Greensboro Elite Eight breakdown

ByMECHELLE VOEPEL
March 29, 2015, 12:11 PM

— -- A look at three X factors in Sunday's Elite Eight game in Greensboro.

No. 1 seed South Carolina vs. No. 2 seed Florida State

ESPN/WatchESPN, noon ET Sunday

History in the making: There will be a program breakthrough Sunday in the Greensboro Regional final. Neither school has advanced to the women's Final Four, and this is the second trip to the Elite Eight for both. Now one of the two will be headed to Tampa for the national semifinals.

None of the current players have competed in a regional final; South Carolina went that far in 2002, losing to Duke. Florida State made it in 2010, falling to UConn.

It's accurate to say that the Gamecocks, who spent time ranked No. 1 in the polls this season, expected to be here. The Seminoles, unranked when the season began, really didn't quite know how good they could be until they were in the midst of conference play. But then they figured it out, and now have confidence they belong in this position. And the Seminoles don't want to let themselves be overwhelmed by the occasion.

"People think of the Final Four as a [destination], but this team doesn't see that," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. "This is a game, and it's a great team that we're getting ready to face. If we put too much emphasis on the destination, then we're not going to keep our minds on our business."

The Seminoles finished second in the ACC, and then were runners-up at the league tournament. Both times it was to Notre Dame, the No. 1 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional, so Florida State has a very good idea of what it will take to beat another conference champion and No. 1 seed in South Carolina.

Both the Seminoles and the Gamecocks have very good size inside, a lot of versatility at guard, and the ability to rely on their bench to contribute.

"I think we've been able to turn the page and focus on the next task," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of her team's mindset after their emotional 67-65 victory Friday over North Carolina. "The Final Four is a great milestone, but it's just 'part' of what we want to do."

Battle of bigs: South Carolina's Alaina Coates comes off the bench, but no one played bigger than the 6-4 sophomore did against North Carolina. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and made all 10 of her free throw attempts.

The Gamecocks start 6-4 Elem Ibiam and 6-foot Aleighsa Welch, both seniors. Ibiam ended up playing just 11 minutes Friday, but she has had her share of big games for the Gamecocks. Welch struggled offensively Friday, making just 1-of-6 shots, but battled through that, grabbing seven rebounds and playing 32 minutes.

Wing player A'ja Wilson, the SEC freshman of the year, had a tough time with foul trouble and getting into a flow in the game; she played just 10 minutes and scored four points. But considering she has been the Gamecocks' second-leading scorer this season, Friday's game was more an anomaly. The 6-5 Wilson could have a major impact Sunday.

Meanwhile for Florida State, 6-4 junior Adut Bulgak had 15 points and seven boards in the Seminoles' 66-65 win over Arizona State. She's in her first season at Division I after a successful junior college career at Trinity Valley in Texas.

Ivey Slaughter, a 6-2 forward, starts alongside Bulgak. And 5-11 forward Shakayla Thomas was the ACC's sixth player of the year and one of the league's top rookies.

Overall, South Carolina has just a little more depth inside, but both teams are tough in the paint. Florida State has been outrebounded only once this season, in the ACC final by Notre Dame. So that has to be a concern of the Gamecocks, despite their status as also being one of the top rebounding teams in the country.

"It's a huge challenge; it's something they do extremely well," Staley said. "It's going to be probably the No. 1 key to the basketball game. We just have to be disciplined. Making sure we don't give extra possessions will be key."

Hello, Madness: Florida State guard Leticia Romero grew up in Spain's Canary Islands, and knew nothing about the NCAA tournament until she was watching it on television last year after her season ended at Kansas State.

"I didn't realize how tough it really is," Romero said. "When you see it on TV, it looks pretty fun, and you wish you were there. And it is fun, but when you're here, you understand how tough it is. Everybody is so ready and so willing to do whatever it takes to win the game."

The Wildcats didn't make the NCAA field last year, and then coach Kansas State Deb Patterson was fired. Romeo went through a difficult process trying to transfer and get a release from Kansas State, which consumed most of last spring for her. She finally got the release, transferred to Florida State, and then was very pleasantly surprised in December when the NCAA allowed her to become eligible for this season.

What a huge difference-maker she has been for the Seminoles. Romero had 21 points -- her season high -- plus 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in Friday's semifinal victory.

"It's been a lesson all year long," Romero said of her adjustment to Florida State and the ACC, and now her first NCAA tournament. "You have to know personnel, and really study things."

Romero, Maegan Conwright, Brittany Brown, Morgan Jones, Shakena Richardson and Emiah Bingley form a deep guard corps for the Seminoles. But the Gamecocks also go deep on the perimeter, led by Tiffany Mitchell, Khadijah Sessions, Asia Dozier, Tina Roy, Bianca Cuervas, and Olivia Gaines.

"We have a lot of guards who bring different things to the table," Sessions said. "You know sometimes it might not be your game, and somebody from the bench can come in and pick you up. We've been doing that all season."

Pick: South Carolina.