SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina hosts old rival Kentucky in a top 20 matchup Thursday at Colonial Life Arena.

1. Bracket Watch

In Charlie Creme’s latest Bracketology report, he has South Carolina as a four-seed in the dreaded Albany region with Connecticut. That’s a drop from his last projection, when South Carolina was a three seed.

There are two things to take into account, though. One is that South Carolina still has Kentucky, Mississippi State, and the SEC Tournament to boost its resume. The second is that the drop in seeding appears to be procedural, since the SEC has eight teams and conference opponents can’t match up in the first two rounds. Again, the main takeaway is the Gamecocks have time to play themselves into a solid three seed (a two is likely out of reach with no major non-conference wins).

2. No Cooper? No Problem

South Carolina had its most complete offensive game of the season against Florida, despite a first quarter lull and the absence of leading scorer Te’a Cooper. Cooper stayed home with an illness, but South Carolina never missed a beat.

Cooper can dominate games on both ends of the court when she is hot. Just look at her performance against Texas A&M or Mississippi State or Connecticut. But she also dominates the ball and is prone to bad games. Just look at Georgia, Purdue, or the first Florida game.

Cooper has also seen freshman Destanni Henderson eat into her playing time a little. The light bulb has come on for Henderson, who has scored in double figures the last four conference games, becoming a spark off the bench and raising her scoring average almost two whole points.

3. Just Jennings

Alexis Jennings broke out in the third quarter against Florida, scoring 17 of her season-high 22 in that quarter alone. After scoring in double figures just twice in her first five conference games, she has reach double figures in each of the last seven. Jennings downplayed what she’s doing, saying it’s all about positioning.

“I’m feeling really comfortable,” Jennings said. “My teammates are finding me in good positions and when they put me in good positions I’m able to do good things.”

Head coach Dawn Staley thinks it’s a case of practice carrying over to games, and, although Jennings won’t admit it, a dose of senioritis.

“She’s playing pretty well on both sides of the ball,” Staley said. “She’s practicing well and that transitions to the game. I think she’s feeling the end of her career coming to a close so she wants to put her best foot forward.”

4. Recruiting Roundup

Awards are starting to roll in for South Carolina’s historic 2019 recruiting class. Point guard Zia Cooke was recently named to a Naismith National Player of the Year Award semifinalist, and Staley was on hand for Cooke’s senior night game.

Cooke’s Rogers team plays in the regional final Saturday.

Lexington guard Olivia Thompson recently became the Wildcats’ all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, and was named the Class 5A player of the year. She has an outside shot at 2,000 career points, and takes on Goose Creek Saturday in the Lower State final in Florence. Thompson, who will join the Gamecocks as a preferred walk-on, has had a better senior season than almost anyone expected, and is starting to look like she could be the steal of the recruiting class.

Elsewhere, Brea Beal and her Rock Island team will play in the sectional final Thursday night. Aliyah Boston’s Worcester Academy is still finishing up its regular season. Laeticia Amihere is already on campus, having enrolled early after suffering an injury that ended her season.

5. Scouting the Wildcats

Not much has changed since the last time these two met. Kentucky is in that cluster of teams vying for third place behind league leaders South Carolina and Mississippi State. Maci Morris continues to have a strong season, and her shot-making ability nearly brought the Wildcats back in the first meeting.

“They can beat you in a lot of different ways,” Staley said. “We’ve got to play. We’ve got to bring our A game.”

The Ws

Who: #13 South Carolina (19-6, 11-1) vs #16 Kentucky (21-5, 8-4)

When: Thursday, February 21, 7:00 pm

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network