NCAA Tournament: South Carolina basketball gametime announced vs. Norfolk State
By Kevin Miller
In case you missed it, during last night’s NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday show, the South Carolina basketball team was revealed on Sunday as the number-one overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. This revelation was surprising to no one who has been paying attention as the Gamecocks dominated their way through the regular season and the SEC Tournament, winning every one of their games and winning by a 30-point margin on average.
The way the bracket played out, the Gamecocks were paired up with the Norfolk State Spartans for their first-round matchup. The “Green and Gold” from Norfolk, Virginia had a stellar year in the Mid-Eastern Conference where they went 26-6 and won the Mid-Eastern Tournament and the conference’s regular season crown.
The first round will begin at 11:30 on Friday, March 17th as the South Florida Bulls take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Gamecocks and Spartans will play in the next game of Session I around 2:00. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and the ESPN App after the conclusion of USF/Marquette.
The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be played at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia because the women’s tournament rewards the top seeds with two home games to start every tournament. If the Gamecocks beat Norfolk State, they will play the winner of the 8/9 game between South Florida and Marquette at CLA. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games will be held in Greenville, South Carolina, creating a pseudo-home-field advantage for the Gamecocks all the way up until the Final Four.
A full view of the NCAA Tournament bracket can be seen here.