South Carolina guard Bree Hall to miss NCAA Tournament opener vs. Presbyterian

South Carolina guard Bree Hall will miss the Gamecocks opener of the NCAA Tournament against Presbyterian, the school announced Friday on Twitter.

Bree Hall has started all 32 games for South Carolina this season. She is averaging 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The good news for the Gamecocks is that Hall’s injury doesn’t seem serious.

“Don’t stress FAMS, @breezyhalll just being held out today for precautionary reasons,” South Carolina posted.

In addition to Hall, South Carolina will also be without star center Kamilla Cardoso on Friday. Cardoso is suspended after being ejected for her role in a scuffle between South Carolina and LSU in the SEC Championship game.

Cardoso will be able to return to action on Sunday when the Gamecocks face North Carolina, assuming they are able to knock off Presbyterian on Friday.

The Gamecocks are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and enter with an undefeated record. Presbyterian won a first four game on Wednesday to advance to face South Carolina.

Dawn Staley reflects on South Carolina being undefeated, top overall seed in NCAA Tournament

Dawn Staley and South Carolina enter the 2024 NCAA Tournament looking to make up for last season’s Final Four exit. The Gamecocks are again undefeated and the No. 1 overall seed, but that was also the case in 2023.

Staley knows nothing is guaranteed in the unpredictable nature of March Madness, but that still doesn’t take away from what she and her team accomplished. As Staley spoke with reporters Sunday evening, she spoke on the feeling of being undefeated while also making sure to note the challenge of what’s ahead.

“I always feel good to be the No. 1 overall seed and to be undefeated,” she said. “I’m excited because we get a chance to know what our path is to win a national championship. All great teams. A lot of familiar faces that’s in our region. But we have to take it one game at a time.”

South Carolina will face Presbyterian in the first round. The Gamecocks will be without leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, who is suspended one game for her role in a fight during the SEC Tournament Championship.

Even without her, South Carolina should breeze through the opening matchup. Clearly it’s not all just Cardoso, with players such as Milaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao also helping the Gamecocks get to this moment.

Considering South Carolina began the season at No. 6 in the AP poll, Staley believes it’s even more impressive it was able to finish undefeated for the second straight year. However, that all goes out the window once the tournament starts.

“I really don’t even think about being undefeated,” Staley said. “I probably think more about being the No. 1 overall seed because it’s a really hard place to be. It means you played a really tough schedule. It means that you’ve been successful. It means that you’ve done something right for the majority of the season. For it to be us with a team that came into the season with so many holes and so many unknowns, I’m really proud they were able to get us back here.”