March Madness: Scouting the path to the championship for South Carolina women's basketball

COLUMBIA — With the March Madness bracket released, South Carolina women's basketball is days away from beginning its mission to repeat as NCAA Tournament champion.

After winning the national championship in 2022, the No. 1 Gamecocks (32-0) look to become just the fourth program in NCAA history to win consecutive titles. They kick off their 2023 tournament run on Friday at Colonial Life Arena against 16-seed Norfolk State (26-6).

South Carolina can also become the 10th team in NCAA history to complete an undefeated season. It enters the tournament with a nation-leading 37 straight victories, plus a 20-game winning streak against ranked opponents.

From the best early matchups to possible championship opponents, here is everything you need to know about South Carolina's potential path through the bracket:

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Easiest path

The Gamecocks would love to see an underdog run from a team like 6-seed Creighton to knock 2-seed Maryland out of lower corner of the region. South Carolina beat the Terps 81-56 in November, but they were without star Diamond Miller, who averages 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. A rematch would almost certainly be much tighter considering Maryland owns wins over No. 3 Iowa, No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 13 Ohio State.

South Carolina faces few other threats in its region. Norfolk State, the 16-seed, put up just 30 points on an Alabama team that the Gamecocks beat by double digits. Notre Dame, the 3-seed, looked impressive through conference play, but the injury of star guard Olivia Miles makes it a much lesser opponent. Oklahoma, the 5-seed who the Gamecocks would likely face in the Sweet 16, has been underwhelming after barely escaping eight-win TCU and suffering a 10-point loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament.

Hardest path

Of opponents the Gamecocks didn't want to see again, UCLA was high on the list. The Bruins drew the 4-seed in Greenville 1 and will be the presumptive Elite Eight opponent for South Carolina. UCLA is the only team all season that has challenged the Gamecocks on their home court, leading by four points at halftime before ultimately losing 73-64 in the Nov. 29 matchup.

Facing 9-seed Marquette in the second round could also be a battle. The Golden Eagles knocked off Texas early in the season and beat UConn 59-52 right after the Huskies fell by just four points to the Gamecocks. They also boast a top-40 scoring defense and held Villanova's Maddie Siegrist, the nation's leading scorer, to her season low on Dec. 28.

Notre Dame is a massive question mark because of Miles. The star sophomore suffered a knee injury on Feb. 26, and Irish coach Niele Ivey said she is "day to day" during the ACC Tournament. If she returns, the Irish immediately become a massive challenge: Miles averages 14.3 points, 7.25 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and she became the first freshman in NCAA Tournament history to record a triple-double last season.

Scouting the other side

South Carolina will face the winner of the Seattle 4 region if it reaches the Final Four, which will likely be 1-seed Stanford or 2-seed Iowa. The Hawkeyes have National Player of the Year favorite Caitlin Clark, but a remarkably weak defense significantly lowers their threat level against a two-way juggernaut like the Gamecocks. Stanford, on the other hand, gave South Carolina its toughest game of non-conference play: It took a buzzer-beater by Aliyah Boston to force overtime when the teams met on Nov. 20, and the Gamecocks ultimately won 76-71.

Looking way ahead to the NCAA championship game, 1-seed Indiana is the favorite to make it there opposite South Carolina out of Greenville 2. The Hoosiers boast a powerful duo in Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Beger, but they also suffered a surprising upset against Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament. Utah, the 2-seed in Seattle 3, is an intriguing possibility: Alissa Pili has emerged as a legitimate superstar, and the Utes upset Stanford in the regular-season finale. However, they were upset by eventual champion Washington State in the Pac-12 Tournament, and 1-seed Virginia Tech in Seattle 3 is not to be underestimated either.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: March Madness bracket: Scouting path for South Carolina women's basketball