South Carolina women’s basketball is preparing to make its sixth straight appearance in the Elite Eight.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (34-3) beat No. 4 seed Oklahoma 94-68 in the Sweet 16 to advance. They’ll face No. 3 seed TCU (32-5) in the next round at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on March 30 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
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South Carolina will play in this year’s Elite Eight without Chloe Kitts, who played a key role in its last two NCAA Tournament runs.
Why isn’t Chloe Kitts playing in the Elite 8?
Chloe is not playing because she is recovering from a torn ACL in her right knee. South Carolina announced in October that Kitts would miss the entire 2025-26 season.
Chloe Kitts career stats
Last season, Kitts started 38 games for the Gamecocks, averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. She won SEC Tournament MVP and was an All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association in 2025.
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Kitts was an early enrollee her freshman season and joined the team midway through the 2022-23 season. She is listed as a senior on this year’s roster.
Is Chloe Kitts playing for South Carolina in 2026-27?
Coach Dawn Staley confirmed in February that Kitts will return to South Carolina for the 2026-27 season.
Who has played in Chloe Kitts’ absence?
With Kitts out this season, South Carolina has gotten contributions from Mississippi State transfer Madina Okot, freshman early enrollee Alicia Tournebize and returners Adhel Tac and Maryam Dauda in the post.
Okot has started 32 games for the Gamecocks and averages 13.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, leading the SEC. She was picked to the All-SEC second team and is a top five finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award given to the nation’s best center.
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Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What happened to Chloe Kitts, South Carolina women’s basketball star?
