# 2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

The 2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by thirteenth-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the season 26–5 (14–2 SEC), won the SEC tournament, and won a bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Final Four and lost to Stanford.

## Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season with a 32–1 overall record and a 16–0 record in conference play. The Gamecocks won the SEC tournament. The Gamecocks therefore received an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, however the tournament was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were de facto named mythical national championship by finishing first in the major wire service polls, the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. On December 31, 2020, during the Florida game, the program raised a banner to recognise the claim.

## Offseason
### Departures

South Carolina Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Mikiah Herbert Harrigan | 21 | F | 6'2" | Senior | Pembroke Pines, FL | Graduated; Drafted sixth overall by the Minnesota Lynx. |
| Tyasha Harris | 52 | G | 5'10" | Senior | Noblesville, IN | Graduated; Drafted seventh overall by the Dallas Wings. |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Eniya Russell PG | Baltimore, MD | St. Vincent Pallotti High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

## Preseason
### SEC Media Poll

The SEC media poll was released on November 17, 2020 with the Gamecocks selected to finish in first place in the SEC.
SEC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | South Carolina |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Texas A&M |
| 4 | Arkansas |
| 5 | Mississippi State |
| 6 | Tennessee |
| 7 | LSU |
| 8 | Alabama |
| 9 | Georgia |
| 10 | Missouri |
| 11 | Ole Miss |
| 12 | Florida |
| 13 | Vanderbilt |
| 14 | Auburn |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Gamecocks had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* Noon, SECN+ | No. 1 | College of Charleston | W 119–38 | 1–0 | 19 – Saxton | 12 – Tied | 4 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC |
| November 28, 2020* 3:30 pm, FloHoops | No. 1 | vs. South Dakota Crossover Classic | W 81–71 | 2–0 | 19 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 4 – Boston | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 29, 2020* 3:30 pm | No. 1 | vs. Oklahoma Crossover Classic | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 29, 2020* 3:30 pm | No. 1 | vs. No. 21 Gonzaga Crossover Classic | W 79–72 | 3–0 | 23 – Henderson | 7 – Beal | 4 – Cooke | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 3, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | No. 8 NC State Jimmy V Classic | L 46–54 | 3–1 | 11 – Tied | 15 – Amihere | 6 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC |
| December 6, 2020* 12:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 1 | at No. 23 Iowa State Big 12/SEC Women's Challenge | W 83–65 | 4–1 | 19 – Cooke | 15 – Boston | 7 – Henderson | Hilton Coliseum (864) Ames, IA |
| December 17, 2020* 8:00 pm | No. 5 | Temple | W 103–41 | 5–1 | 23 – Cooke | 9 – Boston | 7 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| December 31, 2021 | No. 5 | Florida | W 75–59 | 6–1 (1–0) | 28 – Boston | 16 – Boston | 5 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| January 4, 2021 5:00 pm | No. 5 | at Alabama | W 77–60 | 7–1 (2–0) | 20 – Henderson | 10 – Tied | 5 – Henderson | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 10, 2021 | No. 5 | at No. 10 Kentucky | W 75–70 | 8–1 (3–0) | 22 – Henderson | 12 – Boston | 3 – Henderson | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY |
| January 14, 2021 8:00 pm | No. 5 | at Vanderbilt | W 106–43 | 9–1 (4–0) | 20 – Saxton | 12 – Grissett | 9 – Henderson | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN |
| January 18, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | No. 17 Arkansas | W 104–82 | 10–1 (5–0) | 26 – Boston | 16 – Boston | 10 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| January 21, 2021 6:30 pm, SECN | No. 4 | No. 22 Georgia | W 62–50 | 11–1 (6–0) | 16 – Tied | 11 – Tied | 3 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| January 24, 2021 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 4 | at LSU | W 69–65 | 12–1 (7–0) | 20 – Boston | 14 – Boston | 8 – Henderson | Pete Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 28, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 21 Mississippi State | W 75–52 | 13–1 (8–0) | 19 – Cooke | 12 – Boston | 3 – Cooke | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| January 31, 2021 3:00 pm, SECN | No. 4 | Alabama | W 87–63 | 14–1 (9–0) | 21 – Cooke | 13 – Boston | 6 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| February 4, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 2 | at Auburn | W 77–58 | 15–1 (10–0) | 17 – Cooke | 9 – Amihere | 9 – Henderson | Auburn Arena Auburn, AL |
| February 8, 2021* 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 1 | at No. 2 UConn | L 59–63 $^{OT}$ | 15–2 | 17 – Boston | 15 – Boston | 3 – Tied | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| February 11, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 1 | Missouri | W 77–62 | 16–2 (11–0) | 15 – Cooke | 12 – Boston | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| February 14, 2021 Noon, SECN | No. 1 | LSU | W 66–59 | 17–2 (12–0) | 19 – Henderson | 13 – Boston | 4 – Cooke | Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC |
| February 18, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 2 | at No. 21 Tennessee | L 67–75 | 17–3 (12–1) | 17 – Boston | 16 – Boston | 6 – Henderson | Thompson–Boling Arena (2,512) Knoxville, TN |
| February 21, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | No. 17 Kentucky | W 76–55 | 18–3 (13–1) | 21 – Cooke | 13 – Amihere | 3 – Boston | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| February 25, 2021 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 5 | Ole Miss | W 68–43 | 19–3 (14–1) | 17 – Cooke | 11 – Boston | 4 – Henderson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| February 28, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 5 | at No. 3 Texas A&M | L 57–65 | 19–4 (14–2) | 15 – Tied | 11 – Boston | 6 – Henderson | Reed Arena College Station, TX |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 5, 2021 5:00 pm, SECN | (2) No. 7 | vs. (7) Alabama Quarterfinals | W 75–63 | 20–4 | 22 – Cooke | 13 – Boston | 5 – Henderson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC |
| March 6, 2021 8:30 pm, ESPNU | (2) No. 7 | vs. (3) No. 13 Tennessee Semifinals | W 67–52 | 21–4 | 22 – Cooke | 13 – Boston | 5 – Henderson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (2,662) Greenville, SC |
| March 7, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2) No. 7 | vs. (4) No. 16 Georgia Championship | W 67–62 | 22–4 | 27 – Boston | 10 – Boston | 3 – Henderson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN | (1 H) No. 6 | vs. (16 H) Mercer First Round | W 79–53 | 23–4 | 20 – Tied | 18 – Boston | 4 – Henderson | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| March 23, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN | (1 H) No. 6 | vs. (8 H) Oregon State Second Round | W 59–42 | 24–4 | 19 – Boston | 11 – Beal | 2 – Tied | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| March 27, 2021* 1:00 pm, ABC | (1 H) No. 6 | vs. (5 H) Georgia Tech Sweet Sixteen | W 76–65 | 25–4 | 17 – Cooke | 7 – Amihere | 7 – Henderson | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| March 30, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN | (1 H) No. 6 | vs. (6 H) Texas Elite Eight | W 62–34 | 26–4 | 16 – Cooke | 8 – Tied | 7 – Henderson | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| April 2, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN | (1 H) No. 6 | vs. (1 A) No. 2 Stanford Final Four | L 65–66 | 26–5 | 25 – Cooke | 16 – Boston | 3 – Henderson | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. H=HemisFair A=Alamo. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||