South-Carolina
Top-25 Basketball Poll Shakeup After Ranked Matchups: USC Trojans, South Carolina
The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is 18-1 for the 2024-25 season. The AP Top-25 Poll has shaken up with multiple ranked teams having faced off recently. USC is ranked No. 4 in the current AP Top-25 Poll.
The Women of Troy are one of the most dominant teams this season. The only undefeated team remaining is the No.1 UCLA Bruins. As January comes to a close and teams enter the final full month of the regular season, playoff seeding is at stake.
USC has already faced five ranked opponents this season, going 4-1 against them. The lone loss was against the current No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The biggest win of the season was arguably against the current No. 6 UConn Huskies, who were No. 4 at the time of the matchup. USC went on the road to defeat one of the toughest opponents in women’s college basketball.
Given the toughness of the Big Ten conference, USC still has three ranked opponents on their schedule. One of which is the No. 1 undefeated UCLA Bruins, who the Women of Troy will play twice still. Their first matchup will be on Feb. 13 at a sold-out Galen Center.
The Trojans will also play the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes on Feb. 8 and No. 16 Michigan State Spartans on Feb. 19. The second matchup against UCLA will close out the regular season on March 1.
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In addition to No. 1 UCLA and No. 3 Notre Dame, the South Carolina Gamecocks are ahead of the Trojans ranked at No. 2. If the Trojans defeat UCLA that should boost USC’s ranking a little higher, especially if USC can go 2-0 against their cross-town rival.
Notre Dame and South Carolina both have four remaining ranked opponents. Two of the Gamecocks’ opponents are in the top 10, the No. 5 Texas Longhorns and the No. 6 UConn Huskies. If either or both Notre Dame and South Carolina lose, and the Trojans maintain their win streak, USC could rise in the AP-Top 25 poll by the end of the season.
The Big Ten Tournament will take place from Mar. 5-9. This is a tough conference, one USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb has spoken highly of since the conference realignment. Gottlieb appeared on Trojans Live on Dec. 9 where she spoke about the power of the Big Ten.
“Of the 18 teams in the league currently nine, at least as of last week, like I said I haven’t looked today, but nine were ranked in the top 25. It is legit,” Gottlieb said. “We have to approach each game almost like an NCAA Tournament game. You get one shot, you don’t get to say okay let’s figure it out and get a doover when we get back home or something. That’s just not how we’re going to approach it.”
The USC Trojans are 8-0 in Big Ten conference play and on a 14-game win streak. There are currently five Big Ten teams in the AP Top-25 Poll, three of which are in the top 10. It is a tough conference, but the Trojans have done well thus far. The team will now have to close the season on a high note and hope for higher seeding in the postseason.
The No. 4 USC Trojans women’s basketball team will next face the 18-3 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. PT at Galen Center.
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A primer on absentee and early voting as we await clarity on the Palmetto State’s suddenly shifting congressional districts…
by MARK POWELL
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We’re hearing a lot these days about South Carolina’s partisan primary elections – and with good reason. In addition to the ongoing drama tied to the proposed redrawing of the Palmetto State’s congressional districts, elections for the two most influential statewide offices – governor and attorney general – are also on tap.
For the first time since 2010, neither of those races features an incumbent seeking reelection. Status quo incumbent governor Henry McMaster is term-limited and cannot run again, while attorney general Alan Wilson is stepping down as the state’s top prosecutor to campaign for governor.
Not surprisingly, both races are extremely competitive – with multiple candidates having potential paths to victory.
Although partisan primary elections won’t be held until June 9, 2026, votes are already being cast via absentee ballot. According to the S.C. Election Commission (SCVotes), at last count 9,267 absentee ballots have already been sent for the June 9 primary – with thousands more expected to be mailed out in the coming two weeks.
Of those, 549 ballots have already been completed and returned.
***
For those wanting to vote absentee, the clock is ticking. State law says absentee ballots must be returned eleven (11) days before Election Day… which is May 29, 2026. In requesting, completing and returning absentee ballots this year, voters would be wise to consider the congressional district in which they reside – and know it could change in the coming days.
Under pressure from U.S. president Donald Trump, lawmakers are poised to draw new congressional maps within the next week – meaning votes cast based on the current boundaries may not count. That’s one of many logistical (and potentially legal) headaches confronting lawmakers keen on doing Trump’s bidding.
Next up? Early voting…
Starting on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and running through Friday, June 5, 2026, early voting centers will be open in all forty-six (46) counties in South Carolina. Ballots can be cast Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT. Remember to bring a valid photo identification with you, because when voting in person you will be asked to show one of the following…
- SC Driver’s License
- Includes standard license and REAL ID
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
- Includes standard ID card and REAL ID
- Includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- Federal Military ID
- Includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and Veterans Affairs Benefits Card
- US Passport
- Includes US Passport ID Card
For a sample ballot, click here. For information on where to vote in your county, click here.
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In some areas, curbside voting will also be available during the early voting window. Voters aged 65 and older or those with physical disabilities are eligible to cast their ballots from the convenience of their cars. Again, check with your local voting office about availability in your area.
Those concerned about lengthy waits and long, wrap-around-the-building lines may not have reason to fret – at least if recent history is any guide. While those horrifically long and agonizing queues are common in presidential primaries and general elections, Palmetto State citizens have had a more relaxed view of fulfilling their civic duty in recent years when it comes to primary elections.
In the last statewide primary in 2022, only 17.05% of registered voters cast their ballots. In 2018, it was 20.43%. Those were those landslides compared to 2014’s primary, when an anemic 15.97% participated.
The high-water mark for primary participation was 2010, when controversy swirling around Nikki Haley’s candidacy drove turnout to a whopping 24.11% – proving yet again that scandal always sells.
But I’ll leave any further discussion of that race (and that scandal) to our founding editor…
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
***
SOUND OFF…
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