South Carolina women's basketball enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, hunting for a third national championship in program history.

The Gamecocks have proved capable of reaching the Final Four in recent years, with appearances in each of the last three seasons and a national title in 2022. South Carolina will open its NCAA Tournament against the winner of the First Four game between No. 16 seeds Presbyterian and Sacred Heart on Friday (2 p.m., ESPN).

With the bracket unveiled Sunday, South Carolina's path to the Final Four is clearer.

Here are two reasons why South Carolina will reach the Final Four and win a national championship − and two reasons why it won't.

South Carolina proved in the regular season it can beat the best

The Gamecocks are 32-0, and it isn't because of a weak schedule.

South Carolina is 7-0 against top 25 opponents this season, including two wins over No. 3 seed LSU and a victory over No. 2 seed Notre Dame.

Only two of the wins were at home, including a victory over No. 10 seed Maryland in the second game of the season and a win over No. 3 seed UConn on Feb. 11 − a game played without senior center Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina's leading scorer.

The Gamecocks proved in each of these games that they are capable of beating top tier competition consistently, even through adverse conditions, like missing its leading scorer or playing at neutral sites.

South Carolina has already beaten foes in its regional

The Gamecocks could see plenty of familiar faces in its Albany 1 regional.

Just within its quadrant of the bracket, South Carolina has already played − and beat − five opponents. Among its notable potential rematches, South Carolina could see No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 16 Presbyterian. Two SEC opponents are also in the bracket in No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 11 Texas A&M.

South Carolina has already beaten Texas A&M twice this season, and a third matchup wouldn't come until the Elite Eight. It could also face Ole Miss, a team it beat by nearly 30 points in the regular season, in the same round, but the Gamecocks' most likely Elite Eight matchup is the Fighting Irish.

South Carolina beat Notre Dame 100-71 in Paris to open the season, which featured breakout performances for freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Hannah Hidalgo.

Going undefeated for a season is hard, and South Carolina knows it

Finishing a basketball season without a loss is a near impossible task − just ask Aaliyah Boston and last season's South Carolina team, which was undefeated entering the Final Four before a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa spoiled its hopes.

This edition of the Gamecocks weren't even supposed to challenge that record, and even coach Dawn Staley was surprised they finished the regular season without a loss.

Just nine women's teams have gone undefeated, with UConn's 38-0 team in 2015-16 the last to do it. Since 2000, as parity in women's college basketball has risen, just two programs have accomplished the task: Baylor did it in 2012 and the Huskies have done it five times.

It's an even rarer feat on the men's side − the last undefeated team was Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers in 1975-76, and it's only happened seven times in men's basketball history.

Back-to-back seasons without a title would sting, especially after entering both years as a favorite to take home the title. But back-to-back one loss seasons are nothing to be ashamed of.

The Gamecocks have a target on their back

South Carolina became the fourth team to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated in two straight seasons. As heavy favorites, the rest of the bracket will be looking to upset the Gamecocks.

ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme chose the field against South Carolina. Opponents will bring their best against South Carolina, hoping to spoil a perfect season.

South Carolina won't have to face No. 1 seed Iowa until the national championship game. The Hawkeyes are in the same regional as No. 3 seed LSU, meaning the Gamecocks won't have to face one of those tough opponents.

To win a title this season, South Carolina will likely have to beat top seeds like No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 4 Indiana along their path to the title game, and all those opponents will circle a chance to beat the Gamecocks.

March Madness prediction: How far will South Carolina go?

South Carolina certainly has the talent to lift a trophy in Cleveland on April 7, but the Gamecocks will fall short for the second-straight year. South Carolina will face tough competition in the Final Four and will lose in the national championship game, unable to complete the perfect season.

Evan Gerike covers South Carolina women's basketball for the Greenville News. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina women to win March Madness predictions? Here’s why not