Where South Carolina women's basketball sits in updated NET rankings as regular season ends
South Carolina women’s basketball, for the fourth year in a row, has won a share of the SEC regular season championship. The Gamecocks sealed their fifth title in six years with a tighter-than-expected Senior Day affair against the Kentucky Wildcats at Colonial Life Arena. The Texas Longhorns also share the title with USC. However, thanks to the conference’s coin flip tiebreaker, Dawn Staley’s team will be the No. 1 seed at the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina later this week.
When the AP poll updated on Monday, South Carolina moved up one spot to No. 5. However, the NET ranking didn’t shift the Gamecocks up at all. Just like last week, the UConn Huskies hold the No. 1 spot, while the South Carolina Gamecocks slot in at No. 2. Behind USC, the Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and UCLA Bruins round out the top 5. The “other USC,” Southern Cal Trojans, are sixth and perhaps the only additional legitimate national championship contender.
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The NET rankings like South Carolina because of the team’s elite schedule. The Gamecocks always rank near the top nationally is strength of schedule, and this year’s team is no different. Though they have three losses, USC hasn’t lost to a single team outside of the NET top 5 this season.
The NET, for those unfamiliar, is the most important ranking metric used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. It factors in Team Value Index (essentially a team’s on-court results, location of games, and strength of schedule) and adjusted net efficient ratings (how well a team plays in those games, adjusted for the quality of opponent and location of games).
At the time of this writing, South Carolina ranks first in women’s college basketball in Quad 1 wins. No other team has 14 victories over top teams. The Gamecocks also lead the country in Quad 1 + Quad 2 wins.
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Because of their double-bye at the SEC Tournament, South Carolina women’s basketball will not play again until Friday. The Gamecocks will match up against either the Texas A&M Aggies, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, or Vanderbilt Commodores.
Regardless who their opponent is, USC will play at Noon on Friday on ESPN. If South Carolina can win in the quarterfinals, they will play in the semifinals Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Following the semifinal game, the finals will take place on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN.
If Dawn Staley’s squad wins the SEC Tournament title, they also likely secure a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. A conference tournament championship would be the Gamecocks’ fourth in the past five seasons.
