The Gamecocks were led by 14th-year head coach Dawn Staley and played their home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

They defeated Arkansas and Ole Miss to advance to the championship of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky.

They defeated Howard, Miami, North Carolina, Creighton and Louisville to advance to the championship game.

The Gamecocks therefore received an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, where they reached the Final Four, losing to Stanford 66–65.

Sources: Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley entered her fourteenth year at South Carolina, fresh off winning an Olympic gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning all six games as head coach of Team USA.