South-Carolina

Final Four Thoughts and Prediction

Published

11 months ago

April 4, 2025

South Carolina is making its fifth consecutive trip to the Final Four and the seventh in program history. This year they will be returning to the scene of their first Final Four – the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. South Carolina fell short in the 2015 Final Four when Tiffany Mitchell was unable to connect on a difficult shot against Muffin McGraw’s Fighting Irish on the game’s final play. Connecticut cut down the nets in 2015 and are favored to do so again ten years later. While this number changes as the money pours in, UConn is the favorite at -155. The Gamecocks are next at +250 followed by UCLA at +750 and Texas at +850. To provide a point of reference for those numbers: in 2023: the unbeaten Gamecocks were -330 and LSU (eventually champion) was +700. So while UConn is the favorite, it’s not by nearly as much as the Gamecocks have been the last two seasons or like Huskies were in the early-to-mid 2010s.

Below are some of our thoughts on the field of four and the last weekend of basketball. Gamecock Scoop and Alan Cole will be following the Gamecocks in Tampa and will have extensive coverage throughout Carolina’s hopeful championship run.

Let’ start with the Gamecocks. For most of the tournament South Carolina’s defense has shown up. Duke exploited the Gamecocks out of the halftime break but for the most part Carolina’s defense hasn’t been the problem. In the last three games, the Gamecocks haven’t gotten into transition to score easy baskets. (A few MiLaysia Fulwiley moments aside), and Carolina’s half-court offense has been stagnant. Carolina can beat Texas the with the way they’ve played the last three rounds, because Texas plays a very similar style, but they won’t beat UCLA or UConn. The Gamecocks were 7-for-23 from 3-point range in Birmingham and Te-Hina Paopao is averaging 7.3 points per game in this tournament. Both of those number must improve if South Carolina is going to cut down another set of nets. The Gamecocks have needed 4th quarter comebacks the last two rounds. With UCLA’s size, Texas’ smothering defense and UConn’s incredibly efficiency- 4th quarter comebacks will be a tall task in Tampa.

UCLA enjoys an advantage that the Gamecocks have the last four seasons, a player that presents a physical mismatch for everyone else in the field. Lauren Betts is 6’7 and is averaging 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game. When teams try to collapse on Betts, the Bruins have four guards that shoot over 35% from three including junior star Kiki Rice.

Paige Bueckers is doing everything that Caitlyn Clark did last year but unlike the Hawkeyes, the Huskies have two other potential top WNBA Draft picks on their roster to fall back on. Azzi Duff, I mean Fudd, looks healthy and Sarah Strong is the freshman of the year. UConn ranks in the top five in the country in field goal percentage (No. 1), points per play and per 100 possessions (No. 1), 3-point percentage (No. 5), assists per game (No. 3), fewest turnovers per game (No. 3) and margin of victory (No. 1). UConn is short team without a true dominant post. Betts and Bruins might be the toughest matchup for the Huskies of their three possible opponents.

The Gamecocks have seen Texas three times, splitting a home-and-home in the regular and in the finals of the SEC Tournament. They know each other. From the three matchups this season, if you can control Madison Booker, you are going to beat the Horns. Texas just doesn’t have another scorer that scares quality opponents. The Longhorns also do not shoot the three ball well. If an opponent can build a double-digit lead early, Texas will struggle to make up ground. The Horns are tenacious on defense and are an excellent rebounding team.

Stephen: I’ve ridden with the Gamecocks throughout this tournament, but you’d have to have been blind to say that the UConn Huskies haven’t looked like the better the team the last two months. On February 16th, walking out of the CLA after witnessing UConn roll the Gamecocks by 29, I dismissed it as a one-off. A game which the Gamecocks played poorly and Connecticut played its’ best game in almost a decade. Now it looks like it was the first time that UConn was fully healthy this season and a showcase for that they were capable of. South Carolina can still beat UConn, as can UCLA, but right now Connecticut looks like the country’s best/hottest team. UConn over Carolina.

Alan: I think I have to side with Stephen on this one. UConn has not only been playing the best basketball in the country for the last month, but continued to improve throughout the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have looked a little better every weekend, while South Carolina’s halfcourt offense has been invisible nearly the entire tournament other than the Tennessee Tech game and the second half against Indiana. Can it come back? For sure. And I wll never fully write off a Dawn Staley team. But right now it feels like UConn’s to lose, and i think UConn beats South Carolina.

