South Carolina Faces Tournament-Tested Southern

0:00On March 20, the South Carolina women's basketball team now knows their first round NCAA tournament opponent for Saturday. Southern University earned the spot with a 65-53 win over Samford in Thursday's first four-game at Colonial Life Arena. The Jaguar sealed it with a 14-to-2 run in the final seven minutes. Southern, a historically black college from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, captured the SWAC tournament title despite time for third in the regular season. This marks their third March-manus appearance in four years. They also won a first four match-up last season before falling to UCLA. The Jaguars have proven they can compete against bigger programs. They've notched wins over Big 12 teams, Arizona, and Houston this year. That gives them two victories against Power 4. Schools heading into the match-up, what stands out is Southern's stingy defense. They rank in the top 35 nationally in turnover margin, forcing nearly five more per game than opponents. Against Samford, they grab 13 steals, forced 18 turnovers, and limited three-point shooting

1:05to just eight of 27. South Carolina faces a gritty, tournament-tested squad, ready to disrupt with turnovers and tough perimeter D.