In the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday, the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team defeated the Texas Longhorns 64-45 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. The venue is a neutral site, however Texas head coach Vic Schaefer had his own opinion about the location for the tournament. Schaefer referred to it as South Carolina's "home floor," suggesting the Gamecocks have an advantage.
Sunday's game set a record for attendance with 13,532 fans, mostly South Carolina. Schaefer also talked about the challenge of facing a top team in such an environment, comparing it to playing Texas in San Antonio.
Located about two hours from South Carolina's actual home court in Columbia, S.C., the city of Greenville has hosted four consecutive SEC Women's Tournaments and six of the last seven. Last October, the Southeastern Conference announced that it had extended its contract with Greenville to host tournaments for the next three years. The earliest the tournament could be hosted at another location would be 2029.
The last time that Greenville did not host the SEC Tournament, it was played in Nashville in 2022, where Kentucky upset South Carolina in the championship game. Other cities such as Memphis, North Little Rock, Duluth, and Jacksonville have all hosted the tournament.
Shaefer, who is now 0-5 against South Carolina in SEC tournament championship games including his tenure at Mississippi State, referred to Sunday's game as a "road game" for Texas. Shaefer expressed a desire to rotate locations more frequently for the tournament, noting that while Greenville is an excellent host, the proximity to South Carolina's campus provides a distinct advantage for the Gamecocks.
Texas coach Vic Schaefer postgame, on playing in Greenville: "When you're playing South Carolina at home in front of their own fans, it's a road game." Says the crowd really helped USC in its second-quarter run
— GoGamecocks (@gogamecocks) March 9, 2025
All that being said, would this even be an argument if South Carolina had not made an appearance in the last ten championship games? More importantly, if Vic Shaefer had not lost five tournament games to Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks, would he even care where the tournament is located? While the idea of home court advantage could be an argument, it's minimal at best.
The Gamecocks are (5-0) vs Vic Schaefer led teams in the SEC Tournament championship game. That includes wins in 2016 in Jacksonville and 2018 in Nashville.
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) March 9, 2025
The common denominator isn't where the tournament is being held...