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South-Carolina

Men’s Golf Visits South Carolina for Colleton River Collegiate

Published

9 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Men’s Golf Visits South Carolina for Colleton River Collegiate

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf begins the month of March at the Colleton River Collegiate this Sunday and Monday at Colleton River Club (par 72, 7403 yards).

UK joins a 15-team field for the 54-hole event, which will consist of 36 holes of continuous play on Sunday, followed by 18 holes on Monday. An 8 a.m. shotgun start will kick things off on Sunday, while Monday’s final round will begin with another shotgun start, this time at 7:45 a.m.

UK is paired with Indiana, Kansas State and Ohio State for the first day of play.

The Wildcats will utilize the same starting five, albeit in a different order, as was featured at the Watersound Invitational just two weeks ago. There, the Cats finished seventh in a loaded field and found themselves as high as third place during the final nine holes.

Sophomore Jacob Settles had the best showing of his collegiate career, finishing tied for seventh at 5-under par, while senior captain Jack Schoenberger had his highest finish of the season, placing tied for 14th at 2-under.

Jacob Lang, Luke Coyle and Cole Stockard will complete UK’s starting five alongside Settles and Schoenberger, the fourth time in six events the Wildcats have featured this starting unit.

Freshman Cameron Phillips will tee it up as an individual once again after an impressive showing in the same role at the Watersound where he tied for 29th and had two rounds under par.

Fans can follow along with live scoring on the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd website.

Kentucky Lineup:

Jack Schoenberger: Senior, Alpharetta, Ga
Jacob Lang: Sophomore, Alvaton, Ky.
Jacob Settles: Sophomore, Winchester, Ky
Luke Coyle: Junior, Campbellsville, Ky.
Cole Stockard: Freshman, Dalton, Ga.
Ind. Cameron Phillips: Freshman, Portsmouth, Ohio

Competing Schools (15): Chattanooga, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers

For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.

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South-Carolina

Biden visits Columbia, thanks SC Democrats for 2020 primary support

Published

21 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Biden visits Columbia, thanks SC Democrats for 2020 primary support

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former President Joe Biden spoke Friday at the Columbia Art Museum in downtown Columbia at an event hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party to honor his more than 50 years with the party and to mark his 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary victory.

Biden entered the South Carolina primary having lost Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His win in the state gave his campaign momentum heading into the rest of the primary calendar.

“People in this room brought my campaign back from the brink — a lot of pundits, people in the press had given up on me,” Biden said.

Biden said South Carolina’s support was central to his path to the presidency.

“If I could just get to South Carolina I could win the nomination, and I knew if I won the nomination I’d win the presidency because I knew what Bill Clinton and Barack Obama knew before me — South Carolina picks presidents,” Biden said.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain said Biden’s performance in the state went beyond a primary win.

“Biden didn’t just win, he delivered,” Spain said.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the 2020 primary was a key moment in the campaign, attended the event. Clyburn praised Biden’s record of public service.

“There is no American ever who has demonstrated through his service more substance — and I might add sustenance — than Joseph Robinette Biden,” Clyburn said.

Biden also directed remarks at the current Trump administration and called on Democrats to turn out for November’s midterm elections to help flip the House or Senate.

“There’s no time to give up — it’s time to get up, get up, get up, continue to fight,” Biden said.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Room at CCPL Main Library closes May 1 for 8-10 weeks

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Room at CCPL Main Library closes May 1 for 8-10 weeks

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Researchers and history buffs will soon have to plan around a temporary closure at the Charleston County Public Library’s Main Library as renovations approach.

The library’s South Carolina Room, located at the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St., will temporarily close to the public beginning May 1, as the building prepares for renovation later this year.

The South Carolina Room is expected to be unavailable for about eight to 10 weeks during the transition. During that time, services, collections and in-person research assistance will not be accessible.

READ MORE | “Charleston County Public Library introduces new Youth Library Card options.”

The department will reopen to the public in a temporary location at 1248 Camp Road, though an official reopening date has not yet been announced.

The South Carolina Room is CCPL’s primary local history and genealogy research department. It preserves and provides access to materials documenting the history and people of Charleston County and South Carolina, including historical documents, maps, photographs, manuscripts, newspapers and other archival resources used for scholarly research, family history and community exploration.

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CCPL said the temporary relocation will allow continued preservation of materials while renovations at the Main Library are underway. Updates on reopening timelines and services will be shared at ccpl.org and through the library’s official communication channels.

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