SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina continues its road swing with a trip to surprising Arkansas.

1. Holding serve

Midway through the SEC schedule, it’s fair to say that the more things change, the more they remain the same. As the rest of the league churns and experiences ups and downs, South Carolina and Mississippi State have once again established themselves as the top tier of the SEC, with everyone else below them.

Mississippi State took the first game between the two, so the pressure is on South Carolina not to slip up. If South Carolina can match Mississippi State win for win, it would set up a showdown on the final day of the season, March 3, with the SEC title on the line (the SEC doesn’t break ties). It would be the first visit to Columbia for Mississippi State in more than two years. Let’s be honest, if you like women’s college basketball, you want to see those two teams, playing with a championship at stake, in front of 18,000 fans.

2. On the Road Again

The Gamecocks are in the midst of a stretch of three games in seven days, with two on the road. Because the SEC has added monday night games, it is a fact of life in the SEC, and everyone has to deal with it sooner or later. Dawn Staley handled by giving players a day off after the win at Kentucky, and she liked the early results.

“What was important for us is to get some rest,” Staley said. “We took (Friday) off and they came in and had one of the best practices we’ve had, just energized, communicating, so hopefully we’ve taken a step up.”

3. Roster management

This year’s South Carolina roster has 12 significant contributors, which is especially unusual given that Staley often hasn’t even carried 12 players on a roster. It has been an adjustment this season, and not surprisingly the rotation went from wide-open early in the season, when all 12 players might play in the first half, to a much tighter rotation based on matchups, the hot hand, and a reliable group of starters.

“I’m having the hardest time coaching this team,” Staley said. “We have so many players that can play, that can flat out play. When you’re nip and tuck in the SEC season I tend to go with the known.”

One of those knowns is Bianca Cuevas-Moore. Cuevas-Moore entered the starting lineup six games ago, which Staley said was always the plan once Cuevas-Moore’s injured knee was ready.

“She’s really comfortable playing with Ty, that way she can play off the ball a lot,” Staley said. “She can spot up and space out for three point shots. Now she’s getting her speed back to where when people are on top of her three point shot she can drive by and create off the bounce.”

4. Keeping up with KiKi

In her junior season, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is starting to put her name in the South Carolina record books. She is averaging 13 points, six rebounds, and 2.75 blocks in conference games, and is second in the SEC in blocked shots. Herbert Harrigan needs just two blocks to move into ninth place in career blocks, a mark she should reach Sunday.

Herbert Harrigan’s shot-blocking prowess was a bit of a surprise this season, but an even bigger surprise is how she has become a consistent player. During her first two season, Herbert Harrigan was notoriously inconsistent, and that carried into this season. At one point Staley said that Herbert Harrigan gets “stuck inside her own head.” But since SEC play began in January, that has changed. Herbert Harrigan has scored in double figures in all eight conference games, and her baseline jumper has become one of the signature offensive weapons for the Gamecocks.

5. Scouting the Razorbacks

South Carolina has won nine straight over Arkansas, a program that has struggled to get over the hump for several years. Jimmy Dykes looked like he was building something, and then the bottom fell out in 2017 and he resigned. Mike Neighbors took over and went 3-13 in the SEC in his first season. This year Arkansas has been a pleasant surprise, already with five conference wins and tied with Missouri for fourth place in the SEC.

Arkansas is a similar team to what South Carolina was early in the season, before Herbert Harrigan and Alexis Jennings solidified the post. Arkansas shots a lot of threes, making 8.6 per game in league play, and forces turnovers to set up a race to the arc. Arkansas is +7.2 in turnovers and averages 9.5 steals per game.

“We’ve got to get back in transition,” Staley said. “We’ve got to guard the three. They shoot it at an astronomical rate. I think once you know it’s coming you can prep for it, but they’re going to get them up.”

The Ws

Who: #16 South Carolina (15-5, 7-1) at Arkansas (16-6, 5-3)

When: Sunday, February 3, 5:00 pm

Where: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Watch: SEC Network

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