Selection Sunday is tomorrow; Where the Gamecocks stand in latest Bracketology

For the first time since the late 1990s, South Carolina basketball is a lock to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks only made the Big Dance twice since then (including the 2016-2017 Final Four run), and they were at least somewhat nervous heading into Selection Sunday both times.

However, sitting at 26-7 with a top-25 ranking and a tied school record for single-season wins, the South Carolina Gamecocks can be assured that they are going dancing as the journey through March Madness continues.

The only question that remains is: "how high will the Gamecocks be seeded?"

Almost universally, the college basketball world had Lamont Paris' team slotted somewhere along the 5-line in projections heading into conference championship week. After a convincing win over Arkansas and an ugly loss to Auburn, it appears that those projections will hold up for South Carolina basketball.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has had the Gamecocks sitting snugly as a 5-seed in his projections in recent days, and through each update, USC has remained as a top-20 NCAA Tournament team. In his latest update, the Gamecocks are the final 5-seed in Lunardi's mock bracket, matched up with Princeton. That would send Carolina out to Spokane, Washington for the early rounds before a return ot the East Coast (Boston, Massachusetts) if they advance to the Sweet 16.

NCAA.com's Andy Katz does not update his bracketology after conference championship week. His projection before the league tournaments began had South Carolina as a 5-seed, matching up with 12-seed Richmond (older Gamecock fans likely shudder at the thought). He doesn't have a site listed, but he put Carolina in the South Region, meaning Dallas would be where the Sweet 16 would be held.

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm also has the Gamecocks listed as a 5-seed, matching USC up with the VCU Rams in Spokane before heading down to Los Angeles.

Being a 5-seed comes with some fear in college basketball fans' minds. Though it is true that about 35% of teams on the 5-line lose to their 12th-seeded matchup, it is worse being a 6-seed. Nearly 39% of 11s knock off the 6-seed they are matched up with in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The 39% number holds for the 7-10 matchup, as well.

The Gamecocks are very unlikely to receive a bump to the 4-line, but if they do, it is worth noting that only 21% of 4-seeds lose their opening round-matchups to 13-seeded teams.

The Selection Sunday show will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on the March Madness Live app at 6:00 PM EST. Not that there will be any suspense for South Carolina basketball fans (Dawn Staley's Gamecocks will be the #1-overall seed), but the women's show will follow at 8:00 PM EST on ESPN.