Coming off the big win over Connecticut, South Carolina gets back on the court Thursday against Auburn.

1. Wrapping up UConn

Let’s clear out the notebook on Connecticut, because the 24-hour rule is in effect.

- Aliyah Boston was 1-5 from three against Connecticut, the first five three-point attempts of her career. She made the first, and then missed four straight. South Carolina was having trouble getting her the ball inside, so they wanted to move her outside some. It worked, but I don’t think you want her to take five more threes anytime soon.

- The crowd was phenomenal. There are sellouts, and then there are capacity crowds. At one point I scanned the lower bowl and found a total of three empty seats. It’s a reminder that, yes, Colonial Life Arena is too big, but when it’s full, there are few places in the country like it, especially in women’s basketball. The crowd didn’t win the game, but it helped, as Geno Auriemma said. “We’ve come down when it was sold out and blown them out,” he said. “The crowd in and of itself, no. The crowd and who their players are and how they played and who our players are and how they played. You put all that together in one mix - not good.”

- The crowd was the largest in women's basketball this season. A quick scan of the remaining schedule makes it seem likely to stay that way, and South Carolina, already in first place, should lead the nation in attendance for the sixth year in a row.

- South Carolina beat Connecticut, and survived one of the toughest stretches of the season, without Laeticia Amihere. Amihere has been inconsistent this season, but there is no question she makes South Carolina better and gives Dawn Staley options. Amihere was in Belgium with Team Canada and missed the last three games, although she was on the bench Monday.

- The win bumped South Carolina back in front of Oregon for first place in the RPI. They’ve been going back and forth for a few weeks now, and may switch a few more times before selection Monday. Maryland, who lost to South Carolina earlier in the season, comes in at third.

- It’s my turn to be a downer: South Carolina should have won that game. UConn is not the fifth best team in the country, and maybe not even in the top ten. It’s a down year for the Huskies, but also the rest of basketball has caught up to them. It’s why Auriemma was so salty after the game: UConn gets judged on the teams of the past, not the present, and in the present, South Carolina is bigger, stronger, and faster, and tougher and more talented. To be clear, UConn is still very, very good, but so are a bunch of other teams. In a tangible sense, the sellout and the buildup should have been three weeks ago against Mississippi State, not UConn. But the Huskies, even if their dynasty is in its twilight, are still the gold standard in basketball, and the name that even the most casual fan recognizes.

2. Refocus

Staley gave the Gamecocks social media access as a reward for beating Connecticut, and they celebrated in the locker room, but one of the first things Staley told the players was, Auburn is next.

“We talked about that in the locker room,” Staley said Monday. “This can’t have any bearings on how we move forward. Whether we won or lost, all of our goals were still in place.”

That was after the game Monday night. The players had Tuesday off for rest and Instagram, and got back to practice Wednesday. Staley was pleased with the team’s focus in practice, saying the players stay in the moment.

“We run a tight ship here and we want to stay disciplined,” she said. “Stay in character. Out of the 24 games we’ve played, if this is who you are, stay in character. Let’s not try anything new, just do what you’ve done all season long.”

3. Ty’s Time

It shouldn’t have been possible, but Tyasha Harris had a coming out game against Connecticut. She didn’t do anything she hasn’t been doing for four years, but she did it on her biggest stage so far. There was already respect for Harris - look at all the watch lists she’s on - but the appreciation wasn’t there. She isn’t flashy, like Chennedy Carter, she doesn’t put up crazy stats, like Sabrina Ionescu, and defense and controlling pace don’t show up anywhere in a box score. She has been the consummate point guard, doing whatever the team needs, and people are starting to notice.

Harris had 19 points and 11 assists, plus four rebounds and no turnovers, against Connecticut, and that short of stat line turns heads. She scored when she had to in the first half, and then became a distributor once her teammates started shooting better. That’s how the season has gone for Harris, who is finally picking her spots as a scorer the way Staley has begged her to for years.

We’re at the part of the season where people like to make picks for awards (see below). The buzz phrase with Harris was that she “captains the ship” for the nation’s top team. At first, it seemed like it was said more as a concession: we need somebody from South Carolina on the list so put the senior point guard there. It made some sense. (Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want a major detour.)

