Vic Schaefer and Dawn Staley have had their fair share of battles on the court over the last few years with the Mississippi State-South Carolina rivalry blossoming into one of the best in college basketball.
It was no different again Monday night with the No. 1 Gamecocks storming back from nine point down to win 81-79 and Staley getting the better of Schaefer in their only regular-season meeting this year.
After the game, Schaefer said this is unlike any team he’s had to coach against when preparing for a Staley-led team.
“They remind me a lot of my team two or three years ago,” he said. “I had four kids on the perimeter that could all stretch it and shoot it, I had three that could break you down off the dribble and I had the centerpiece inside. You put that on the floor, that’s hard to deal with. That’s kind of the way they are. When (Mikiah Herbert) Harrigan’s out there and she can face up and stretch you at the four with Boston inside and you got those guards on the perimeter, they’re hard to deal with. I think that’s what’s unique about this team. Ty’s taken her game to another level and she has some pieces around her. Their chemistry is what’s so impressive for being so young.”
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Schaefer saw it first hand as the Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 SEC) pushed their winning streak to 12 games and are now the lone undefeated team in the conference after Monday night.
Down nine, the Gamecocks went inside to their freshman star Aliyah Boston, who dominated to the tune of 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Bulldogs by three, hauled in 15 offensive rebounds at the same time.
Schaefer, who came to Columbia during the SEC’s annual “We Back Pat” celebration honoring Pat Summitt, compared this group to some of the Hall of Fame coach’s best teams.
“It’s amazing how tough and physical that team is. They’re really physical. They brag about it in their media guide about how much they can lift. They show it on the floor. They’re a tough, physical, aggressive basketball team,” he said. “That’s my kind of team. It’s ironic we’re honoring Pat Summitt this week. Those are Pat’s teams. Her dominant teams, her national championship teams, they were monsters on the boards. They were physical, tough, aggressive teams. That one over there is all that and then some.”
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Schaefer also was continuously blown away by Ty Harris, who he coached this summer in the Pan-American Games, and got to see first-hand again at Colonial Life Arena.
Harris scored South Carolina’s final five points of the game, including the go-ahead bucket, and finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
“I don’t know what it is, but there’s no way I’ll overlook her. In our league she certainly has the respect of our coaches. You’re looking at one guy who doesn’t overlook Ty Harris. I got to see it up close and personal this summer,” Schaefer said. “I saw how she goes about her business. She’s a pro. You better guard her because she can knock down shots and get to the rim. She can score at all three levels. That’s a unique trait. She’s a really special kid. I enjoyed coaching her this summer. Didn’t enjoy coaching against her tonight.”
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Monday’s game is the only meeting of the regular season between the two best teams in the SEC over the last few years, but the likelihood both team’s meet in the SEC Tournament is pretty high.
Going in, Schaefer knows what he’ll face, but it still won’t get any easier to defend.
“I put it on the board: they test you at every position, every possession,” he said. “One through five, if you’re not locked in and focused, they test you every position, ever possession."
