Women\u2019s basketball conference tournaments are underway this week. NCAA Tournament automatic bids will be won, and hosting and seeding implications are plentiful. For some teams, they may be playing their last games when their bubbles burst at the conference tournaments.<\/p>\n
Here are the takeaways from Saturday\u2019s games:<\/p>\n
More than an SEC title is on the line for South Carolina, Texas<\/p>\n
South Carolina and Texas will meet on Sunday in the SEC tournament title game. It\u2019ll be the seventh time in two seasons the Gamecocks and Longhorns have faced off with South Carolina holding a 4-2 edge in those matchups. South Carolina is going for its fourth consecutive SEC tournament title while Texas, in just its second year in the conference, is fighting for its first.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just the tournament title that\u2019s on the line. Larger stakes at play. South Carolina and Texas could be playing for a chance to be placed in the Fort Worth regional during the NCAA Tournament. Given that the alternative is Sacramento, this game has more riding on it than another conference championship.<\/p>\n
In the two top-16 reveals by the selection committee, two things have become clear: head-to-head results and recency are valued. Because South Carolina and Texas occupied the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively, in the most recent reveal, this head-to-head could be the deciding factor.<\/p>\n
UConn likely has the No. 1 overall seed locked up, meaning the committee would opt to send the Huskies on a shorter trip to Fort Worth. If UCLA takes the No. 2 overall seed with a Big Ten tournament title win, its preferred destination would be Sacramento. Meaning, the split between the final two No. 1 seeds, if both go to SEC teams (which is highly possible), isn\u2019t just for decoration. It would mean avoiding a cross-country flight with multiple time zone changes for either team. Fort Worth would be an easy jaunt for Texas. For South Carolina, even though it\u2019d still be a few hours flight, that would be preferred to a West Coast swing.<\/p>\n
This season, Texas and South Carolina split their two meetings. The Longhorns won a close one in an out-of-conference game against the Gamecocks during the Player\u2019s Era Championship, and South Carolina returned the favor with a three-point win at home.<\/p>\n
With their familiarity, the elite level of play \u2014 Texas junior Madison Booker and South Carolina senior are each coming off career-high nights in the SEC semifinals \u2014 and the high stakes, this SEC title game should have fireworks. The league will have a chance to crown a champ and give one of these teams a boost in a Final Four quest. \u2014 Chantel Jennings<\/p>\n
West Virginia survives record low-scoring quarter, advances to Big 12 title<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s the court.<\/p>\n
How else to explain the second quarter of the Big 12 semifinal between West Virginia and Colorado, when the teams combined for three made field goals and three made free throws \u2014 a total of nine points? Nine points in one quarter comfortably set the record for fewest in a quarter in the Big 12 tournament, a mark that was previously held by Texas and Kansas State when they scored 14 total in the first quarter of a quarterfinal matchup.<\/p>\n
The lowest-scoring quarter in Big 12 regular-season history came in 2015, an eight-point second quarter between Baylor and Oklahoma State.<\/p>\n
Neither the Mountaineers nor the Buffaloes are particularly low-scoring teams, with West Virginia ranking in the 93rd percentile nationally of points per game, per CBB Analytics. But it was the defenses that rank in the 91st and 77th percentile in points allowed that had their way in that second quarter as the teams shot a combined 3 of 25 from the field and 3 of 6 from the foul line.<\/p>\n
It should come as no surprise, in a game that included a 10-minute stretch of nine points, that every point mattered down the stretch. No. 2 seed West Virginia ultimately edged out No. 6 Colorado by one point, 48-47, thanks to a 3-pointer from Gia Cooke with 32 seconds remaining. Cooke was one of the few players to get on the board during that fateful second quarter, and the two points then helped the Mountaineers advance to the conference championship to face top-seeded TCU. West Virginia has won two conference titles in its program\u2019s history, only one since joining the Big 12 in 2012.<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s postseason is far from over, as its win over Baylor in the quarterfinals likely secured an NCAA Tournament bid. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers are still jockeying for hosting position that could be earned with a win against the Horned Frogs. \u2014 Sabreena Merchant<\/p>\n
South Carolina knocks off LSU (again), heads to SEC title game (again)<\/p>\n
En route to its seventh consecutive SEC tournament title game, South Carolina extended another streak, securing its 19th straight win over LSU with an 83-77 victory. It\u2019s a streak that dates back to 2012.<\/p>\n
As is often the case in March, veteran guard play proved decisive. The Gamecocks\u2019 backcourt of fifth-year senior Raven Johnson and senior Ta\u2019Niya Latson were the class of the night in Saturday\u2019s semifinals. Latson transferred to South Carolina from Florida State in the offseason to reunite with Johnson, her best friend and former high school teammate. Their reunion has proved essential for the Gamecocks.<\/p>\n
The veteran duo scored 23 of South Carolina\u2019s 36 first-half points, buoying the Gamecocks as their post players struggled to get established. Through the first 20 minutes, the Tigers outrebounded South Carolina, 24-14, as Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot combined for just five points on 2-of-9 shooting.<\/p>\n
Coming out of the half, Johnson continued to dominate, scoring 12 third-quarter points (on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting) as the Gamecocks finally began to establish control of the game. In the fourth quarter, Edwards and Okot carried South Carolina over the finish line, combining for 16 of its 24 fourth-quarter points and finishing the second half with a plus-10 advantage on the glass.<\/p>\n
The balanced scoring attack with a multitude of threats is South Carolina\u2019s hallmark, but coach Dawn Staley has relied on a shorter rotation this season. During the Gamecocks\u2019 2024 national title run, no player averaged more than 27 minutes a game. During the 2022 national championship season, two players averaged more than 27 minutes a game. This season, four Gamecocks starters have averaged at least 28 minutes per game.<\/p>\n
Against LSU, four players clocked at least 32 minutes, and Edwards played the full 40. Rest and recovery will be key for the Gamecocks in the SEC title game as well as the NCAA Tournament, where they\u2019ll aim for their sixth consecutive Final Four appearance.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s performance against LSU in the semis \u2014 she finished with 22 points, eight assists and three rebounds \u2014 probably felt like deja vu for Kim Mulkey and LSU. She went off against the Tigers when the teams met in February, scoring her previous career-best 19 points (and adding seven rebounds, six assists and four steals).<\/p>\n
What @dawnstaley<\/a> said \ud83d\udc47 pic.twitter.com\/UIeU03r5ZE<\/a><\/p>\n