The South Carolina women's basketball team put their undefeated record to the test on Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals against Tennessee women's basketball. The Gamecocks were expected to win big as they came into the contest favored by 17.5 points. This one came right down to the wire, however, and it ended with pure chaos.
Tennessee was 19-11 overall on the season and 10-6 in SEC play. With the NCAA Tournament looming, a win over the number one team in the nation would've been massive. It also would've put them into the SEC final with a chance at an automatic qualifier. It looked like the Volunteers had the game won, but South Carolina women's basketball had other plans.
The Volunteers were up by two with one second left on the clock, and South Carolina was inbounding near half court. The ball ended up in the hands of Kamilla Cardoso who was left wide open for some reason, and she made Tennessee pay by making her first three of the season to keep the Gamecocks' perfect season alive.
Pure. Chaos. South Carolina fans and college basketball fans around the country have been going crazy over Cardoso's clutch shot.
The defensive strategy from Tennessee on this play needs to be studied in a lab. Yes, Kamilla Cardoso had zero threes on the year, but you simply can't leave someone wide open in that situation.
Obviously this was a massive moment for South Carolina to save their perfect season, but most people are focused on the bizarre defense.
The defense was so poor that it makes you wonder if Tennessee even wanted to win this basketball game.
Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper is going to have to answer some questions about what she was thinking when she set up her defense for this play.
What a finish and what a win for South Carolina women's basketball. They are now moving onto the SEC Tournament final with a chance to head into the big dance with a perfect resume. LSU and Ole Miss are currently battling it out in the other semi, and the winner of that game will move on to take on the Gamecocks on Sunday.