SACRAMENTO, Calif. — South Carolina, no stranger to cutting down the nets after the third weekend of the NCAA tournament, is headed to its sixth consecutive Final Four after beating TCU 78-52 in the Elite Eight on Monday.
The Gamecocks are just the second team in NCAA history to reach six straight Final Fours, but coach Dawn Staley — who also has led the team to three national championships — said this moment never loses its magic.
“It doesn’t feel [ordinary] because of all the work that it requires to get to this place. It’s a lot,” Staley said. “People don’t see what actually happens to get a team and a program up for the challenges of a season and get to the Final Four.”
While South Carolina has become one of the powerhouses in college basketball, this iteration of the Gamecocks is new. They added Ta’Niya Latson to the backcourt and Madina Okot for more depth at center. Agot Makeer arrived as a highly touted freshman. They also lost several key players to other schools and the WNBA. Senior guard Raven Johnson is the only one on the roster who has experienced the Final Four every year of her collegiate career.