For the third time this season, USC women's basketball team reached into the Top 25 on Monday.
The Gamecocks (21-8, 10-6) were voted 25th after splitting games last week -- a loss at No. 10 Kentucky, which won the SEC regular-season title, and a win against Arkansas on Sunday.
South Carolina is the No. 6 seed in the SEC tournament and will face No. 11 Alabama at 10 p.m. Thursday in Nashville. The winner plays the third-seed Georgia at 10 p.m. Friday.
No matter what happens in the SEC tournament the Gamecocks appear to have locked its first NCAA tournament appearance in nine seasons.
USC's 21 victories -- including a win at No. 13 Tennessee, tying for the fourth-best record in the league and a top-35 RPI ranking should land the Gamecocks in the 64-team field.
AP Top 25
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Baylor (40) | 29-0 | 1,000 | 1 |
| 2. Stanford | 26-1 | 946 | 2 |
| 3. Notre Dame | 27-2 | 927 | 3 |
| 4. UConn | 26-3 | 887 | 4 |
| 5. Duke | 24-4 | 813 | 7 |
| 6. Maryland | 25-4 | 808 | 6 |
| 7. Miami | 25-4 | 757 | 5 |
| 8. Delaware | 26-1 | 688 | 9 |
| 9. Penn St. | 23-5 | 658 | 11 |
| 10. Kentucky | 24-5 | 624 | 13 |
| 11. Green Bay | 25-1 | 597 | 12 |
| 12. Georgetown | 22-6 | 521 | 15 |
| 13. Tennessee | 21-8 | 505 | 10 |
| 14. Ohio St. | 24-5 | 485 | 8 |
| 15. Georgia Tech | 22-7 | 367 | 17 |
| 16. Georgia | 22-7 | 355 | 18 |
| 17. Texas A&M | 20-7 | 351 | 14 |
| 18. St. John's | 20-8 | 306 | 20 |
| 19. St. Bonaventure | 27-2 | 294 | 19 |
| 20. Louisville | 20-8 | 291 | 16 |
| 21. Purdue | 21-8 | 227 | 22 |
| 22. Gonzaga | 25-4 | 124 | 25 |
| 23. Rutgers | 20-8 | 120 | 24 |
| 24. Nebraska | 21-7 | 102 | 23 |
| 25. South Carolina | 21-8 | 46 | — |
Others receiving votes: Princeton 45, Arkansas 36, DePaul 34, California 25, West Virginia 25, Middle Tennessee 15, Florida Gulf Coast 8, Vanderbilt 6, Iowa 3, Fresno St. 2, Oklahoma 2.
Staley’s Gamecocks top Mississippi State, earn 10th SEC win
