South Carolina Vs Kentucky regular-season finale set for Sunday
South carolina vs kentucky arrives as No. 3/3 South Carolina closes out the regular season on Sun., Mar. 1, with a 2 p. m. ET tipoff at No. 16/18 Kentucky that will stream on SECN+. The Gamecocks carry a five-game winning streak in the series and a long edge in the all-time matchup.
South Carolina Vs Kentucky — what the matchup brings
The Gamecocks enter the game with a rare interior profile: they are second in the country with 47. 3 points in the paint per game, 42. 1 in SEC play and 42. 0 against ranked opponents, and they shoot 62. 0 percent in the paint while holding opponents to 42. 1 percent in that area. South Carolina’s offensive work inside has been a central feature of recent wins in the Kentucky series, which the Gamecocks lead 42-35 all-time and 26-11 in the Dawn Staley era.
Defense, ball handling and scoring balance
South Carolina’s defense is a clear concrete anchor: the team ranks second in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense at. 337, and ranked opponents have hit just 39. 1 percent from the field while averaging 64. 7 points against the Gamecocks. Point guards Raven Johnson and Maddy McDaniel sit atop the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio in league play, with McDaniel at 3. 2 and Johnson at 3. 1; Raven Johnson’s season averages are 10. 0 points and 5. 4 assists per game, rising to 11. 4 points and 5. 8 assists against ranked teams.
Players to note and recent form
Individual efficiency underpins South Carolina’s attack. Joyce Edwards is shooting. 599 and Madina Okot. 594, while Ta’Niya Latson leads the Gamecock guards at 49. 8 percent, seventh in the SEC. Tessa Johnson leads the team with 1. 1 points per possession and an SEC-best 45. 5 percent from 3-point range, which ranks ninth nationally. Madina Okot has 19 double-doubles on the season, third in the nation, including an NCAA-best six against ranked opponents. Over the last five games — four against ranked opponents — South Carolina’s trio of freshmen averaged 12. 4 points and 5. 8 rebounds while each logging at least 12. 4 minutes per game.
Series history and the last meeting
South Carolina has dominated recent meetings with Kentucky, winning the last five and 11 of the last 12. The teams last met on Mar. 2, 2025, in Columbia when then-No. 6 South Carolina defeated then-No. 15 Kentucky 78-66; Tessa Johnson led the offense with 16 points as the Gamecocks built a nine-point halftime lead behind 55. 9 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes and held the Wildcats in the second half.
The regular-season finale will be decided on Sun., Mar. 1, with a 2 p. m. ET tipoff at Kentucky and a live stream on SECN+. For South Carolina, the outcome will close the regular season; for Kentucky, it will finish their slate against a top-three opponent.
