SOUTH CAROLINA BASKETBALL

South Carolina heads to the upstate for the rivalry game against Clemson.

1. Beat Clemson

Clemson leads the all-time series 33-31, but South Carolina is looking to win its tenth straight. The streak began in part because Dawn Staley was able to recruit in-state players who took pride in winning the game. Now, only little-used Olivia Thompson and Elysa Wesolek are from South Carolina, so Staley has had to educate the freshmen about the importance of the game.

“They don’t know much about it besides what we tell them,” Staley said. “No matter what the record, no matter what sport it is, it’s a rivalry and we need to do our part.”

Brea Beal learned about the rivalry the hard way when she first visited South Carolina.

“I had orange socks on and they were like that’s a no-no,” Beal said.

There were no similar mistakes by Thompson, who was raised a Gamecock fan.

“I grew up not being allowed to wear orange,” Thompson said.

South Carolina has organized buses for fans to make the trip to Clemson. Staley said she is expecting “three rowdy buses,” and everyone will have matching t-shirts. She also expressed hope that South Carolina can continue to be a model for other programs that are trying to foster fan support.

2. Story time

Gather ‘round everyone, I’m going to share a little story…

I’ve been asked what the expectations for this team should be and how it compares to previous team. The first part is easy, the expectation at South Carolina is always the Final Four, and it is realistic. That doesn’t mean it will happen, a lot can happen between now and then. But this team reminds me of the 2015 Final Four team. They are deep, talented, and look like they are having fun when they play.

That 2015 Final Four team was deeper and more experienced. There is no A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates coming off the bench this season, but there are some pretty good players. You might argue that was true last year as well, but last year the Gamecocks never figured out a rotation with established roles. They seem to have that this season.

Thinking back to that first Final Four team, the expectations were high, but all on potential. The year before, the Gamecocks won 30 games but fizzled in the tournament, and believe it or not there was some skepticism about Wilson, especially after she and the rest of the team were unimpressive in the season-opener. That team announced itself in the second game of the season against Clemson. It was the first game where Wilson and Coates came off the bench, and the Gamecocks absolutely dominated the Tigers. It wasn’t just about the score, there were a bunch of South Carolina kids on that team, and they wanted to make a statement by embarrassing Clemson. Late in the game, Staley emptied the bench and there were four McDonald’s All-Americans on the court. Aleighsa Welch, the senior who had suffered through some rough times, was standing in front of the bench screaming at the players in the game because she didn’t want them to relax. And when they made a good play, she was leading the cheers and making sure everyone was smiling.

That, in part, is why Staley has made such a big deal of playing for four quarters. She has the proof right here that it’s what Final Four teams do. I saw that same look against USC Upstate that I saw five years ago against Clemson. They played hard, they had a lot of fun, they cheered for each other, and when they emptied the bench it included a couple of McDonald’s All-Americans, a junior who reinvented her game to get on the court, and a walk-on who is one of the most prolific scorers in state history. On back-to-back possessions, the All-American fed the walk-on for a three and then the walk-on fed the All-American for a three, because they wanted to make the best pass, not pad their stats.

3. Happy Harris

Filling the Welch role on this team, or at least stretching the analogy as far as I can, is Tyasha Harris. She never had to deal with bad teams like Welch, but she is definitely enjoying her senior season. She has taken on a big sister role, and it seems to suit her and the little sisters. On Thursday, the Gamecocks were in transition and Harris spotted up in the corner. Zia Cooke drove, spun, and then whipped a no look pass to fellow freshman Brea Beal for a layup. Harris watched the whole thing with a smile on her face, then started laughing. As they started back on defense, she was still laughing when she grabbed Cooke and just shook her head in disbelief.

“She’s an amazing player,” Harris said. “Some of the things she does are amazing. That one pass she threw to Brea, I was like whoa! I don’t know how she saw it.”

Later in the second half, Harris showed her leadership again on a play that gives coaches everywhere a warm fuzzy feeling. Cooke was struggling with her shot, and she missed a wide-open three that got wedged between the rim and backboard and made her 0-8 for the game. She turned around and put her palms out, shaking her head as if to say what else can I do. Harris hugged her, patted her on the back, and on the next play swung a pass back to Cooke for another wide-open three, and Cooke nailed it. Score one for supportive teammates.

4. Amihere arriving

In her first game back after missing the Appalachian State game to be with Team Canada, Laeticia Amihere scored a career-high 10 points and tied her career-high with six rebounds. She looked confident and aggressive, unlike her first three games where she seemed unsure of herself. Part of her struggles were a result of her knee injury and the minutes restriction that was part of her rehab. But also, she’s just getting more comfortable with the flow of college basketball.

“Every game I’m trying to build, every practice I’m trying to build. I’ve got to not worry about mistakes I do because they are going to come and get acclimated to college speed.”

Amihere barely played against Maryland and only played 15 minutes against Dayton, picking up four fouls. But she got the message and has turned things around.

“The bench has a funny way of speaking to a player,” Staley said. “I thought it spoke to her that she’s got to give us more. She’s got to be impactful on both sides of the ball. Her practices have been much better, she’s focused, she’s active.”

5. Scouting the Tigers

Clemson was one of the surprise teams in college basketball, and if you can muster sympathy for anything orange, a feel-good story for coach Amanda Butler, whose Florida teams were derailed by injuries and off-court issues. But the start to this season has been disappointing for a team that had tournament aspirations.

Butler is trying to integrate eight new players and it has been a difficult process. The season began with an exhibition loss to Lander, and although it’s not a real game, it’s not a good sign. A narrow win over Furman opened the season, but home losses to Navy and Alabama followed. Clemson got its second win of the season over Alabama State, but then lost at Penn State.

“They haven’t gelled yet,” Staley said. “If you watch them, they’re a pretty good basketball team. Sometimes it’s hard when you have so many new players to get them to gel.”

The Ws

Who: #5 South Carolina at Clemson

When: Sunday, November 24, 2:00 pm

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC

Watch: ACC Network