Who: #1 South Carolina (26-1, 14-1) vs. Ole Miss (22-6, 10-5)
Time/TV: 2:00 PM SEC Network
Line: Not one as of the time of this writing. Best guess SC -14.5, Total 128.5
History: All-time SC leads 26-17, AD, (After Dawn), SC leads 16-2. SC leads 9-8 in Oxford. The Gamecocks have won the last 14 meetings.
Last Meeting: January 27, 2022, South Carolina 69-40 in Columbia. The Gamecocks destroyed the Rebels and Ole Miss Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin told the media afterwards that her team appeared intimidated by the size of the Colonial Life Arena crowd and that they "got their ass kicked."
Another Senior Night
Today's game will be the third straight game that the Gamecocks have been involved in a senior night. Last time out, South Carolina sent Gary Blair out to pasture with a 41-point beatdown of his Aggies. Today in Oxford, Ole Miss will honor senior center, and likely top 5 WNBA draft pick, Shakira Austin. The Gamecocks and Victoria Saxton held Austin in check during their last meeting to the tune of 15 points and 7 boards on 5-18 shooting. Austin ranks 4th in the SEC in rebounding, (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots, (1.9 bpg). During the last meeting in January, Austin did not guard Aliyah Boston. Boston brutalized the Rebels during that game, doing most of her damage from the foul line, (11-12 FTs). Ole Miss does not have anyone else on their roster with the size to battle Boston on the glass. The Rebels can not risk Austin picking up early fouls trying to guard Boston.
Ole Miss has won their last 4 games, although Arkansas was their only foe during that stretch with a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels have lost their last 3 SEC home games against ranked teams. McPhee-McCuin's squad's best win this season was a neutral site victory over South Florida in December. The Rebels are the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. They will rely on Angel Baker and Madison Scott to score and take some pressure off of Austin.
Motivation?
Frankly, the Gamecocks do not have much on the line today. They could lose today and would still likely finish #1 in the NET, the AP, and would be the tournament's top overall seed. Dawn Staley's team has already clinched the outright SEC Championship and the #1 seed in next week's SEC Tournament. Aliyah Boston still has her double-double streak intact. She is just one of just 4 players in NCAA D1 history to have a streak of 20 consecutive double-double's in a single season. Boston could run her number as high as 30 this season if the Gamecocks make it to the national championship game. Today's game will give Boston another chance to cement herself as the national player of the year.
Look for Staley to continue to experiment with different lineups off the bench with future likely opponents in mind. The Gamecocks currently lead the nation with a +17.8 rebounding margin. South Carolina has cut down on turnovers in the month of February. The Gamecocks are averaging 12.1 turnovers a game over their last 5 contests, nearly 3 less than their first 21 games of the season.
