CNN
—
Defending NCAA women’s champion South Carolina secured the No. 1 seed at the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament after winning a coin flip on Sunday.
The rare occurrence came after both the Gamecocks and the Texas Longhorns finished with a 15-1 record in conference play, meaning they split the regular-season title.
As a way of determining the top seed for this month’s tournament, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey flipped a coin during halftime of LSU’s game against Mississippi, with the moment broadcast live on the SEC Network.
According to the Associated Press (AP), loud cheers could be heard coming from the South Carolina dressing room after the coin flip went in their favor.
“We watched in the locker room and it was kind of exciting,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “I know when you’re part of the equation it doesn’t feel good to have your fate in a coin flip. I didn’t know eight other sports use a coin flip. That was news to me. I feel better about it now.”
Both Texas and South Carolina finished with the same record after winning their respective games on Sunday, with the Longhorns beating Florida 72-46 and the Gamecocks defeating Kentucky 78-66.
Footage of the Texas team showed players looking somewhat deflated after watching the coin toss decide their fate.
“We can’t control the way the coin landed. It is what it is,” center Taylor Jones said afterwards, per AP. “Whatever team we play, we played before.”
Texas coach Vic Schaefer was disappointed in losing the 50-50 call and seemed slightly irked by the commissioner’s admission that he had practiced the coin flip for two hours before.
“So what was he practicing? Was he practicing for South Carolina to be heads up or Texas to be heads up?” Schaefer told reporters, as some of his players laughed beside him. “I mean, why do you have to practice for two hours? What are you trying to get accomplished?”
The Gamecocks have now been the No. 1 seed in nine of the last 12 SEC tournaments and will have the benefit of playing the earlier game on Friday, meaning they will have more rest between games should they progress.
The SEC tournament will begin on Wednesday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.