2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

Intercollegiate basketball season

2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
SEC Tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7
Record29–7 (12–4 SEC)
Head coach
  • Dawn Staley (10th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Lisa Boyer
  • Fred Chmiel
  • Jolette Law
Home arenaColonial Life Arena
Seasons
2017–18 SEC women's basketball standings
  • v
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 Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Mississippi State 16 – 0   1.000 37 – 2   .949
No. 7 South Carolina † 12 – 4   .750 29 – 7   .806
No. 18 Georgia 12 – 4   .750 26 – 7   .788
No. 12 Tennessee 11 – 5   .688 25 – 8   .758
No. 17 Missouri 11 – 5   .688 24 – 8   .750
No. 14 Texas A&M 11 – 5   .688 26 – 10   .722
No. 24 LSU 11 – 5   .688 19 – 10   .655
Alabama 7 – 9   .438 20 – 14   .588
Kentucky 6 – 10   .375 15 – 17   .469
Auburn 5 – 11   .313 14 – 15   .483
Arkansas 3 – 13   .188 13 – 18   .419
Florida 3 – 13   .188 11 – 19   .367
Vanderbilt 3 – 13   .188 7 – 24   .226
Ole Miss 1 – 15   .063 12 – 19   .387
† 2018 SEC tournament winner
As of April 1, 2018
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by tenth year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at the Colonial Life Arena and were members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 29–7, 12–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi State to win the SEC women's tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. They defeated North Carolina A&T and Virginia in the first and second rounds, Buffalo in the sweet sixteen before losing to Connecticut in the elite eight.

Previous season

South Carolina finished the season 33-4 (14-2), winning the SEC Regular season, SEC Tournament Championship, and the NCAA National Championship. Heading into the NCAA tournament South Carolina was the #1 seed in the Stockton regional, where they defeated UNC Asheville, Arizona State, Quinnipiac, and Florida State, to win the Stockton region and get to the Final Four. In the Final Four, South Carolina defeated Stanford 62–53 to advance to the Championship game. On April 2, 2017, South Carolina defeated Mississippi State to win their first national championship. A'ja Wilson won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Notes
Alaina Coates 41 C 6'4" Senior Irmo, SC Graduated/Declared to 2017 WNBA draft
Allisha Gray 10 G 6'0" RS Junior Sandersville, GA Declared to 2017 WNBA draft
Kaela Davis 3 G 6'2" RS Junior Suwanee, GA Declared to 2017 WNBA draft
Araion Bradshaw 12 G 5'6" Freshman Hyde Park, MA Transferred to Dayton

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous School
Te'a Cooper 2 G 5'8" Sophomore Powder Springs, GA Transferred from Tennessee. Will sit out a year due to NCAA rules.
Lindsey Spann 11 G 5'6" RS Senior Laurel, MD Transferred from Penn State. Eligible to play immediately since Spann graduated from Penn State University.

Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Elisia Grissett
W 		Durham, NC Hillside 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Bianca Jackson
W 		Montgomery, AL Brewbaker Tech Magnet 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
LaDazhia Williams
G 		Bradenton, FL Lakewood Ranch 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.

Roster

2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Victoria Patrick 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So Edgewater Orlando, FL
G 1 Bianca Cuevas-Moore 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr Nazareth Regional Bronx, NY
G 2 Te'a Cooper 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) RS So McEachern HS
Tennessee 		Powder Springs, GA
G 4 Doniyah Cliney 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr Malcolm X Shabazz Newark, NJ
G 10 Bianca Jackson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Brewbaker Tech Magnet Montgomery, AL
G 11 Lindsey Spann 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) RS Sr Good Counsel HS
Penn State 		Laurel, MD
G 15 Tiffany Davis 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) RS Jr Westbury Christian Houston, TX
F 21 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) So Flanagan Pembroke Pines, FL
F 22 A'ja Wilson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Sr Heathwood Hall Hopkins, SC
C 23 LaDaazhia Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Lakewood Ranch Bradenton, FL
G 24 Lele Grissett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Hillside Durham, NC
F 35 Alexis Jennings 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Jr Sparkman HS
Kentucky 		Madison, AL
G 52 Tyasha Harris 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Heritage Christian Noblesville, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule

