BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Defending national champion South Carolina is the pick to win the Southeastern Conference women's basketball championship.
Dawn Staley's Gamecocks return four starters from last season's undefeated team and have a highly rated recruiting class. The picks released by the SEC on Monday were made by a panel of league and national media members.
South Carolina was followed by Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
USC begins its title defense with a game against Michigan on November 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Three players tied for preseason player of the year. LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow along with Texas’ Madison Booker all received eight points. Five other players received votes.
Joining Johnson, Morrow and Booker on the All-SEC first team are Alabama's Sarah Ashlee Barker, Kentucky's Georgia Amoore, Oklahoma's Raegan Beers and South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao. USC's Raven Johnson and Milaysia Fulwiley were named to the second team.
Last April, USC defeated Iowa 87-75 in the national championship game to win their third title in program history. The Gamecocks became the first women's team to go undefeated since UConn in 2016 and just the 10th team to go through an unblemished season, including the 2022-23 season, when they went undefeated until the Final Four. USC is 74-1 over the last two seasons. When you add their last title run in 2022, they're 108-3 in three seasons. The Gamecocks are undefeated in championship games, going 3-0.
Last season, the Gamecocks led the nation in scoring defense, margin, and blocked shots per game.
In September, the Gamecocks visited the White House where they were honored by President Joe Biden.
