SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks host the Gators Thursday night as they look to stay undefeated in the SEC.

1. Comking up KiKi

South Carolina is riding a six-game winning streak and that 4-4 start to the season is a distant memory. Nobody has meant more during the win streak than Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. During the winning streak she is averaging 11.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game, and set career-highs in rebounding and blocks. It’s no coincidence that the surge in Herbert Harrigan’s performance came after she was benched for three games.

“I use the bench as a motivator,” Dawn Staley said. “If she’s not doing what she needs to do, she’s got to come out of the game, and she understands that. She’s got to prep better, and the last week she’s prepped a lot differently than the Furman game. You see it in the statistics and you see it in her growing confidence, so hopefully it will stick.”

Consistency has been an issue for Herbert Harrigan, as has keeping an even emotional keel. In her first two seasons, Herbert Harrigan had a tendency to let a good or bad start affect her for the rest of the game. That is not the case any more, best seen in the Texas A&M game. Herbert Harrigan had a rocky start, committing three turnovers right out of the gate, but Staley subbed her out, Herbert Harrigan regrouped, and she turned in a dominant performance.

“Just being confident like coach said and keeping my emotions in check,” Herbert Harrigan said. “I don’t let that affect my play.”

For Staley, Herbert Harrigan’s emergence is vindication for what she saw as a recruit. Herbert Harrigan was the #12 forward in her class and a top-100 player, but buried on the bench behind stars like A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates. Herbert Harrigan has shined in the SEC Tournament, averaging 14 points last year, offering glimpses of her scoring potential while masking her defensive lapses. But during this stretch her impact has been felt on both ends of the court.

“I’m proud of KiKi,” Staley said. “I’m proud that it’s finally kicking in that she’s this type of player. This is what we saw three years ago. Finally we’re getting to see it on a consistent basis.”

2. Consistency

See, “consistency” can’t even stay in the top spot?

After the win over Alabama, Staley was asked if the rotation has solidified, and she had an interesting answer. Essentially, she said change is the only constant.

“Roles are fluid,” Staley said. “Every single week I know what I want them to do, but whether or not they’re able to fill that role is a crapshoot at times. We have the bodies to substitute and get it right. I hope we can get a cemented lineup and substitution pattern, but we haven’t gotten there yet so it doesn’t make me think it’s going to happen any time soon.”

Staley also noted that substitutions aren’t done in a vacuum. The opponent, as well as who else she has on the floor, dictate who plays.

3. Block party

Without a doubt, one of the pleasant surprises this season has been the Gamecocks’ shot blocking. With the school’s top two all-time shot blockers (Wilson and Coates) graduating the last two years and no established shot blockers on the roster, rim protection was an area of concern.

Instead, South Carolina blocked 16 shots against Clemson, tying the school record, and hasn’t looked back since. South Carolina averages 7.6 blocks per game, which leads the nation. Herbert Harrigan is second in the SEC with 2.6 blocks per game, just 0.1 behind league leader Teaira McCowan. She has 36 blocks this season nearly equalling her season totals from her first two seasons (39 as a freshman and 42 as a sophomore). Freshman Victaria Saxton is tenth in the conference at 1.4 blocks per game despite playing just 9.6 minutes per game.

By comparison, over the last four seasons South Carolina averaged 6.3 blocks per game in 2014-15, 5.4 in 2015-16, 5.6 in 2016-17, and 6.4 last season. Staley joked that the key to being a good shot blocking team is being a bad defensive team, because opponents get a lot of blockable shots at the rim.

“You get sucked into the ball,” Staley said. “Fortunately for us it’s worked out.”

4. Sheila Foster accident

Gamecock great Sheila Foster attends nearly every home game, but she was not at Sunday’s win over Alabama. Foster lives in Spartanburg, where she is the JV girls basketball coach at Boiling Springs, and was in a car accident on the way to the game. The severity of the accident is unknown.

5. Scouting the Gators

South Carolina has won nine straight against Florida, as what was once a compelling in-conference matchup has become lopsided. Despite the winning streak, however, the games have tended to be close, and it took 13 fourth quarter points from Tyasha Harris for South Carolina to hold of Florida 64-57 last season.

It’s been a rough season for the Gators, who are 0-6 on the road, and with three of their four wins coming during a three-game stretch in early December. However, the Gators’ hallmark this season has been the narrow loss in big games. They lost to Florida State by seven, Ohio State by five, both SEC games by single digits, and an upset of Texas Tech.

Florida is led by Funda Nakkasoglu, who averages 18.2 points per game and shoots 48 percent from three. Interestingly, Nakkasoglu missed two of Florida’s wins with a sprained right ankle. Nakkasoglu is Florida’s most dangerous shooter, but all the Gators like to shoot. Florida is shooting 31 percent from three, and averages 8.1 makes and 26.1 attempts per game. Florida has 173 more threes than free throws this season.

“You have to give (Nakkasoglu) different looks defensively, you have to make it difficult for her, you can’t give her any clean looks,” Staley said. “They all put them up. They average about eight per game, so they live and die by it. You’ve got to make sure you don’t give them any clean looks.”

The Ws

Who: #21 South Carolina (10-4, 2-0) vs Florida (4-11, 0-2)

When: Thursday, January 10, 7:00 pm

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network+

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