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No. 1 South Carolina (32-3) and No. 4 Maryland (25-7) clash in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The defending champion Gamecocks beat No. 9 Indiana 64-53 in the second round to set up a last-16 meeting with the Terrapins, who edged No. 5 Alabama in double overtime 111-108.
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The winner moves to the Elite Eight and faces the victor of the Duke-North Carolina Sweet 16 showdown.
South Carolina vs Maryland prediction
South Carolina started the season with five straight wins before losing to UCLA — its first loss since the 2023 Final Four. The Gamecocks regained their bearings immediately, winning 17 straight with notable wins against Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, Duke and TCU.
The Dawn Staley-coached team then stumbled in the next three games, losing two of three to the Longhorns and UConn. They immediately regrouped once more, winning their next seven games, including a 19-point SEC Tournament final victory over Texas, securing a conference regular-season/tournament double.
Freshman forward Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks' offense with averages of 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while playing off the bench. Another Gamecock thriving off the bench is sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who has tallied 11.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.6 spg despite playing an average of 19.1 minutes each outing.
Chloe Kitts is the third player averaging in double figures for South Carolina at 10.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 2.1 apg, while the trio of Te-Hina Paopao, Tessa Johnson and Sania Feagin provide additional offensive support for South Carolina, combining for 26.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 6.6 apg.
Meanwhile, Maryland opened the regular season with 14 straight wins before stumbling to a 3-5 record in the next eight games as they faced a stretch of strong foes in USC, Texas, Ohio State, UCLA and Illinois. They concluded their Big Ten campaign winning six of their last eight games to secure an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
The Terrapins will rely on the offense of Kaylene Smikle and Shyanne Sellers. Smikle and Sellers combine for 32.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.7 apg and 2.4 spg and will serve as a problem for South Carolina defenders as they can shoot from three levels.
Saylor Poffenbarger and Christina Dalce are Maryland's lead rebounders, averaging 14.9 boards each outing aside from scoring 17.7 ppg.
Per ESPN Bet Sportsbook, the Gamecocks open as 17.5-point favorites with the total set at 149.5. Underdog Maryland has a moneyline of +1300 while South Carolina is given -4000 moneyline as the favorite in the Sweet 16 encounter.
Prediction: South Carolina Gamecocks 83, Maryland Terrapins 66.
South Carolina vs Maryland odds
South Carolina vs Maryland head-to-head
South Carolina and Maryland have met eight times with the Gamecocks leading 6-2 all-time, including a 5-1 mark in the Dawn Staley era. South Carolina blitzed Maryland 114-76 in their last meeting in the 2023-24 season in Columbia.
How to watch South Carolina vs Maryland?
The South Carolina-Maryland Sweet 16 encounter will tip off at 5:00 p.m. ET at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. ESPN will broadcast the game on live television while Fubo will provide the livestream content for Internet users.
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