Women’s Bracketology: South Carolina continues to dominate stacked SEC, Mikayla Blakes lifting Vanderbilt

The SEC has been nothing short of a buzzsaw this season, as a majority of the conference (nine of its 16 teams) currently sits in the top 20 of the NET rankings.

However, that’s been no trouble for the reigning national champions. South Carolina is the only remaining undefeated team in SEC play, and recently the Gamecocks have made history in a pretty unique way.

Five straight games for Dawn Staley’s team have come against ranked opponents (No. 5 Texas, No. 19 Alabama, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 5 LSU and No. 18 Tennessee). South Carolina has won all five.

They are the third team since 2000 to beat a ranked team in five straight games, but they are the only one to do so entirely in the regular season.

Last year, Notre Dame did so in its final two regular-season games and three conference tournament games. The 2008-09 UConn Huskies accomplished the feat from the Round of 32 onward in the NCAA Tournament.

South Carolina is also the only team in the group to win all five games against teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll instead of the top 25.

It’s a testament to the strength of both South Carolina and the entire SEC. But there’s another SEC team worthy of a shoutout: Vanderbilt.

After a three-game losing streak early in the month threatened to send Vandy’s season into a tailspin, the Commodores have rattled off four straight, including ranked wins against Tennessee and Alabama.

Thursday night at Florida, Mikayla Blakes scored an SEC-record 53 points, the most in Division I since Ayoka Lee’s record 61-point game in 2022 and the most by a freshman since Elena Delle Donne’s 54-point outing in 2010.

Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida

Isabel Gonzalez

Blakes has been on a tear as of late, with 86 points in her last two games. But she’s just one part of the only teammate duo in the country each averaging at least 20 points per game. Khamil Pierre is the other, and the pairing has Vanderbilt up to a No. 6 seed.

No. 1 seeds

*UCLA (20-0, 8-0 Big Ten): NET 4, SOS 42

Lauren Betts continued her ridiculous run of form with a career-high 33 points in a road win against then-No. 8 Maryland in which she missed just a single shot from the field.

UCLA faces just one remaining opponent (Wisconsin) not projected to make the NCAA Tournament, so the Bruins will have to keep their foot on the gas to hold onto the No. 1 overall seed.

*South Carolina (20-1, 8-0 SEC): NET 1, SOS 1

If not for the head-to-head loss against UCLA, South Carolina would likely be the No. 1 overall seed even with UCLA’s undefeated record. With 10 Quad-1 wins (twice UCLA’s total) including four victories against NET top-10 teams, there is no one whose resume matches up favorably with the champs’.

It almost definitely won’t matter — with the way this team is playing, it’s difficult to see the Gamecocks not getting a No. 1 seed in one of the Birmingham Regionals.

USC (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten): NET 5, SOS 13

The Trojans took down a Minnesota team desperate for a quality win 82-69 on Thursday. The Gophers are an impressive 18-4 overall, but make no mistake — with a 1-4 record against Quads 1 and 2, Minnesota is a bubble team.

USC goes on the road this week against Iowa and Wisconsin, but it’s the matchups next week (against Ohio State and UCLA) that should be circled on fans’ calendars.

*Notre Dame (18-2, 9-0 ACC): NET 6, SOS 5

Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo share the cover of the latest issue of SLAM Magazine, and for good reason. The backcourt duo has wrecked gameplans all season long, to the tune of roughly 42 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and almost six steals per game.

No ACC opponent has found the solution yet. Clemson has come closest, only losing to the Irish by nine points.

No. 2 seeds

Texas (21-2, 7-1 SEC): NET 3, SOS 4

It was a more nerve-wracking week than Texas would have liked. The Longhorns needed an 8-0 run over the final 3:42 for a three-point road win against Ole Miss and trailed Missouri by as many as 11 points before winning by nine points at home.

But at the end of the day, wins are wins. Texas travels to face rival Texas A&M before embarking on a South Carolina-esque stretch of four straight games against ranked teams. One of those is a second meeting this season with those Gamecocks.

LSU (22-1, 7-1 SEC): NET 9, SOS 62

LSU’s 107-100 win over Oklahoma on Thursday marked the first game in SEC conference play history that two teams each reached the century mark in regulation. 83 points came from just three Tigers and Mikaylah Williams exploded for a season-high 37.

