SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks travel to Starkville for a top-15 matchup with Mississippi State.

1. It’s go time

South Carolina’s 4-4 start to the season is a distant memory. It’s won eight straight, and is 4-0 in the SEC, sitting atop the SEC standings, the same spot it has been for the last five years. The next week will put all that to the test. First up is Mississippi State, also 4-0 in the SEC, and the conference’s highest-ranked team. The two teams have built a healthy and entertaining rivalry based on mutual respect, some great games, and, frankly, Mississippi State’s inability to beat South Carolina, losing 11 straight at one point and 12 of the last 13, including a every title (SEC and national) game the two have played. It’s a game so big, women’s college basketball is making a rare appearance on ESPN.

Next Monday, Missouri returns to the Palmetto State. The two have become bitter rivals, with ugly games, dirty play, and lawsuits. Missouri has managed to become a thorn in South Carolina’s side despite being significantly less accomplished. It is, basically, the exact opposite of the rivalry with Mississippi State.

These two games will present the biggest challenge of the season for the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs will test their ability to play against elite competition, a team that historically brings out the best in the Gamecocks. The Tigers will test the Gamecocks’ mental toughness, their ability to drown out the noise and beat a team they should beat.

“Our kids get up,” Dawn Staley said. “Especially when we feel like we’re the underdogs.”

“Our players are in that mode now,” Staley continued. “No one really thinks we’re going to win the basketball game because of whatever reason, rankings, them being at home. It’s a great setup for our kids.”

2. Big shoes

They key to South Carolina’s success against Mississippi State was simple: A’ja Wilson. She was the key to a lot of wins, but she uniquely terrorized Mississippi State. Her athleticism didn’t just neutralize the Bulldogs’ size, it made it a liability, as she ran circles around bigger, slower players. Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but A’ja Wilson isn’t walking through that door.

But Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is. She is the player most like Wilson in terms of athleticism and scoring ability. She can step outside and hit jumpers, especially from the baseline, and then drive by slower post players to score inside. Herbert Harrigan has had some success against Mississippi State, and she will have to produce even more Thursday night.

Herbert Harrigan had 13 points, five rebounds, and a block against the Bulldogs in the 2018 SEC Tournament Championship, and six points as a freshman in the 2017 SEC Championship game. But in the regular season games, she has been mostly silent. She was scoreless in 13 minutes in the loss last season.

3. Fourth quarter

Over the last few seasons, the games between the two teams have been decided in the fourth quarter. Whether it was Wilson going off in the national championship game, Ty Harris taking control in the SEC tournament last season, or the Bulldogs turning a five-point deficit into a 14-point win last season, the games have all been decided in the final ten minutes. Last year in Starkville, the Bulldogs’ record-breaking crowd played a role in the fourth, giving the home team a boost and helping to loosen the Gamecocks’ focus.

“For three quarters, we had them on the ropes,” Staley said. “Then in the last quarter we had some mental breakdowns. In that environment, at their place, they took control of the game.”

4. Tea Time

Teaira McCowan has often been the key in this series. She averages 16.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game (just above Herbert Harrigan’s 2.4) and is capable of completely dominating opponents. She has had at least 15 rebounds seven times this season, at least 20 twice, and has six games of at least 20 points.

McCowan is much quicker than she was as a freshman, when Wilson made her a defensive liability, but she is still uncomfortable being pulled away from the basket and prone to occasional foul trouble. She hasn’t fouled out of a game this season, but has finished with four fouls on five occasions.

The Gamecocks’ success against the Bulldogs the last four years has come when it was able to take McCowan out of the game.

“We have to make her play on both sides of the ball,” Staley said. “We’re going to attack her. We’re going to try to do what we need to do to eliminate her production.”

5. Scouting the Bulldogs

Everyone pretty much knows the book on Mississippi State by now. They are big inside, surrounded by shooter on the perimeter. Victoria Vivians has graduated, but graduate transfer Anriel Howard has taken her place alongside McCowan, the 6-7 double-double machine.

The Bulldogs are more balanced than they were with Vivians, who was an explosive scorer but dominated the ball at times. Four players average in double figures, and eight average at least five points. The Bulldogs are averaging a whopping 91 points per game, and shooting 50.5 percent from the floor.

Mississippi State doesn’t shoot a ton of threes, taking just 14.4 per game, but it makes them at an exceptional rate. As a team, Mississippi State is making 38 percent of its threes. Sophomore Chloe Bibby is the primary threat. She has taken a third of Mississippi State’s three point attempts, and is making 45 percent of her tries.

“It’s very, very competitive. It’s a battle of wills. I think the game will be won on broken plays, rebounding,” Staley said. “I’m excited for our kids to play in this type of environment.”

The Ws

Who: #15 South Carolina (12-4, 4-0)at #7 MIssissippi State (16-1, 4-0)

When: Thursday, January 17, 7:00 pm

Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Mississippi

Watch: ESPN