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After its Round of 64 win over No. 8 Utah, No. 9 Indiana advances to the Round of 32 to meet a familiar foe, No. 1 South Carolina.

The Hoosiers fell in last year's NCAA Tournament to the Gamecocks, with South Carolina also being a No. 1 seed, but they met in the Sweet 16, meaning it was a neutral-site game as opposed to this year's contest, which will be played at South Carolina's home arena.

Similar to last season, South Carolina is a juggernaut, as Dawn Staley and her team have only lost three games all season, meaning IU certainly has its work cut out for it.

South Carolina operates with a very interesting rotation, as nine players average over 19 minutes per game, but none average more than 25. Meanwhile, six players average at least eight points per game, while none even average 13.5 points a night.

Teri Moren's squad has been resilient, winning a tournament game for the sixth straight time in its first-round game against Utah. The victory over the Utes also gave Indiana 20 wins for the 10th straight season.

While Utah was no cupcake, facing the Gamecocks will be a much tougher task, as South Carolina averages 81.3 points per game, good for 10th in the country, and allows 57.5, ranking 38th nationally. For reference, Indiana scored 70.3 points per game, 88th in the country, while allowing 64.1 points per game, 168th in the nation.

Indiana finished 35th in the NCAA’s NET ranking, while Utah ranked second, making South Carolina the favorite, especially at home. This doesn't mean you should count out the Hoosiers, though, as anything can happen in tournament play.

With all that being said, here’s a preview of the challenge South Carolina will present to Indiana in the Round of 32 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Who: No. 1 South Carolina (31-3, 17-1 SEC) at Indiana (20-12, 10-8 Big Ten)

Series History: South Carolina leads 4-2 (Last meeting SC won 79-72 in 2024 Sweet 16)

When: Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC

TV: ABC: Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck

Radio: IU Radio Network: Austin Render

Here's a look at the updated bracket in Regional 2-Birmingham after Friday's action. Both South Carolina and Indiana advanced to face each other in the second round, while the games played in College Park, Maryland, will tip off on Saturday.

The winner of the Hoosiers' and Gamecocks' matchup will face the team that wins in Maryland. Indiana could potentially play an in-conference foe, Maryland, while South Carolina could do the same if Alabama advances to the Sweet 16.

The Gamecocks have made the Sweet 16 in 10 straight tournaments, while Indiana has advanced that far in two of the last three years. South Carolina will look to reach the second weekend once again as the bracket begins to take shape, with the regional set to be played in Birmingham.

Dawn Staley is one of the biggest, and most decorated names in women's basketball history. First as a player, and then as a coach, she's succeeded at every level, but she's also well known for coaching college basketball at the same time she was playing professionally.

Staley played her college ball at Virginia and was won awards at every turn. She was ACC Rookie of the Year in 1989, First Team All-ACC three times and was the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1991.

Her success in college led her to have a professional career as well, first playing in France, but then coming back to the U.S. in 1995 to play for the Philadelphia rage of the ABL, a precursor of the WNBA. After two years in the ABL, she made the jump to the WNBA in 1999, two years after the WNBA was founded. She was drafted by the Charlotte Sting as the 9th overall pick and spent seven seasons in Charlotte,

Staley was traded from Charlotte to the Houston Comets during the 2005 season, where she finished out the 2005 campaign, and then retired She was a WNBA All-Star six times and was a very solid player during the league's early years, but what's most notable about her career was that for every season except her rookie year, she coached college basketball while playing in the WNBA.

She got her first job with her hometown Temple Owls in 2000, and while many believed that she couldn't play and coach at the same time (the seasons didn't overlap though) she succeeded and made four times in her eight seasons with the Owls.

In 2008, two years after retiring from the WNBA, she was hired by South Carolina. she's turned the Gamecocks' program into one of the best in college hoops, winning the 2017,2022 and 2024 NCAA Tournament titles, but she's taken SC to ten straight Sweet 16s and has won nine titles each in the SEC tournament and regular season.

With her previous skills as a player and coach, and her continued success with South Carolina, coaching is an area that the Gamecocks excel in each and every year.

South Carolina has had phenomenal season after phenomenal season under Dawn Staley, and the 2024-25 campaign has been no different. The Gamecocks wrapped up their regular season at 27-3 and shared the SEC title with Texas.

South Carolina started 5-0 with a great win over then-No. 9 NC State but was tripped up by No. 5 UCLA on the road, taking a respectable loss in a high-profile nonconference game.

