It’s their time. The Gamecocks are due to claim the program’s second national title.

South Carolina has been ranked No. 1 in the country every single week this season. It won the regular-season showdown with then No. 2 Connecticut 73-57 back in November. The Gamecocks outscored the Huskies 16-3 in the fourth quarter to secure that victory. The two meet again this evening with the national championship on the line.

The Gamecocks are 13-0 against ranked opponents this season and have won by an average of 13 points. They have tied a program record with 34 wins this season, and their two losses came on last-second shots: Missouri prevailed 70-69 on Lauren Hansen’s layup with 0.1 seconds left in overtime and Kentucky knocked them off 64-62 in the SEC title game thanks to Dre’una Edwards hitting a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining.

They have the best scoring margin in the country at 20.4 points per contest – one spot ahead of UConn (19.8).

SC also boasts the third best scoring defense in the country by yielding 50.7 points per game. The Gamecocks’ defense is anchored by a nation-best 7.5 blocks per contest. They also lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (33.0%) and rebounding margin at (+17.5, which is four more than second place).

Dawn Staley’s team held victories over six of the other teams that advanced to the Sweet 16. With its 72-59 win over fellow No. 1 seed Louisville in the national semifinal Friday, South Carolina has now defeated each of the other teams in the Final Four.

Aliyah Boston had a monster game with 23 points, 18 rebounds and four assists in this Final Four win. The National Player of the Year has registered a double-double in 28 of the last 29 games.

But it was the defense that powered the Gamecocks. They limited Louisville leading scorer Hailey Van Lith to just nine points after she posted 20+ points in each of the Cardinals’ first four NCAA Tournament games. South Carolina’s Brea Beal drew the primary defensive assignment on Van Lith.

“[Beal]’s put [up] those types of performances defensively all the time,” Staley said to SEC Network. “Every time we step on the floor, she does that.

“We don’t win that basketball game without her contributions because if Van Lyth gets anywhere near her average for this tournament, we lose the basketball game.”

Beal joined Boston and three others in double figures with 12 points. Destanni Henderson contributed 11 points. Victaria Saxton and Zia Cooke each had 10.

Last year, the Gamecocks saw their season come to an end in the national semifinal with a 66-65 loss to Stanford. In the final seconds South Carolina forced a turnover and ran a fast break the other way. After Beal missed a contested layup, Boston’s putback clanked off the back iron as time expired.
“Thinking about last year coming into the season, we just knew we fell short,” Boston said after this year’s win over Louisville in the Final Four, according to ESPN.

South Carolina finished the 2021 season 26-5. Each of its losses came to nationally ranked foes with four of them to teams ranked in the top 10. It won the SEC championship and claimed a No. 1 seed for the fifth time in seven tournaments. The Gamecocks outscored their opponents by 17.3 points per game.

The year before, South Carolina was even more dominant. It was 32-1 on the year and was in line to be the overall No. 1 seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament when the Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gamecocks outscored their opponents by 26.2 points per game. They claimed the No. 1 ranking in the country in mid-January and never relinquished it. Their only loss came on Thanksgiving to Indiana, a fellow nationally ranked team.

SC won its final 26 contests, all but four of them came by double digits. They won 14 of these games by more than 20 points.