The current debate over whether UCLA or South Carolina deserves to be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament was actually settled back in November.
When UCLA beat South Carolina. Handily.
UCLA and South Carolina will be top seeds when the 68-team field is announced Sunday night, and there’s little question one of them will be the overall No. 1. They won the tournaments of the two toughest conferences in the country and are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in both the USA TODAY and Associated Press polls this week.
But only one of them can be the overall No. 1, and head-to-head matchups have to carry weight if you want the regular season to matter. When teams are this evenly matched — UCLA has one fewer loss, though has played one fewer game, and South Carolina is two spots higher in NET rankings — a previous game ought to be the deciding factor.
In making the case for her team after beating Texas for the SEC tournament title Sunday, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley pointed to the strength of the conference and the Gamecocks’ schedule, saying, ‘When you win this tournament, and you play the schedule that we played, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed.”
It’s true South Carolina played the toughest schedule in the country, facing UCLA, UConn, N.C. State, Duke and TCU, as well as the meat grinder that is the SEC. It’s also true the Gamecocks’ 16 Quad 1 wins are more than any other team. (Quad 1 games are home games against teams with a top-30 RPI, neutral-site games against top-50 teams and away games against top-75 teams.)
But the Big Ten was the toughest conference in both RPI and strength of schedule this season, and UCLA made it through unscathed with the exception of two losses to crosstown rival USC. Those also were the Bruins’ only losses of the season.
That UCLA bounced back and beat USC in the Big Ten tournament title game — after falling behind by 13 early in the third quarter, no less — was enough to convince Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
‘I thought whoever won this game should probably be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament,’ Gottlieb said.
She later added, ‘With the depth of talent in the league, … we’ve faced NCAA tournament-caliber teams night in and night out, all of whom have different styles.’
The strongest argument for UCLA, however, remains its 77-62 win over then-No. 1 South Carolina back in late November.
UCLA led wire to wire, coming out hot and building a 21-point lead at halftime. The Bruins shot close to 50% from the floor — 47.46%, to be exact — and had five players in double figures. One of them was Lauren Betts, who also had 14 rebounds, four blocks and four assists to go with her 11 points.
Defensively, UCLA held South Carolina to its second-fewest points of the year. It limited the Gamecocks to 36% shooting, also its second-lowest of the year. The Bruins outrebounded the Gamecocks, 41-34, and had eight steals.
‘They had it going on on both sides of the basketball,’ Staley said after that game. ‘Our kids fought, but we ran into a buzzsaw today.”
The loss came in only the sixth game of the season for South Carolina, and the Gamecocks are a much different team today. MiLaysia Fulwiley used her benching during the UCLA game to become one of South Carolina’s best, and most dependable, players. Chloe Kitts is now a force of nature and Joyce Edwards is no longer a newcomer.
But there was nothing about the loss that merits it being given an asterisk in the comparison between UCLA and South Carolina. No key players were missing — just the opposite, because Ashlyn Watkins hadn’t gotten hurt yet — and nobody was in serious foul trouble.
UCLA was just better.
That loss mattered then, ending South Carolina’s 43-game winning streak and costing the Gamecocks their No. 1 ranking. It ought to matter now, too.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.