South Carolina visits Kentucky with a chance to clinch the SEC regular season championship.

1. Brea versus Rhyne II

South Carolina beat Kentucky easily in the first meeting, 99-72. The game was notable for the offensive onslaught by South Carolina, as the Gamecocks ran Kentucky ragged and kept pouring it on. But it was more notable for how South Carolina contained Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard. Brea Beal drew the defensive assignment in the first half and was outstanding. Howard got 13 points, but Beal forced her into six turnovers and a low shooting percentage. Beal also had success scoring on Howard, more than negating those 13 points and establishing herself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the SEC.

Kentucky switched Howard to the power forward position in the second half, when it was already down more than 20, and she had more success once Beal was no longer defending her. Howard finished with 28 points, but as Dawn Staley said, they were “insignificant” points. Staley expects Kentucky to try to get Howard away from Beal again, and she’ll be prepared.

“They’re moving her around,” Staley said. “They’ll play her at the four and we’ll make adjustments.”

She didn’t tip her hand on those adjustments, and Beal has previously identified Howard as the toughest player she’s had to guard. South Carolina’s team defense has been as effective as Beal’s individual defense, so it should be another fun chess match.

2. Remember 2015!

South Carolina can clinch the SEC with a win Sunday. The Gamecocks will be favored to win this game and the last two, for a perfect SEC season. Kentucky, meanwhile, is in the thick of the SEC race. The Wildcats are one of three teams tied for third place, and are technically still alive for second place, but also just a game up on sixth-place LSU. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let’s remember that Kentucky has a knack for playing spoiler. They did it to Mississippi State a week ago, and before that two years ago. And in 2015, when South Carolina was going for its first perfect SEC season, It was Kentucky that pulled off the upset at home on the final day of the season.

There’s nobody left from that game, obviously, and the Gamecocks have been adamant that they aren’t looking at the big picture, whether it’s a perfect season or an outright title. But they still want the championship, and they want it outright, as Tyasha Harris made clear after the LSU game when she said, “We win it outright? Then no, we’re not worried.”

“Nobody really likes to share,” Staley said. “We’re going to treat it as an only child. We want it all.”

Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan are the only players who have won a regular season SEC title. When they were freshmen, winning the SEC was expected. It never stopped being expected, but Harris wants to get back to those days.

“For me, I’m excited to get back on that page and start our streak over,” Harris said after the Vanderbilt game.

3. We’re talking about practice

Staley was not happy with the focus in practice Friday. She let the team know it, and warned that they would be in for a tough day Saturday.

“We’ll do what we need to do to make sure we’re approaching it the right way and we’re the same team that’s taken the floor for 26 games is the same team that will take the floor Sunday,” Staley said.

Whether Saturday’s practice fixed things remains to be seen. If South Carolina gets off to a slow start Sunday, you’ll know why.

4. Freshman Wall

Staley was asked last week (before Friday’s practice) about the freshman wall, the time around February when freshmen often start to wear down because they aren’t used to the long grind of the season. She said then that she has seen some signs in practice but not in games. With that in mind, and three games in seven days, the coaches have made a point of keeping practices efficient and concise.

“We’ve only been going probably 75 minutes,” Staley said. “That keeps everybody fresh. Once we are able to get in what we need to get in and they understand what they are aware of the details that’s needed to win a basketball game, you know when to cut it. If a drill is 12 minutes, if they got it in seven, wrap it up.”

After Friday, that may have changed. It’s also why the double by South Carolina will get in the SEC Tournament matters, as does the extra few hours of rest the top seed gets by playing at noon Friday instead of at night.

5. Scouting the Wildcats

Kentucky has had an up and down couple of months since the teams met at the beginning of January. They beat Tennessee and Texas A&M, but lost to Florida in a game Rhyne Howard missed and were blown out by Arkansas, only to bounce back and upset Mississippi State. We all know about Howard’s scoring, but the key for Kentucky might be rebounding.

The Wildcats have been dominated on the glass at times this season, and they were doubled up by South Carolina in the first meeting. But in the three big wins over Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State, the Wildcats held their own on the glass. That’s no small accomplishment against three of the best rebounding teams in the SEC.

Howard is a capable rebounder, but if she has to play power forward she is at a disadvantage. It was a tradeoff Kentucky was willing to make in the second half of the first game, when it was already down 20. South Carolina’s fast start, which it has done most of the season, was a key, because it got Kentucky out of doing what it wanted.

“We hopped on them fairly quickly. We didn’t give them time to adjust. By the time they adjusted to how we were playing the game was out of hand,” Staley said. “We know that it’s going to be a hostile environment. We know that it’s probably not going to be as lopsided as it was. They’ll be ready to play.”

The Ws

Who: #1 South Carolina (26-1, 13-0) at #14 Kentucky (20-5, 9-4)

When: Sunday, February 23, 2:00 pm

Where: Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY

Watch: ESPN2