DALLAS -- They met on Big Monday in late January. The rematch was in the SEC tournament final at the start of March. Now here are the South Carolina and Mississippi State women's basketball teams meeting once again -- this time for the national championship.
The other two games this season were in the state of South Carolina -- the first in Columbia, on the Gamecocks' home floor, and the second in Greenville, site of the SEC tournament. The Gamecocks won both, 64-61 and 59-49.
Sunday's national final (ESPN/WatchESPN, 6 p.m. ET) will be played here in "Big D," and defense is very likely to be a major factor between two teams that ranked first and second in scoring defense in the SEC.