The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to extend their March Madness run to reach a sixth-straight Final Four appearance. The No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs, meanwhile, are looking to get there for the very first time in school history.
The Gamecocks and head coach Dawn Staley will have the luxury of having played in a game with such high stakes before. But the Horned Frogs have been playing some solid basketball through this tournament so far.
TCU beat No. 6 Washington in the second round, needing overtime to get past the Huskies 62-59. The Horned Frogs then took down No. 10 Virginia 79-69, ending a Cinderella run from the Cavaliers.
South Carolina's offense, meanwhile, has overpowered just about every opponent it has faced thus far. The Gamecocks beat No. 16 Southern by 69 points, then took care of No. 9 USC 101-61. South Carolina successfully avenged its regular-season loss to Oklahoma with a 94-68 victory, and scored 90 points or more in the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Here's a look at the final odds leading up to the game, including a prediction of the final score.
South Carolina vs. TCU finals odds, spread and total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
- No. 1 South Carolina (-13.5)
- No. 3 TCU (+13.5)
Moneyline
- No. 1 South Carolina -1100
- No. 3 TCU +700
Total
- O/U: 132.5 (-110)
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Prediction: South Carolina 88, TCU 74
I expect this to be one of South Carolina's toughest tasks yet in the NCAA Tournament so far. There's no question TCU's Olivia Miles will continue to keep playing some of her best basketball, eager to keep her final NCAA season alive. Sending her team to its first-ever Final Four appearance will just add more fuel to the fire, as well.
Not to mention, TCU's defense ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 56.3 points per game. I have a feeling that South Carolina won't be able to get off to the hot start that it has been this tournament, which might throw this offense for a loop early.
But this South Carolina team just has so many different ways to beat you. Whether it's Joyce Edwards or Madina Okot down low, or the guard play of Ta'Niya Latson, Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson, this Gamecock offense will find a way to get to the basket and power through TCU's tight defense.
It may not be as pretty as some of the early-round matchups for South Carolina, but I think this Gamecock team will go back to the Final Four once again. And perhaps South Carolina gets a chance to finally knock off Texas in a third meeting between the two.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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