What we know: South Carolina's SEC tournament ends with brawl and multiple ejections

Less than a week ago, we looked at No. 1 South Carolina and proclaimed the Gamecocks a heavy favorite to win the women's basketball national championship. They're still the favorites, but after an eventful SEC tournament, there are some questions.

Top-seeded South Carolina remained undefeated and won its eighth SEC tournament title, beating second-seeded LSU 79-72 in Sunday's final, but it wasn't an easy weekend for the Gamecocks. It began Friday with a closer-than-expected 79-68 victory over No. 9 seed Texas A&M.

On Saturday, it looked like South Carolina would lose its first game this season. The Gamecocks had blown a 23-point lead and trailed fifth-seeded Tennessee by 2 points with 1.1 seconds remaining. But center Kamilla Cardoso hit the first 3-pointer of her college career, saving South Carolina.

That set up Sunday's final showdown against LSU. The Tigers had a scare of their own Saturday, beating Ole Miss but losing guard Last-Tear Poa to a concussion in a scary fall in which he hit his head on the court.

The Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 76-70 in their regular season meeting on January 25. On Sunday, tempers flared in the rematch. With just over 2 minutes remaining, LSU's Flau'jae Johnson intentionally fouled South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley to prevent a breakaway layup. Johnson then shoved South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins, and Cardoso subsequently shoved Johnson to the ground. Both benches were emptied and several players were sent off.

Cardoso, who was ejected for fighting, is expected to be suspended for the Gamecocks' NCAA Tournament opener.

ESPN takes a look at what we just saw in the SEC tournament and whether it affects South Carolina's hopes of winning a third NCAA title.

play

Dawn Staley apologizes for South Carolina-LSU fight

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley apologizes for the fight that broke out with LSU near the end of the SEC title game.

Does South Carolina seem a little more vulnerable now?

Voepel: It's hard not to say that, because the Gamecocks were a Cardoso three-pointer away from their first loss. That came after Texas A&M tied them in the second half of the quarterfinals.

“The 24 turnovers are killer,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said after beating the Aggies. “It didn't shoot us in the foot as hard as it could have, but I will say that if we play like that in the semifinals, that will be our last game here in Greenville.”

It almost was, but for a reason other than turnovers. South Carolina scored just nine against Tennessee, but allowed the Lady Vols to score 50 points in the second half. The Gamecocks also made just 4 of 15 3-pointers against Tennessee, although the last one was a dagger.

“I'm still in shock. I can't believe he did it,” said teammate Raven Johnson, who threw Cardoso the incoming pass.

The way South Carolina responded to its biggest threat this season (Staley calmly called Cardoso's number and she complied) is positive. But the fact that the game came down to that shot has to be a concern for the Gamecocks, considering the huge lead they blew away.

Cream: The SEC tournament opened eyes to South Carolina's vulnerability. A week ago he was talking about taking the Gamecocks on the field. That is no longer the case.

The Gamecocks need to clean up several areas. Turnovers top the list, but South Carolina also shot just 31.4% from 3-point range in the last two games in Greenville. That's well below the 39.8% they shot in the regular season, which ranked third in the country.

play

South Carolina celebrates SEC title win over LSU

South Carolina finishes off a victory over LSU to win the SEC title and remain undefeated on the season.

Are there any concerns about Cardoso going forward?

Voepel: Yes. Not because the Gamecocks don't have her in the first round. As the No. 1 seed, they will almost certainly defeat the No. 16 seed that has to visit Columbia, South Carolina.

The problem is that Cardoso keeps her calm. Understandably, she was upset that Johnson fouled one of her teammates and shoved another. Additionally, there were incidents earlier in the game where Angel Reese appeared to pull Cardoso's hair and was called for an intentional foul when her arm hit Cardoso's face.

But for Cardoso, this follows an incident in which he shoved German Satou Sabally, who plays for the Dallas Wings, during an Olympic qualifying tournament game last month. Sabally was given a technical penalty for taunting Cardoso, which precipitated the push.

In both cases, Cardoso was understandably angry. But now the referees will watch her even more closely, which is difficult when you're often the tallest player (6-foot-7) on the court. The good thing for her is that Staley has a lot of experience helping players channel frustration in a more productive way, and you can be sure that Staley and her staff will continue to work with her.

After the game, Cardoso posted on any inconvenience I may have caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and assure you that I am committed to conducting myself with the utmost respect and sportsmanship in the future.”

Did anything more concerning stand out about South Carolina in the SEC tournament?

Voepel: Let's not overreact; The Gamecocks have dominated the league tournament for most of the last decade and will return home with the trophy. But there were aspects of every game in Greenville — whether it was turnovers, defensive breakdowns or rebounds — that Staley wasn't happy with.

Still, look at what happened in the four Power 5 tournaments that have been completed: South Carolina was the only No. 1 regular-season champion to win.

In the Big Ten, top-seeded Ohio State lost in the quarterfinals to Maryland, and second-seeded Iowa won the title, although the Hawkeyes had to rally to beat Nebraska in overtime.

In the ACC, No. 1 seed Virginia Tech was without injured star center Elizabeth Kitley and lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Notre Dame, the No. 4 seed.

And in the Pac-12, No. 2 seed USC beat No. 1 seed Stanford for the title. Big 12 top seed Oklahoma will reach the semifinals on Monday, along with second seed Texas.

So even though the Gamecocks were a little rattled this weekend, they still won another championship.

Cream: As for Michael about not overreacting, this is still the most championship-caliber team in the country. Now the Gamecocks can get out of the SEC in the NCAA tournament, where the opposition isn't as familiar.

With so many teams (LSU near the top of the list, but also including the Hokies, Notre Dame, UConn and Indiana) playing with thin rosters due to injuries, the Gamecocks still have a big advantage with the different lineups Staley has available. . That depth played a big role in Sunday's championship game and will undoubtedly have a big impact in South Carolina's NCAA Tournament run.