South-Carolina
March Madness: USC, UCLA, South Carolina and more all potential 1 seeds for women’s NCAA Tournament – WTOP News
For the first time in a long time, there are at least a half-dozen teams across the country that could…
For the first time in a long time, there are at least a half-dozen teams across the country that could legitimately win the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Defending champion South Carolina leads the way once again in March Madness. Unlike last season, when the Gamecocks finished off an undefeated season with a national title, this group has three losses heading into the NCAAs. One came early in the year to UCLA, which only lost twice this season — both to crosstown rival Southern California and star guard JuJu Watkins in the regular season. UCLA topped the Trojans for the Big Ten title.
Notre Dame, Texas and UConn also have a good shot at winning the national championship. South Carolina is a slight favorite over UConn to repeat, according to BetMGM Sportsbook going into the weekend.
All six teams’ chances could come down to where they fall in the bracket that the NCAA will reveal Sunday night.
The path for all won’t be easy: This year there’s more parity in the sport. This NCAA Tournament will be only the second one in the past 19 years to have no teams entering March Madness with zero or one loss. The other time was in 2022.
Payout time
For the first time in NCAA history, there will be a financial incentive for women’s teams. They will finally paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament just like the men have for years.
So-called performance units, which represent revenue, will be given to women’s teams for each win they get. A team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards.
This comes a year after the women’s championship game that saw South Carolina beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa do better TV ratings then the men’s title game.
Tournament sites
The top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the third straight year. Spokane, Washington, will host half of the Sweet 16 and Birmingham, Alabama, will host the other eight teams.
The Final Four will be played in Tampa, Florida, on April 4, and the championship game is two days later.
Tournament tidbits
One team that wasn’t expected to make the field is Stanford, which would end the Cardinal’s 36-year streak of playing in the NCAA Tournament. It would be the first time since 1987 that Stanford hasn’t played in the NCAAs.
While that streak is likely to end, Tennessee will continue its NCAA Tournament run of appearing every year in the field since the first NCAA Tournament in 1982.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) — Advocates, caregivers, patients, and community leaders gathered at the South Carolina State House on Friday for the inaugural South Carolina Sickle Cell Day.
Organizers said the event focused on raising awareness of sickle cell disease.
The South Carolina CBO Collective Caucus hosted the event at 10 a.m., coinciding with World Sickle Cell Day and Juneteenth.
Organizers said the gathering brought together healthcare professionals, legislators, advocates, and supporters from across the state to discuss education, support, and action related to sickle cell disease.
The program is designed to amplify the voices of individuals and families impacted by the disease and encourage conversations about healthcare access, advocacy, research, and community support, organizers said.
Attendees heard personal stories and learned about challenges faced by those living with sickle cell disease.
“World Sickle Cell Day is a powerful call to action for all of us,” said founder and CEO of The B Strong Group Brenda Green. She said the collaboration expands support, strengthens community response, and stands with affected families.
The B Strong Group, founded in 2017 and based in Columbia, is a nonprofit organization focused on sickle cell awareness, advocacy, and caregiver support.
The group organizes blood drives, caregiver workshops, and awareness campaigns under the motto “Educate, Advocate, Empower.”
An 87-year-old businessman in Columbia, South Carolina says he has no plans to retire.
Leonard Fabrizio works as a retailer at Brittons of Columbia, a locally-owned men’s clothing store.
“I’m not the type of person who can sit around by myself,” said Fabrizio. “I just enjoy the interaction and that’s the big thing, is the interaction with people. It’s always been the drive in this business for me, said Fabrizio.
Fabrizio’s retail career began as a college student when he worked at J.C. Penney. He has watched Columbia grow and has owned a store and managed several others.
His advice is to “Be patient. It takes time to build a business. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s rewarding. It’s fun. But you have to have compassion for the business.”
Fabrizio recently celebrated another birthday alongside those who have supported his career.
(WPDE) — June 9 marked International Batten Disease Awareness Day, shining a light on a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder.
It primarily affects children and causes harmful waste material to build up inside the cells of the brain and nervous system.
One South Carolina family used the day to raise awareness as their 2-year-old son, Sam Stockton, lives with CLN2 Batten disease.
Sam was diagnosed at 16 weeks old, and his family says they travel every other week for enzyme-replacement therapy while also searching for clinical research opportunities.
Through Hope for Sam, the family is working to spread information about Batten disease and support other families facing rare diseases.
“Just the more you know about rare diseases, I never knew that over 300 million people worldwide live with rare diseases. And that means there’s less access to care because people aren’t researching it and not as many people have it. So the more information that’s out there, we feel is the better,” Jordan Stockton said.
There are 13 known types of Batten disease, and there is no cure. Researchers estimate the disease affects about two to four out of every 100,000 births in the United States.
The Stockton family says they have found support through the Batten Disease Support, Research and Advocacy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families navigate the disease while providing resources.
More information and donation details are available at this link.
-
New York59 minutes agoVideo: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoVictims sought after man allegedly points gun at passing cars in Santa Clarita Valley
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoBest barbershop in Metro Detroit: Finalists for this year’s Vote 4 The Best
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoHow to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDrivers in North Texas struggle with Friday floods
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoThree wildfires burn more than 20,000 acres in Miami-Dade, force road closures
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoMBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoMan arrested on suspicion of murder in Denver shooting near South Park Hill, Hale