With just one loss to its name, Kim Mulkey’s team remains lurking should the few teams above them slip up.

*UConn (20-2, 11-0 Big East): NET 2, SOS 32

The matchup at Creighton last Saturday was UConn’s toughest Big East test on paper. While it tightened up a bit toward the end, the Huskies passed the test without much difficulty, leading by as many as 20 points in an 11-point victory.

We’re now less than a week away from UConn’s game at Tennessee, pitting the sport’s two winningest teams against one another. Connecticut leads the all-time series 17-9 and has won four straight. The Vols’ last win in the series came back in 2007.

Ohio State (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten): NET 15, SOS 74

After a pair of Quad-1 wins, Ohio State’s only loss against Penn State looks more like a bad day than anything else.

Now with eight wins in Quads 1 and 2, the Buckeyes are in a pretty secure position. Even with losses against UCLA and USC in the coming weeks, Ohio State shouldn’t fall further than the No. 3 line.

No. 3 seeds

TCU (20-2, 8-1 Big 12): NET 10, SOS 61

Sedona Prince has recorded seven straight 20-point games for the 20-win TCU Horned Frogs. The team’s signature wins against Notre Dame and NC State continue to age better and better for Mark Campbell’s team, which previously has never received better than a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament but is on pace to comfortably earn a hosting spot.

Duke (17-4, 8-1 ACC): NET 8, SOS 3

All four of Duke’s losses this season have come in true road games, but the Blue Devils won 55-50 at a ranked Georgia Tech team on Sunday to put some of those worries to bed.

Another road test is coming against NC State. However, few teams in the country are shutting down opponents like Duke is right now, so it’ll be on the Wolfpack to break through against a stingy Blue Devils defense.

*Kansas State (20-2, 8-1 Big 12): NET 7, SOS 82

A week ago, we asked whether Kansas State could keep rolling without Ayoka Lee. They responded with an upset loss at Colorado and by needing overtime to take care of Iowa State. Both of those teams are currently in the Last Four In, so a 1-1 split is far from the worst outcome. But we’ve now seen cracks in what had been a well-oiled machine.

North Carolina (19-4, 7-3 ACC): NET 12, SOS 29

UNC’s loss to Florida State marked the Tar Heels’ first of the season against an unranked team, but it vaulted the Seminoles up to No. 25 in this week’s AP Poll and to a No. 8 seed in the projected NCAA Tournament field.

North Carolina responded with a win at No. 19 California to preserve its standing on the No. 3 seed line.

No. 4 seeds

Kentucky (18-2, 7-1 SEC): NET 20, SOS 66

With its win against Alabama on Thursday, Kentucky picked up an important second Quad-1 victory to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume. The Wildcats will have six more Quad-1 opportunities over the remainder of the regular season, including shots at the SEC’s top class of South Carolina, Texas and LSU.

Any of those wins would be massive in helping Kentucky stay in Lexington for the first weekend of March Madness.

Maryland (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten): NET 24, SOS 7

There’s no doubt it’s been a difficult patch for the Terrapins, who’ve gone from 14-0 to now 17-4. But each of those losses has come against a team currently projected as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

We’ve learned that Maryland isn’t in that elite group, but this is still a team with a strong overall resume and a healthy spot in that next tier of programs.

Oklahoma State (18-3, 8-2 Big 12): NET 27, SOS 78

The Cowgirls are one of this week’s big winners. Victories over Texas Tech and Arizona State won’t do a ton to move the needle, but Oklahoma State was the beneficiary of losses by teams like Alabama, Oklahoma and California, paving the way for a No. 4 seed in this update.

NC State (17-4, 9-1 ACC): NET 23, SOS 31

Monday’s showdown between NC State and Duke pits the ACC’s only one-loss teams against each other. Currently sitting in second and third in the conference behind Notre Dame, it’s not too early to be thinking about conference tournament seeding.

NC State enters the matchup having won 13 of its last 14 games. The Wolfpack have also won five of the last seven home meetings against the Blue Devils.

