South Carolina’s Adhel Tac wears a Raven Johnson T-shirt as Raven Johnson (25) cheers on the team during the second half of action of their Sweet 16 women’s basketball game against Oklahoma at Golden 1 Arena on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Tracy Glantz
tglantz@thestate.com
Sacramento, Calif.
South Carolina women’s basketball is a game away from the Final Four.
Here’s what you need to know heading into the No. 1 Gamecocks’ Elite Eight game against No. 3 TCU on Monday night in Sacramento, California.
South Carolina vs. TCU game, TV infoWho: No. 1 South Carolina (34-3) vs. No. 3 TCU (32-5)Where: Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento, CaliforniaWhen: 9 p.m. ET MondayTV: ESPNRadio: 106.7 FM in Columbia area or the USC Gamecocks appStream: Via watchespn.com or the ESPN appBetting line: South Carolina by 13.5 pointsNext up: The winner of the South Carolina-TCU game plays No. 1 UConn in a Final Four game Friday in Phoenix (7 or 9:30 p.m., ESPN). 
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles (5) and forward Marta Suárez (7) come together as the Virginia Cavaliers called a timeout in the second half of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Golden 1 Center. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com Another elite one-two punch awaits the Gamecocks
After limiting Oklahoma’s dynamic duo of Aaliyah Chavez and Raegan Beers on Saturday, the Gamecocks will have their hands full again Monday.
TCU guard Olivia Miles and forward Marta Suarez entered the weekend as the country’s fifth-highest scoring duo and dominated the Horned Frogs’ Sweet 16 game against Virginia.
Miles, a Notre Dame transfer and nightly triple-double threat, scored 28 points on 11 of 14 shooting and added 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in a 79-69 win vs. UVA. Suarez, a fifth-year forward from Spain, dropped a team-high 33 points, shot 4 of 7 on 3-pointers and had 10 rebounds.
Together, they scored and assisted on all 79 of TCU’s points.
“It’s not like our game plan is, ‘Marta and Liv, go score for us,’” TCU coach Mark Campbell said Saturday. “… But our actions and what we run and how we built this team is to have Liv and Marta put a lot of pressure on teams. They get a high usage rate because of their unique skill sets.”
To upset the Gamecocks, though, “we need everybody,” Campbell said.
“In order to beat South Carolina, we’ve got to play the best game we’ve played this season,” he said. “We’re capable of doing it.”
South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson (right) drives to the basket against Oklahoma guard Zya Vann during the second quarter in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. Thien-An Truong Getty Images Staley praises new players: ‘It takes a little bit of courage’
Although AP voters thought highly of the Gamecocks and ranked them No. 2 in their preseason poll in October, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says there were “a lot of unknowns” with her roster – mostly because of how much they’ve relied on new players this offseason.
A third of USC’s 2026 roster is made up first-year Gamecocks: Florida State transfer guard Ta’Niya Latson, Mississippi State transfer forward Madina Okot and true freshmen Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell.
“And you don’t know how they’re going to handle the pressures of playing for us, the pressures of getting back to this point right here,” Staley said Sunday.
But the Gamecocks, once again, haven’t missed a step. Latson (14.7 PPG) and Okot (13.4 PPG) are the team’s second- and third-leading scorers . Makeer (6.6 PPG) is a legit depth option off the bench, too.
Being a South Carolina player isn’t for everyone, but Staley praised her new players for learning and embracing USC’s standards. South Carolina’s deep rotation often leads to fewer shots and minutes than most standout players are used to.
“They all could have just tried to do things the way they survive at doing things,” Staley said. “And it takes a little bit of courage to let your guard down to be led so you can fulfill your role to the best of your ability.”
TCU’s head coach Mark Campbell answers questions during a press conference at the Sacramento Regional on Sunday, March 29, 2026. USC plays TCU in an Elite Eight matchup. Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com South Carolina vs. TCU game notesSouth Carolina is making its sixth straight Elite Eight appearance. With a win, the Gamecocks would also reach their sixth straight Final Four.TCU has made back-to-back Elite Eights for the first time in program history.Miles is the NCAA’s active leader in career triple-doubles with 12 and one of only three players in Division I history to record at least 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 800 assists in a career (Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu).
Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast.
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