Usc Vs South Carolina as Monday Night’s Sweet 16 Stakes Rise
usc vs south carolina is set for a primetime Monday night matchup with a Sweet 16 spot on the line, as South Carolina prepares to face the USC Trojans at Colonial Life Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The setup is straightforward: win and advance, with the next opponent coming from the Michigan State-Oklahoma game in Sacramento.
What Happens When Usc Vs South Carolina becomes a tournament rematch?
This meeting carries two layers of history: the head-to-head series and South Carolina’s broader trend in NCAA Tournament rematches. South Carolina has won all four games against the Trojans, including three during head coach Dawn Staley’s tenure. The teams previously played a home-and-home series in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and are now in a two-year neutral site series titled “The Real SC. ”
The first game of that neutral site series came in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 2025, ending in a 69-52 South Carolina win. In that game, South Carolina withstood hot USC shooting in the first quarter to take a two-point lead into halftime, then extended the lead behind 48. 6 percent shooting in the second half. Joyce Edwards led all scorers with 17 points, and three Gamecocks posted double-digit rebounds: Raven Johnson, Edwards, and Madina Okot.
There is also a program-level pattern South Carolina will try to extend. In the Dawn Staley era, South Carolina has played an NCAA Tournament rematch with a regular-season opponent 14 times across nine tournaments, with each of those 14 meetings producing the same result as the prior game (or the majority of games if they met more than once in the regular season). That historical signal does not guarantee anything on Monday night, but it frames why this matchup is being treated like more than a routine second-round game.
What If South Carolina’s postseason trends decide the game?
South Carolina enters the game after a dominating first-round win against Southern and will host Southern Cal at 8 p. m. ET on Monday, March 23, at Colonial Life Arena. In postseason games this season, the Gamecocks have made their biggest move in the third quarter, outscoring opponents in that period by an average of 12. 3 points. That makes the middle of the game a recurring inflection window: if South Carolina is within reach at halftime, the third quarter has been its sharpest lever.
Individually, Joyce Edwards has been productive across the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, averaging 19. 8 points, 7. 0 rebounds, and 2. 5 assists in the postseason, while shooting 61. 5 percent from the field. Tessa Johnson’s outside shooting has also been a postseason feature, with a 47. 6 percent mark from 3-point range over the last four games.
Depth has been part of the formula as well. South Carolina’s bench has averaged 19. 0 points and 10. 8 rebounds in the postseason. Agot Makeer has led the bench scoring at 7. 8 points per game on 59. 1 percent shooting, while Alicia Tournebize has led the rebounding effort with 6. 7 per game over the last four outings.
Monday also arrives with milestone pressure and a home-floor context. The game is billed as the last home game for seniors Maryam Dauda, Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, and Madina Okot. Raven Johnson, the longest-tenured of that group, has helped South Carolina post a 65-1 record at Colonial Life Arena in her four seasons.
What Happens When USC’s missing piece forces a new focal point?
USC’s personnel reality shapes how South Carolina can frame its defensive priorities. USC has been missing Juju Watkins, identified as the top women’s basketball player from 2025, changing the balance of where production must come from. In that context, South Carolina is expected to key in on freshman Jazzy Davidson. The 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 18 points, 5. 7 rebounds, and 4. 2 assists, giving USC a clear engine even with a major absence.
For South Carolina, perimeter defense begins with Raven Johnson’s pressure. She is the 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List for the first time in her career, and is described as a presence that can change what an opponent can accomplish. The team-level effect is measurable in one cited tracking signal: per Synergy, Johnson ranks second in the nation in defensive impact, lowering South Carolina’s points allowed to an SEC-best 10. 9 points per 100 possessions when she is on the floor.
What to watch at tipoff: a quick game-shape snapshot
| Theme | What the numbers and notes highlight | Why it matters Monday night |
|---|---|---|
| Third-quarter surge | South Carolina outscoring postseason opponents by 12. 3 points on average in the third quarter | A close first half may not stay close if the pattern holds |
| Edwards’ postseason efficiency | 19. 8 points, 7. 0 rebounds, 2. 5 assists; 61. 5% shooting in SEC and NCAA Tournaments | Stable production can anchor possessions when the game tightens |
| Perimeter spacing | Tessa Johnson shooting 47. 6% from 3 over the last four games | Outside shot can widen margins and punish defensive help |
| USC’s lead creator | Jazzy Davidson averaging 18 points, 5. 7 rebounds, 4. 2 assists | Defensive game plan can narrow to one primary initiator |
| Defensive pressure point | Raven Johnson’s Synergy-tracked defensive impact and SEC-best points allowed rate with her on court | Ball pressure can disrupt USC’s rhythm before it becomes a shooting night |
For viewers planning their night, the game is scheduled for 8 p. m. ET at Colonial Life Arena. If South Carolina advances, the next step is a Sweet 16 meeting in Sacramento against the winner of No. 5 Michigan State and No. 4 Oklahoma.
As the rematch resets, the central question is whether the same forces that shaped the Los Angeles result—second-half shot-making, rebounding production, and game-breaking stretches—show up again under tournament pressure. The answer will decide whether usc vs south carolina becomes another South Carolina-controlled rematch or a new chapter with the Sweet 16 on the line.