No. 5 seeds

Alabama (17-5, 4-4 SEC): NET 19, SOS 15

Oklahoma (16-5, 4-4 SEC): NET 16, SOS 9

California (18-4, 6-3 ACC): NET 38, SOS 44

Michigan State (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten): NET 17, SOS 36

No. 6 seeds

Tennessee (15-5, 3-5 SEC): NET 11, SOS 8

Utah (15-5, 6-3 Big 12): NET 26, SOS 20

Vanderbilt (18-4, 5-3 SEC): NET 18, SOS 45

Creighton (17-4, 9-1 Big East): NET 32, SOS 56

No. 7 seeds

Georgia Tech (17-4, 5-4 ACC): NET 21, SOS 46

Nebraska (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten): NET 35, SOS 23

Ole Miss (14-6, 5-3 SEC): NET 13, SOS 14

Baylor (17-5, 7-2 Big 12): NET 25, SOS 63

No. 8 seeds

Florida State (17-4, 7-2 ACC): NET 22, SOS 64

Indiana (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten): NET 39, SOS 10

Oregon (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten): NET 33, SOS 24

West Virginia (16-4, 6-3 Big 12): NET 14, SOS 90

No. 9 seeds

Mississippi State (16-6, 3-5 SEC): NET 34, SOS 30

Iowa (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten): NET 37, SOS 33

Louisville (15-6, 8-2 ACC): NET 41, SOS 21

*South Dakota State (18-3, 8-0 Summit): NET 42, SOS 69

No. 10 seeds

Illinois (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten): NET 36, SOS 49

Michigan (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten): NET 30, SOS 16

*Richmond (17-5, 8-1 Atlantic 10): NET 29, SOS 75

*Harvard (15-2, 4-1 Ivy): NET 31, SOS 188

No. 11 seeds

Minnesota (18-4, 6-4 Big Ten): NET 28, SOS 86

Iowa State (15-8, 6-4 Big 12): NET 40, SOS 25

Colorado (14-6, 5-4 Big 12): NET 61, SOS 50

Princeton (13-5, 4-1 Ivy): NET 47, SOS 91

Columbia (14-4, 5-0 Ivy): NET 46, SOS 95

*Ball State (17-4, 9-0 MAC): NET 54, SOS 110

No. 12 seeds

*James Madison (18-4, 10-0 Sun Belt): NET 52, SOS 88

*UNLV (16-5, 8-1 MWC): NET 48, SOS 149

*Fairfield (16-3, 10-0 MAAC): NET 43, SOS 189

*Murray State (14-4, 8-1 MVC): NET 51, SOS 121

No. 13 seeds

*Montana State (19-2, 9-0 Big Sky): NET 63, SOS 215

*Middle Tennessee (15-6, 7-1 CUSA): NET 53, SOS 97

*South Florida (14-8, 7-2 AAC): NET 65, SOS 51

*Grand Canyon (14-8, 9-2 WCC): NET 66, SOS 233

No. 14 seeds

*Florida Gulf Coast (18-3, 9-0 ASUN): NET 62, SOS 302

*Portland (20-2, 7-0 WAC): NET 72, SOS 346

*Southeast Louisiana (17-3, 11-0 Southland): NET 88, SOS 274

*Norfolk State (18-4, 5-0 MEAC): NET 102, SOS 129

No. 15 seeds

*Purdue Fort Wayne (17-5, 12-0 Horizon): NET 96, SOS 295

*Lehigh (17-4, 8-1 Patriot): NET 94, SOS 308

*Albany (17-4, 7-1 America East): NET 111, SOS 267

*Hawai’i (14-6, 8-2 Big West): NET 134, SOS 238

No. 16 seeds

*Eastern Illinois (13-7, 10-1 OVC): NET 164, SOS 103

*Fairleigh Dickinson (16-3, 6-0 NEC): NET 170, SOS 247

*Wofford (14-5, 6-0 SoCon): NET 132, SOS 77

*North Carolina A&T (11-8, 7-1 CAA): NET 150, SOS 214

*Alabama A&M (13-7, 6-2 SWAC): NET 211, SOS 220

*Longwood (16-6, 7-1 Big South): NET 226, SOS 355

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