South Carolina and Dawn Staley could strengthen NCAA seeding with an SEC Tournament title

South Carolina (29-2) enters the SEC Tournament as the top seed and plays March 6 against the winner of Georgia and Kentucky; current bracket reveals list the Gamecocks as the No. 3 overall seed in NCAA tournament projections.

South Carolina women's basketball begins its quest for a fourth straight SEC Tournament championship. The Gamecocks are 29-2 and enter the tournament as the top seed. Their first game is scheduled for March 6 at noon on ESPN against the winner of No. 8 seed Georgia and No. 9 seed Kentucky. The team is also trying to lock down the third overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. Key facts: - South Carolina is 29-2 and is the SEC Tournament top seed. - Bracket reveals from ESPN and USA TODAY list South Carolina as the No. 3 overall seed behind UConn and UCLA. - Bracketologist Charlie Creme said the winner of Vanderbilt vs. Texas in the SEC semifinal could claim the fourth No. 1 seed. - South Carolina beat Vanderbilt and Texas in SEC play and lost to Texas in November, per the report. - Current projections would pair No. 2 UCLA with No. 3 South Carolina in a projected Final Four while No. 1 UConn would face No. 4 Texas; alternate outcomes could change those matchups. Summary: South Carolina enters the SEC Tournament in a strong position as the top seed and currently sits as the projected No. 3 overall NCAA seed. Results in the SEC Tournament, including the Vanderbilt–Texas path, could affect which teams receive the remaining No. 1 seed and shift potential Final Four pairings. The Gamecocks' next scheduled game is March 6 against the winner of Georgia and Kentucky.