South Carolina takes on Georgia Sunday afternoon in Athens. It will be South Carolina’s first game since the dramatic win over Mississippi State nearly a week ago.
1. More awards
South Carolina players picked up more awards and honors this week. Tyasha Harris was named the SEC Player of the Week, her first time winning the award. Harris had 11 points and five assists against Missouri, and then 23 points and seven assists in the win over Mississippi State. Harris is five assists shy of tying the South Carolina career record.
Aliyah Boston surprisingly did not win her fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor despite her 21-point, 12-rebound performance against Mississippi State. But Thursday she earned a bigger honor - she was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Team. Boston is one of just two SEC players on the list (Jordan Danberry is the other), and is the only freshman. Boston leads the SEC and is tenth in the country in blocks per game (2.9) and is averaging 12.2 rebounds in SEC games.
Turning to future Gamecocks, signee Eniya Russell was selected to be a McDonald’s All-American. Russell is a 6-0 combo guard from Baltimore. She was only ranked 43rd by HoopGurlz, but her stock has been rising during her senior season. She is averaging 14.9 points per game this season. Russell joins current Gamecocks Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, and Destiny Littleton as McDonald’s All-Americans. The McDonald’s All-American game will be played April 1 in Houston.
2. Defensive deficiencies?
There was concern after the Mississippi State game about South Carolina’s struggles on defense, particularly the inability to stop the Bulldogs’ guards from getting into the paint off the dribble. Cooke even said they would have to go “back to the drawing board” on defense. Staley, too, observed that the Bulldogs had no trouble getting to the rim.
So what happened to a defense that was previously so strong and that just a few weeks earlier had everyone raving? Matchups. When South Carolina was holding Rhyne Howard and Chelsea Dungee in check, it was able to use Beal and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to funnel dribble drives to a predetermined spot, where Boston or Victaria Saxton was waiting. That didn’t work against Mississippi State because Boston and Saxton were glued to Jessika Carter, the Bulldogs’ center. They weren’t going to chase blocked shots and leave Carter open for easy layups, and it worked, Carter had just two points and one rebound. It was notable that Mississippi State’s last shot attempt of the game was the one time Boston left Carter to stop a drive, and Danberry had to force a mid-range shot three defenders, barely drawing iron.
“I don’t think anybody drives as hard as Mississippi State,” Dawn Staley said. “We try to keep people in front of us and get rotation behind that. When we brought our big over against Mississippi State we got pretty good rotation behind that and they coughed it up a few times.”
That doesn’t absolve the Gamecock guards of their performance.
“The screens are the most difficult part,” Cooke said. “I’ve never gotten hit with so many screens until I got to college.”
3. No letdown
South Carolina is in the middle of a somewhat strange stretch of the schedule. There are huge games against Mississippi State, Tennessee, and UConn alternating with games against the bottom of the SEC. Georgia isn’t in that bottom group of Ole Miss, Florida, and Missouri, but this is a game that South Carolina should win. That creates the scenario for the dreaded letdown.
This game isn’t circled on South Carolina’s schedule, as the saying goes, but Georgia circled it. They are planning a blackout, asking all fans to wear black (I would hope the Bulldogs are going to wear black at home, otherwise the Gamecocks will be in their customary black road uniforms). Staley addressed the issue by not addressing it, treating the game the same way the coaches treated Mississippi State. They players say they are buying it, although we won’t know for sure until Sunday afternoon.
“I think we just have to prepare the same way we prepare for any other game,” Boston said. “There’s always been a target on our back, and we just need to push ourselves to get better.”
4. Injury report
Victaria Saxton sprained her ankle against Mississippi State, missing the end of the game. When Staley spoke to the media Friday, Saxton had yet to return to practice, but was improving. The plan was to have her test it in practice Saturday, and then decide Sunday if she can play. Saxton is averaging 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and about a block per game. She is the primary backup to Boston at center and a strong defender. If Saxton can’t play, expect Laeticia Amihere to play more at center, and perhaps LeLe Grissett play some power forward.
5. Scouting the Bulldogs
Georgia is coming off its biggest win of the season, a 64-55 win at #20 Arkansas. The Bulldogs had been playing tough basketball all season, but an inability to score had repeatedly done them in. They are averaging just 63.9 points per game, third worst in the SEC. The Bulldogs do defend well, holding opponents to just 59.3 points. That sets up a conflict of styles, as the Gamecocks want to push the tempo and get fast break buckets, while the Bulldogs will try to be more deliberate and win a close game.
“They’re going to challenge us to match up with them quickly(on defense),” Staley said. “Transition is the biggest thing, and their ability to put pressure on the ball.”
Gabby Connally is the only Bulldog averaging double figure scoring, at 12.4 points. She is a good three-point shooter, at 34.5 percent. Aside from Connally, ten Bulldogs average double-digit minutes per game, as coach Joni Taylor mixes and matches lineups.
The Ws
Who: #1 South Carolina (18-1, 6-0) at Georgia (12-7, 3-3)
When: Sunday, January 26, 3:00 pm
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens GA
Watch: SEC Network