After their first loss, the Gamecocks won 17 straight, with several of those being big-time wins. South Carolina defeated No. 15 Iowa State, No. 8 Duke, No. 9 TCU, No. 5 Texas, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 13 Alabama, No. 5 LSU, and No. 18 Tennessee.

During this stretch, the Gamecocks looked like the best team in the country, despite strong seasons from teams like UCLA and USC. Winning 17 straight against such a grueling schedule was impressive, but they began to slip up after that.

South Carolina lost two of its next three games, falling at No. 4 Texas and suffering a blowout loss at home against No. 7 UConn. This was when the Gamecocks appeared vulnerable, but they responded once more, closing out the regular season with four straight wins—just enough to claim a share of the SEC title.

After winning a literal coin flip to secure the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks won three straight games to take home the championship, defeating Texas by 19 in the final.

This earned South Carolina a 30-3 record before the NCAA Tournament began, where the Gamecocks were placed as a No. 1 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region. South Carolina beat Tennessee Tech in the first round, setting up Staley and company for their battle with the Hoosiers.

Forward Joyce Edwards: A 6-foot-3 freshman, Edwards leads South Carolina in scoring and has impressed in her first season of college basketball. She was the No. 3 prospect in the class of 2024 and is a WNBA draft prospect but has done all her scoring in a bench role. Edwards has started just one of 34 games. It hasn't mattered, though, as she's accepted her role and excelled despite her lack of experience as a freshman. Look for her to try to dominate in the post while attempting to get Striplin and Meister in foul trouble.

Guard MiLaysia Fulwiley: A 5-foot-10 sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina, Fulwiley is another Gamecock who doesn’t start but is their second-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game. She is part of an incredibly deep guard group for South Carolina and serves as the floor general at times but can also score at will. With how South Carolina plays, she’s a perfect fit to enter off the bench and put pressure on Indiana’s guards, particularly on the defensive end. She’s certainly someone who can get hot at any time, as she has been solid in her role whenever she’s in the game.

Guard Te-Hina Paopao: A 5-foot-9 fifth-year senior, Paopao brings a ton of experience and is the leader of this South Carolina team. She played with Sydney Parrish at Oregon in 2021 and 2022 before transferring, like Parrish, but to South Carolina. Paopao averages 9.7 points per game and leads South Carolina with three assists and 24.9 minutes per game. That may not seem like a lot, but with a rotation that goes nine players deep, she has been rock solid as a starter and productive at every turn. Look for her to be pesky against Indiana’s guards, but it will be interesting to see how her experience matches up against Indiana’s experienced players in Parrish and Moore-McNeil.

Can the Hoosiers avenge last year’s loss to South Carolina?

The biggest storyline, of course, is that these two teams met in the Sweet 16 last season, with South Carolina winning a close one in Albany, New York. The Gamecocks went on to win the national championship, making it an even tougher loss for Indiana. Being that close to the eventual champion likely made the defeat sting even more. Indiana lost two key players, while South Carolina returned some veterans and retooled with others, earning another No. 1 seed. The circumstances are different this year, especially with South Carolina hosting and once again being one of the most dominant teams in the country. However, with both sides remembering how last year’s matchup played out, expect this one to be tightly contested.

How will IU deal with South Carolina’s unique rotation?

South Carolina has an incredibly deep roster and uses a rotation style that differs from most teams across the country. Nine Gamecocks consistently get solid minutes, as Dawn Staley plays all nine at least 19 minutes per game, with no player averaging more than 25 minutes on the season. This is far different from how other top teams operate, as South Carolina lacks a single go-to star but makes up for it with depth. That might make things even more difficult for the Hoosiers. When facing a team with a clear star, defensive preparation can focus on shutting her down. Against South Carolina, however, any player can get hot and disrupt Indiana’s entire game plan.

How big of a factor will the home crowd be?...

One of the key differences between the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments is that the first and second rounds are played at campus sites in the women’s bracket, giving No. 1 seeds like South Carolina a distinct advantage. IU’s opening game against Utah was at a neutral site, but when the Hoosiers take on the Gamecocks, playing on the road could be a major challenge. Indiana has been inconsistent on the road all season, securing impressive wins at Iowa and Washington but also suffering losses at Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, and Minnesota down the stretch. Colonial Life Arena is known for hosting some of the best crowds in women’s college basketball, and it could play a big role in this Round of 32 matchup between Indiana and South Carolina.

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