Yahoo Movies How to watch South Carolina women’s basketball vs. Maryland in NCAA Tournament
Three down and three to go.
South Carolina women’s basketball, undefeated and unchallenged so far in NCAA Tournament play, plays Maryland in an Elite Eight game Monday at Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with the winner advancing to a Final Four game on Friday in Dallas.
USC, the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, has beaten its first three opponents — No. 16 Norfolk State, No. 8 South Florida and No. 4 UCLA — by an average of 26.3 points per game.
And No. 2 Maryland hasn’t been far off, beating No. 15 Holy Cross, No. 7 Arizona and No. 3 Notre Dame by 20.6 points per game to set up a star-studded Greenville Region 1 championship game.
Here’s what you need to know about Monday’s game.
South Carolina vs. Maryland game info
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (35-0) vs. No. 2 Maryland (28-6)
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville
When: 7 p.m. Monday
TV: ESPN
Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
Next up: The winner of South Carolina-Maryland will advance to a Final Four game on Friday, March 31 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The USC-Maryland winner will play either No. 2 Iowa or No. 5 Louisville. Those teams play late Sunday for the Seattle Region 4 title.
Rematch? No problem for USC
In Saturday’s Sweet 16 game against UCLA, South Carolina led by as many as 23 points, won by 16, shut down the Bruins’ top scorers and never truly lost momentum.
It was a comprehensive effort, especially against a UCLA team that — in their first meeting this season on Nov. 29 — led South Carolina by 10 points in the second quarter, was tied with USC after three quarters and only lost by nine points.
Guess there’s just something about a rematch. And South Carolina gets another one against Maryland, which it beat 81-56 on the road, in its second game of the season, on Nov. 11.
Why are the Gamecocks, who also blew out Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament semifinals after a seven-point regular-season win, so good when they see a team again?
“I just think we’re a much more mature basketball team,” Staley said. “We know each other. We’re a lot more linked up. We communicate a lot better. We’ve developed our grad transfer in Kierra Fletcher, and then Raven (Johnson) has grown up. We understand our roles, and because of that, we’re a much leaner basketball team than we were back in November.”
Maryland’s star power increases
One notable absence from Maryland’s 25-point home loss to South Carolina in November: second-team All American guard Diamond Miller, who missed the game with injury.
Now she’s back, averaging a team-high 19.6 points per game on 47.3% shooting, grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game and providing a major boost to USC-Maryland Round 2. Staley and company know she’s a Wooden Award finalist for a reason.
“I mean, she can score it at any time,” Staley said. “She’s a willing passer. She’s a leader. Like, she’s a player that can score in bunches and impact the game on both sides of the basketball. So they have someone that can impact it. I know they missed her the last time that we played.”
South Carolina vs. Maryland game notes
The first South Carolina-Maryland game was close at halftime (32-26 USC) before the Gamecocks rattled off 30 points in the third quarter against the Miller-less Terrapins.
Miller, coincidentally, also didn’t play in the 2019 USC-Maryland game (which USC won 63-54) because of injury. She and star South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston were both true freshmen that season.
South Carolina has the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 scoring defense (42.7 points per game) and No. 1 field goal percentage defense (28.2%) through three games.
South Carolina is 3-1 all-time against No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, most recently beating No. 2 UConn in the 2022 national championship game.
This is USC’s seventh all-time Elite Eight appearance, sixth under Staley and third in a row. USC is seeking its fifth all-time Final Four appearance (all under Staley).
This is Maryland’s 15th all-time Elite Eight appearance. A win would send the Terrapins to their seventh all-time Final Four and first since 2015.
Gamecocks vs. Terrapins players to watch
Kierra Fletcher, G, South Carolina: South Carolina’ starting point guard isn’t a big-time scorer (NCAA Tournament high six points against South Florida) but continues to play major minutes heavy on smart decisions and minimal turnovers.
Kamilla Cardoso, F, South Carolina: The reigning SEC Sixth Woman of the Year came alive in the Sweet 16 with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and a resounding chase-down block. Cardoso had 10 points combined in USC’s first two NCAA Tournament games.
Abby Meyers, G, Maryland: Second on the team in scoring behind Miller, Meyers (14.3 points per game) is the Terrapins’ most accurate shooter among rotation players. She’s 62 of 162 (38.3%) from downtown this season.
Shyanne Sellers, G, Maryland: Sellers is right behind Meyers at 14.0 points per game; as a sophomore, she was an All Big Ten First Team choice by the media and also made the conference’s all-defensive team.
March Madness schedule
Sunday’s Elite Eight games
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 9 Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 5 Louisville, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday’s Elite Eight games
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Maryland, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
