WBB: Florida Preview

History: Carolina leads the series 23-20 overall and 12-8 in Gainesville. Under Dawn Staley the Gamecocks are 15-4 against Florida and have won 15 in a row over their former division rival. Florida had a 12-game winning streak against USC from 1993-2001.

Last Meeting: February 16, 2023. There was no letdown after the Gamecock easily dispatched undefeated LSU just four days prior. Carolina dominated the Gators 87-56 in Columbia behind 22 points from Zia Cooke. The Gamecocks put the game away in the second quarter when they held the Gators to only six points. Brea Beal had 14 points while Victaria Saxton had 11. Ashlyn Watkins was also in double figures with 12 points off the bench. The Gamecocks won the last game contest in Gainesville by a score of 62-50 in 2022.

Scouting the Gators

Kamilla Cardoso is finally going to get to pick on someone her own size. Ra Shaya Kyle is a 6'6 senior center that is playing her best basketball of her career. Don't get us wrong, she is not as talented as Cardoso but she should be able to provide some opposition. Kyle is averaging 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds a night in about 28 minutes per game. Kyle is not in the same category defensively as Cardoso.

The Gators leading scorer is 5'7 senior guard Aliyah Matharu. The Washington DC native is averaging 19 points a night but also is averaging nearly four turnovers a game. As a team Florida does not have a reliable three-point shooter and is hitting only 32% of their long range attempts.

The Gators best win was neutral site 82-65 win over Michigan. The Wolverines beat Ohio State last weekend. Florida has lost this season to both Tulsa and Marshall on the road. The rival Seminoles also defeated the Gators on their home court by a score of 79-75. The Gators enter Thursday's contest with a NET ranking of 43. As a team the Gators are turnover prone committing 170 in their first 12 games.

South Carolina's Non-Conference

The Gamecocks have the luxury of really not needing to worry about quality wins and other resume-type that is thrown around so often in March. That is usually the case when you finish the season 0-2 losses. Nonetheless, now that SEC play is set to begin let's take a look back at how South Carolina's non-conference opponents have faired thus far.

Carolina has one more non-SEC game before the NCAA Tournament on February 11th against UConn. The Huskies are currently 10-3 with an NET Ranking of 11. They are currently projected as a #3 seed by ESPN. A #3 seed that would get the benefit of playing their third-fourth round games in Albany, New York. The Huskies nearly fell out of the Top 20 after some early injuries, the main one being the loss of Azzi Fudd. The Huskies just routed Top 15 Marquette and appear to be playing much better.

The Bottom Tier Opponents:

Carolina has played four opponents with a NET below 100. Miss Valley State (1-12, NET 343 of 360), Morgan State (4-10, NET 302), PC (9-6, NET 279) *PC is currently projected as a #16 seed by ESPN and automatic qualifier by way of winning the Big South*, and Bowling Green (6-4, NET 139). The Falcons W/L record will improve. Three of their losses are to Iowa, Carolina, and Indiana. Fred Chmiel's Falcons will be a factor in MAC.

Solid Opponents but Not Ranked:

Clemson has not played as well as we expected. The Tigers are currently 8-6 and have a NET of 94. Carolina embarrassed Clemson 109-40. Clemson is looking like an NIT or worse team this season,

South Dakota State currently sits at 7-5 but the record is slightly misleading. The Jackrabbits have dropped games to the Gamecocks and to Washington State, Creighton, and Gonzaga (all teams ranked at the time). Their only other loss was a two point setback at Wisconsin. SD State's NET ranking is still a solid 81.

We told our readers at the time that East Carolina was the equivalent to a bottom third SEC team, which isn't that bad. The Pirates are 8-4 with an NET of 73. ECU will finish in the top three of the American.

Ranked Opponents at the Time:

USC holds victories over five schools that were ranked at the time the game was played. Three from the ACC, one from the Big Ten, and one from the PAC 12. Like in football, the PAC 12 is saving one of their best years for the league's finale. They currently have five teams ranked in the top 15, with the Utah Utes coming in about 15. They are projected to be a #4 seed and currently hold an NET ranking of 4.

Carolina's thre ACC victims were Tobacco Road foes Duke and UNC and Notre Dame. Carolina beat Tar Heel State opponents in back-to-back road games in December. UNC (9-4) is currently projected as an #8 seed with an NET of 47, while Duke (9-4) is projected to dance as a #10 seed. The Blue Devils' NET currently sits at 47. Notre Dame has one of the best freshman in the country in Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are 9-2 and projected as a #5 seed with an impressive NET of 6.

Turning to the Big Ten, the Gamecocks blitzed both Maryland in November. The Terps stand at 9-4 with an NET of 38. They are projected currently as a #10 seed by ESPN.

Prediction:

Look for the Gamecocks to break this game open with transition baskets off of turnovers as the Gators are prone to turning the ball over. Florida will be a step up from any competition the Gamecocks have played since Utah, (Florida is not as good as Utah), but this is still a game that Carolina should win relatively easily. Gamecocks 83-57.