The Game
No. 25/21 South Dakota travels to No. 5/6 South Carolina with tip-off set for 11 a.m. (CST) Sunday inside Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
 
The Coyotes
No. 25/21 South Dakota (11-1) entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Monday after being ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll for three weeks. After a statistically impressive five-game stretch where the Coyotes were outscoring opponents by an average of 40 points, South Dakota moved into the NCAA's top-10 for scoring offense, field-goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and assists. Senior guard Ciara Duffy, who tied her season high of 23 points with five 3-pointers against Montana, took the top spot in the NCAA this week for 3-point field goal percentage (54.0). Junior center Hannah Sjerven recorded her second five-block performance in that game to move to 15th in the country for blocked shots.
 
The Gamecocks
No. 5/6 South Carolina (11-1) has become a perennial NCAA Tournament program under head coach Dawn Staley, with eight NCAA Tournament appearances in her first 11 years. The Gamecocks were the 2017 NCAA Champions. South Carolina adds espnW's No. 1 freshman class to last year's Sweet 16 team. The Gamecocks' most notable win of the season to date was a 74-59 upset over then-No. 2 Baylor to win the Paradise Jam in November. The Gamecocks lead the nation in blocked shots (9.0), sit second in field-goal percentage defense (teams are shooting 29.8 percent against them) and third in rebounds (47.6). South Carolina features a balanced offense and a staunchy defense that held its first 12 opponents to an average of 52 points per game.
 
The Series
South Dakota and South Carolina will meet for the first time. The Coyotes are 2-2 all-time against the SEC with both wins coming against Missouri. All four SEC games were played during head coach Dawn Plitzuweit's tenure.
 
One Last Thing
This will mark the second time South Dakota will face a top-five team in program history with the first coming in the 2014 NCAA Tournament against Stanford. The highest ranked opponent USD has ranked in the regular season was No. 11 North Carolina in 2008-09. South Dakota's first-ever wins over AP Top 25 opponents came a year ago versus Iowa State and at Missouri.