Georgia to just 16 points in the first half, 19.4 percent from the field.
- Wilson recorded seven blocked shots, an SEC tournament record.
SEC Tournament semifinals: W vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 89-77
- Wilson had a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds.
- The Gamecocks shot 72.2 percent from the field in the 1st
- Coates only played four minutes due to ankle injury.
SEC Tournament finals: W vs. No. 6 Mississippi State, 59-49
- Only allowed four points, 13.3 percent shooting in the 4th
- Davis had 23 points, 5 rebounds, three assists
First Round NCAA Tournament: W vs. UNC Asheville, 90-40
- Gamecocks forced 14 turnovers, converted into 23 points
- Allisha Gray netted 22 points, 12 rebounds
Second Round NCAA Tournament: W vs. Arizona State, 71-68
- Wilson (21 points) saved South Carolina from being upset with a put-back layup with 48 seconds left
- Gamecocks went 23-for-28 from the free throw line
