March Madness struck Columbia last weekend as the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team hosted three games in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. 

The top-seeded Gamecocks advanced to their 11th straight Sweet 16 after earning wins over No. 16 Tennessee Tech and No. 9 Indiana. South Carolina beat the Golden Eagles 109-48 before knocking out the Hoosiers 64-53. 

Indiana defeated Utah in its first-round game to advance to the contest against the Gamecocks. 

This marked the ninth year the Gamecocks were awarded a regional No. 1 seed and the fifth straight year the team hosted the first round. South Carolina has hosted every year since the NCAA changed to the current format, except in 2019 when Colonial Life Arena was used for the men’s tournament. Games that year were played in Charlotte. 

The team’s home-court advantage has played a large role in making it difficult for other teams to pull off an upset. Fans travel from all over to pack the arena and cheer as they watch the team play its final home games. South Carolina has never been eliminated from the NCAA tournament on its home floor.

“It's like no other. The unity that's created in this building, and we do take that act on the road. It's quite incredible,” head coach Dawn Staley said when talking about her team’s fanbase. “ This is really the place to be when it comes to women's basketball. It's entertainment. It's developing and creating friendships. It is unified. You look into our arena, and you can see every seat filled, and it's of every background, like every single ethnic background. … I mean, we've won National Championships, but I would say that we've been champions in uniting people, and that is the thing that I'm most proud of. That's the thing that's kept me here for 17 years.” 

South Carolina easily disposed of Tennessee Tech in its first-round game. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 21-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and things only got uglier from there. 

It was a balanced effort for the Gamecocks, who relied on their depth all season to put the team in the position it is in now. 

All 12 players that checked in scored. Freshman Joyce Edwards led the way with 22 points in her first tournament game, while three other players hit double figures. 

“I’m just excited to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Edwards said after the game. “This is why we come here. Just making the most of my opportunity.”

The game against Indiana was a bit more of a challenge. South Carolina found itself trailing at halftime and had to claw back in the second half before sealing the win. 

South Carolina struggled when down at the half this season. The team trailed at the break in all of its losses this season and only overcame a deficit once before the game against the Hoosiers. 

The Gamecocks came out of the break and caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 26-14 to take the lead before the final period. 

“The first half, I feel like we were over thinking a lot of things, we weren't keeping it simple, and I feel like when we keep things simple and do what we do, we play great basketball,” Gamecock guard Te-Hina Paopao said. “At halftime, we told each other ‘we're good, keep it simple, make lay-ups and find the open person.’”

South Carolina did just that and went from shooting 34% in the first half to 54% in the second. The team hit nine of its first 10 shots in the third quarter and forced Indiana into committing five turnovers. 

Bree Hall was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 11. Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin scored 10. Paopao had nine points, two steals and a career-high four blocks. 

“I'm really proud of myself. I had more blocks than threes today, but that's okay,” Paopao said. “I thought today was more of a defensive mindset for myself. The scouting report was she's a really good player, so I didn't want to let my team down. I'm part of the seatbelt gang now.”

South Carolina will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Maryland in the next round. Should they win that game, they will play the winner of No. 2 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina in the regional championship for a spot in the Final Four. 

This year’s women’s Final Four and championship game will be played in Tampa, Florida, from April 4-6.