OPINION: Three Teams South Carolina WBB Doesn't Want To Face In NCAA Tournament

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We’re officially less than one month away from the start of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. While Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks will likely earn the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, as we all saw last year, you can no longer assume that one team can steamroll their way to a title. Who could be the biggest challengers for Carolina this coming March?

Stanford

The Gamecocks have faced off against Tara VanDerveer and the Cardinals in each of the past three seasons, with each game being decided by five points or less. Not only does Stanford have deep, intimate knowledge of how South Carolina likes to play under Dawn Staley, but they also have a legit superstar frontcourt player in Cameron Brink, who’s surrounded by complimentary pieces and would be a formidable challenge for Kamilla Cardoso because she can stretch the floor out to the three-point line. Should the two elite powers square off, it would likely be in the Final Four or national title game, which would only put more pressure on the Gamecocks.

Texas

The Longhorns are listed here partly because their head coach, Vic Schafer, much like VanDerveer, has had battles with Dawn that date back to his time at Mississippi State. Since moving to The Lone Star State, Schafer has made Texas a force to be reckoned with once again in women’s college basketball. While not stacked with perimeter shooters, the Longhorns have depth, both in terms of players who can score and reliable contributors in their frontcourt, led by Taylor Jones, who’s averaging 14 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Colorado

This team will come as the biggest surprise on this list, but the Buffalos proved in their first game of the season that no one should overlook them, defeating then-No. 1 LSU 92-78. Colorado runs ‘the Princeton offense,’ which is predicated around attacking space quickly, forcing defenders to remain vigilant at all times and wearing their opponent down from a mental and conditioning standpoint. While not possessing overwhelming size in the frontcourt, their best player is center Aaronette Vonleh, who averages 14.6 and 5.1 rebounds per game and has professional basketball bloodlines.

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