[1]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/03/2017*
7:00 pm 		No. 4 Coker W 116–56 
Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
Regular season
11/10/2017*
6:30 pm 		No. 4 Alabama State W 99–31  1–0
 Colonial Life Arena (13,723)
Columbia, SC
11/13/2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 4 at No. 15 Maryland W 94–86  2–0
 Xfinity Center (8,677)
College Park, MD
11/16/2017*
7:00 pm 		No. 4 at Clemson
Rivalry 		W 66–36  3–0
 Littlejohn Coliseum (1,589)
Clemson, SC
11/19/2017*
3:00 pm 		No. 4 Wofford W 94–60  4–0
 Colonial Life Arena (12,471)
Columbia, SC
11/24/2017*
1:30 pm 		No. 3 vs. Rutgers
Gulf Coast Showcase Quarterfinals 		W 78–68  5–0
 Germain Arena 
Estero, FL
11/25/2017*
1:30 pm 		No. 3 vs. St. John's
Gulf Coast Showcase semifinals 		W 76–58  6–0
 Germain Arena 
Estero, FL
11/26/2017*
1:30 pm 		No. 3 vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
Gulf Coast Showcase championship 		L 85–92  6–1
 Germain Arena 
Estero, FL
11/30/2017*
7:00 pm 		No. 5 Western Carolina W 101–43  7–1
 Colonial Life Arena (12,020)
Columbia, SC
12/03/2017*
12:00 pm, SECN 		No. 5 No. 14 Duke W 72–52  8–1
 Colonial Life Arena (13,054)
Columbia, SC
12/05/2017*
7:00 pm 		No. 5 College of Charleston W 69–43  9–1
 Colonial Life Arena (11,732)
Columbia, SC
12/17/2017*
3:00 pm 		No. 4 Savannah State W 99–38  10–1
 Colonial Life Arena (13,345)
Columbia, SC
12/21/2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		No. 4 at Temple W 87–60  11–1
 Liacouras Center (3,185)
Philadelphia, PA
12/31/2017
2:00 pm, SECN 		No. 4 No. 22 Texas A&M W 61–59  12–1
(1–0) 		Colonial Life Arena (13,431)
Columbia, SC
01/04/2018
7:00 pm 		No. 4 at Ole Miss W 88–62  13–1
(2–0) 		The Pavilion at Ole Miss (1,018)
Oxford, MS
01/07/2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 4 at No. 16 Missouri L 74–83  13–2
(2–1) 		Mizzou Arena (4,652)
Columbia, MO
01/11/2018
7:00 pm 		No. 9 Auburn W 71–63  14–2
(3–1) 		Colonial Life Arena (12,011)
Columbia, SC
01/14/2018
1:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 9 No. 6 Tennessee L 70–86  14–3
(3–2) 		Colonial Life Arena (14,763)
Columbia, SC
01/18/2018
8:00 pm 		No. 10 at Vanderbilt W 95–82  15–3
(4–2) 		Memorial Gymnasium (2,231)
Nashville, TN
01/21/2018
Noon, ESPNU 		No. 10 at Kentucky W 81–64  16–3
(5–2) 		Rupp Arena (6,521)
Lexington, KY
01/25/2018
6:30 pm, SECN 		No. 9 Arkansas W 90–42  17–3
(6–2) 		Colonial Life Arena (12,844)
Columbia, SC
01/28/2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 9 No. 11 Missouri W 64–54  18–3
(7–2) 		Colonial Life Arena (13,433)
Columbia, SC
02/01/2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 No. 1 Connecticut L 58–83  18–4
 Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Columbia, SC
02/05/2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 7 at No. 2 Mississippi State L 53–67  18–5
(7–3) 		Humphrey Coliseum (10,794)
Starkville, MS
02/08/2018
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 7 at Alabama W 79–66  19–5
(8–3) 		Coleman Coliseum (2,313)
Tuscaloosa, AL
02/11/2018
1:00 pm, SECN 		No. 7 Florida W 64–57  20–5
(9–3) 		Colonial Life Arena (15,385)
Columbia, SC
02/15/2018
7:00 pm 		No. 8 at No. 20 Georgia W 77–65  21–5
(10–3) 		Stegeman Coliseum (4,072)
Athens, GA
02/18/2018
3:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Kentucky W 81–63  22–5
(11–3) 		Colonial Life Arena (14,895)
Columbia, SC
02/22/2018
6:30 pm, SECN 		No. 7 No. 24 LSU W 57–48  23–5
(12–3) 		Colonial Life Arena (12,385)
Columbia, SC
02/25/2018
4:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 7 at No. 15 Tennessee L 46–65  23–6
(12–4) 		Thompson–Boling Arena (13,058)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Women's Tournament
03/02/2018
7:00 pm, SECN 		(2) No. 8 vs. (7) No. 12 Tennessee
Quarterfinals 		W 73–62  24–6
 Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
03/03/2018
7:30 pm, ESPNU 		(2) No. 8 vs. (3) No. 19 Georgia
Semifinals 		W 71–49  25–6
 Bridgestone Arena (8,819)
Nashville, TN
03/04/2018
4:30 pm, ESPN2 		(2) No. 8 vs. (1) No. 2 Mississippi State
Championship Game 		W 62–51  26–6
 Bridgestone Arena (8,215)
Nashville, TN
NCAA Women's Tournament
03/16/2018*
7:30 pm, ESPN2 		(2 A) No. 7 (15 A) North Carolina A&T
First Round 		W 63–52  27–6
 Colonial Life Arena (11,085)
Columbia, SC
03/18/2018*
9:00 pm, ESPN 		(2 A) No. 7 (10 A) Virginia
Second Round 		W 66–56  28–6
 Colonial Life Arena (10,037)
Columbia, SC
03/24/2018*
11:30 am, ESPN 		(2 A) No. 7 vs. (11 A) Buffalo
Sweet Sixteen 		W 79–63  29–6
 Times Union Center (10,310)
Albany, NY
03/26/2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		(2 A) No. 7 vs. (1 A) No. 7 Connecticut
Elite Eight 		L 65–94  29–7
 Times Union Center (9,522)
Albany, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
A=Albany Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP44355444449109778787Not released
Coaches22^6655555810768868776

^Coaches' Poll did not release a second poll at the same time as the AP.

Team players drafted into the WNBA

Round Pick Player WNBA Club
1 1 A'ja Wilson Las Vegas Aces

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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