South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from Gamecocks' NCAA Tournament win over Indiana

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks' last loss by double-digits came back in 2019 when the Indiana Hoosiers beat them in an early-season tournament in the Carribean. On Friday, the two teams met up for the first time since that game, and USC got some revenge, though the team's win over Indiana was closer than many expected.

The Gamecocks jumped ahead of the Hoosiers early and led by as much as 22 points. Carolina started 5-7 from the perimeter, and Kamilla Cardoso dominated the All-American vs. All-American matchup with Mackenzie Holmes.

Once the 2nd half started, though, Indiana's game plan started paying off. They had been shooting a ton of 3-pointers all game, but in the 3rd quarter, they started making them at a higher clip. The Gamecocks also started missing more shots (and no feeding Kamilla Cardoso in the paint). The combination allowed for Indiana to get back into the game by the end of the 3rd quarter and make things much too interesting late in the game.

Indiana wound up making 13 perimeter jumpers (5 by Sydney Parrish), and the Hoosiers cut the Carolina lead to just 2 in the closing minutes. However, the presence of Kamilla Cardoso in the paint (and some clutch scores from Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson) kept the Gamecocks ahead when the final buzzer sounded.

The 79-75 victory sent the South Carolina basketball team to another Elite Eight. The Oregon State Beavers are waiting for the Gamecocks, and the winner will move on to the Final Four.

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