Perceptions in women’s basketball are slow to change, mainly because exposure is still limited compared to other sports. Not everyone has an SEC Network, which has been a godsend for fans of SEC schools. For comparison, the best conference this season is the Pac 12 and they have played some extraordinary games, but I haven’t been able to watch a single conference game because they’ve all been on the Pac 12 network, so named because only 12 people actually get it. But even with the SEC Network, resources and exposure are limited basically to what makes it to ESPN. And ESPN likes to focus on a few teams and players, not the daily grind of the season. As a result, so much is based on the box score (for example: Rhyne Howard getting a player of the week honor for scoring 28 points against the Gamecocks, an award clearly given by someone who only looked at the box score, since everyone who watched knew it was “insignificant” numbers) and preconceived ideas, because it’s easy to check the numbers, but harder to watch and analyze the game. (Another example: I saw Chennedy Carter on a player of the year list. No doubt she is a talented player, but she hasn’t played in a month and has basically missed the entire conference season. She can’t be a player of the year without playing.) That’s why, even though there are bigger games and better opponents, doing something against UConn carries extra weight.

But after Monday’s performance, the phrasing hasn’t changed, but the reverence has. In the past couple of days, the phrase “captains the ship” has endured, but it’s not a concession anymore, it’s said in admiration. In truth, it’s what Harris has been doing all season. She’s the big sister who lets the kids play and be happy, but steps in with a guiding hand when they need it. And she gets the ball where it needs to be, leading the SEC in assists and assist to turnover ratio. That’s why her little sisters all follow their captain.

“I don’t need all the attention,” Harris said. “I feel like stuff will be due when it’s time. I just want to focus on my team and being the best leader that I can be.”

4. So many awards

South Carolina swept the weekly SEC awards after beating Connecticut. Harris was named player of the week and Boston was freshman of the week. It was the second time in the last month Harris was named player of the week, the only two awards of her career. For Boston, it was her fifth freshman of the week award. That ties her with A’ja Wilson for the program record. Rhyne Howard has the conference record, winning eight times last season.

Led by Harris and Boston, the Gamecocks continue to be well-represented on national award watch lists, several of which were released in the past week. Harris and freshman Zia Cooke are two of the 15 players on the Dawn Staley Award midseason watch list (Te’a Cooper is also on the list, I’ll let you make your own comments). Harris has also been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award top ten, which goes to the nation’s best point guard. Harris and Boston are also among the 30 players named to the Naismith Trophy midseason team.

Previously, Harris and Boston were named to the Wooden Award late season top 20, and more preseason watch lists than I can keep track of.

5. Scouting the Tigers

Auburn has struggled this season. The Tigers are one of those programs that will, every few years, win 20 games and make the NCAA Tournament and appear to have turned the corner, and then backslide. They won 22 games last season, finished sixth in the SEC, and made the tournament. This season is the backslide. The Tigers are one of the most inexperienced teams in the country (so are the Gamecocks, but anyway), and minor injuries have added even more fluctuation to an already unsettled lineup -eight different players have started at least six games this season.

Despite the record, Auburn has a couple of really good players. Daisa Alexander is an outstanding defender who is averaging 1.7 points per game. And junior forward Unique Thompson leads the country in double-doubles. Thompson is averaging 16.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. She is fourth in the SEC in scoring, first in rebounding (third in the country), and has recorded a double-double in 19 of 21 games. The only times she didn’t reach a double-double was when she had six points, six assists, and 13 rebounds against small-ball Arkansas and in her last game, when she had nine points and 12 rebounds against Alabama.

Defensively, Auburn presses and then falls back in a zone. The strategy can be hit or miss, but it’s what helped Auburn erase a 15-point fourth quarter deficit against South Carolina last season before ultimately losing.

“Usually if we can break it, it will alleviate some of the pressure, but that’s their staple and they’re going to stay in it,” Staley said. We’ve got to have our zone offense, we’ve got to have ball movement, we’ve got to take good shots. We can’t overpass and we’ve got to take rhythm shots.”

Auburn in 2-14 all-time against #1 teams, including a loss to Staley and Virginia in 1992. Auburn’s last win over the top-ranked team came in 1990 in the Final Four when the Tigers beat Louisiana Tech.

The Ws

Who: #1 South Carolina (23-1, 10-0) vs Auburn (8-13, 2-8)

When: Thursday, February 13, 7:00 pm

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network