SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina will defend its new #1 ranking on the road against rival Missouri.

1. About those rankings...

Unless you are living under a rock, or perhaps your social media got hacked like Dawn Staley, you know that South Carolina claimed the #1 spot in the AP top 25 earlier this week. It is the second time South Carolina has been ranked, after a 12 week stay in the top spot in 2014-2015. South Carolina moved into the top spot after the top three teams each lost last week. The last time the top three teams all lost in the same week was during the 2011 NCAA Tournament. For South Carolina it has been business as usual.

“It’s been normal,” Dawn Staley said. “I know probably inside they’re happy, but it’s been normal. Practice was normal.”

If you like history, you’ll like this nugget: South Carolina is the fourth different team to hold the #1 ranking this season. This is only the third time four teams have been ranked #1 in the AP poll in the same season (after 2003-04 and 2004-05). Since the poll began in 1994, there has never been a fifth team to hold the top spot. If that holds true, this year’s champions would be South Carolina, UConn, Oregon, or Stanford.

“I didn’t even ask them if they wanted to be the number one team in the country, but it’s here so let’s embrace it,” Staley said.

South Carolina is also #2 in the RPI.

2. Relaxing the ban

Staley has traditionally banned players from using social media during the season. She wants to eliminate distractions and keep everyone focused on the same message: hers. This year, she has lifted the ban a couple of times as a reward, after winning the Paradise Jam and then Monday after the Gamecocks were ranked #1.

“I did give them social media just because I wanted them to be able to capture the moment and enjoy and experience being the number one team in the country,” Staley said. “Then we shut it down at midnight Tuesday morning and we worked.”

Staley, whose own Twitter account was hacked earlier this week, is an avid social media user. She has used Twitter to interact with fans and build the Gamecock fan base. She has said in the past that she tries to reply to or at least retweet every tweet directed at her, no easy task. Staley also uses Twitter when she has a message she wants to get out, or like most of us, create an account to share pictures of her dog, Champ.

It’s no surprise that Staley appreciates what she has asked her players to give up, and also wants them to be able to enjoy their success.

“Social media is a big part of who they are, who they’ve grown up to be,” Staley said. “It’s a big part of their lives. I want them to enjoy it, just be more conscious of it, and I want them to chronicle their lives at 18 to 22. The tweets, the Instagram posts, they’re going to have them for a lifetime and I didn’t want them to miss out on having that.

Staley praised this team for its ability to focus on basketball and tune out distractions.

“They probably want a little bit more, but we’ve got to refocus.”

3. More awards

Aliyah Boston picked up her fourth SEC freshman of the week award earlier this week. She averaged 14.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game last week, highlighted by a 19 point, 25 rebounds, and five blocks against Arkansas. She’s averaging a double-double in conference play, and she is one freshman of the week award short of A’ja Wilson’s school record. Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard has the SEC record with eight freshman of the week awards.

On the high school level, the nominees for the 2020 McDonald’s All American Game were announced Tuesday. South Carolina signee Eniya Russell was among those nominated. Russell is a 6-0 combo guard, ranked 43rd in the country. If she is selected to the game, she would join Boston, Brea Beal, and Zia Cooke as McDonald’s All Americans. Transfer Destiny Littleton, who is sitting out this season, was also a McDonald’s All-American.

4. Don’t get ahead

South Carolina is in a three week stretch with four road games, all against teams in the bottom part of the SEC standings, and just one home game. And that home game is a big one, next Monday, on ESPN2, against rival Mississippi State, in front of what should be a huge crowd (the last game against the Bulldogs was a sellout). That game has huge ramifications, both as another big test and in the SEC standings. They are the only teams left unbeaten in the SEC and they only play each other once. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, something the Gamecocks can’t afford to do.

“Hopefully we can do something we didn’t do the last two times up there and get a win,” Staley said. “That’s our focus, getting a win on the road.”

5. Scouting the Tigers

Before South Carolina and Missouri played last year, I wrote, “Missouri’s biggest problem, as it has been for a couple of years, is that it has no plan B after (Sophie) Cunningham.” Well Cunningham is gone, and that is still a problem. Missouri relied on Cunningham to do everything: score, rebound, distribute, defend, and there hasn’t been anyone to replace her.To be fair, she took some talented players with her (Cierra Porter and Lauren Aldridge graduated, Akira Levy transferred), but Missouri has cratered without her.

Amber Smith is leading the Tigers with 13 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, Hayley Frank is averaging 12,5 and 4.1, and Aijha Blackwell is averaging 12.3 and 5.6, but that is about it. Frank and Blackwell are freshmen, so there is hope for the future, just not a lot this season.

For as much animosity as there has been between the two programs, it is amusing that two former Gamecocks have transferred to Missouri. LaDazhia Williams is sitting out this year after two seasons with the Gamecocks. Haley Troup never played for South Carolina, transferring after a summer trip to Japan. In her second season with the Tigers Troup is putting up modest numbers, averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, but she is coming off two of the best games of her career, scoring 14 against Mississippi State and 13 in her first career start against Arkansas.

The Ws

Who: South Carolina (16-1, 4-0) at Missouri (4-13, 1-3)

When: Thursday, January 16, 8:30 pm (eastern)

Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, MO

Watch: SEC Network