Who: #6 South Carolina vs. #14 Maryland. Columbia, SC.

Time/TV: 1:00 on ABC. The Gamecocks will be followed by UConn at NC State at 3:00 for those interested.

Line: SC -12.5 Total 143.5

History: South Carolina leads 5-2. Carolina is 5-1 against Maryland under Coach Dawn Staley. The series is tied 1-1 for games contested in Columbia. The Gamecocks have won five of the last six meetings including.

Last Meeting: The Gamecocks and Terrapins met twice last season with Carolina posting a pair of double-digit wins. After an 81-56 regular-season win in College Park (Nov. 11), the Gamecocks advanced to the 2023 NCAA Final Four with an 86-75 victory in Greenville, S.C on March 27th. In the Elite 8 game, Carolina overcame a sluggish first quarter behind 22 points and 10 rebounds from WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Terps 48-26.

Maryland is projected to finish fourth in the B1G in coach Brenda Frese's 22nd year in College Park. Junior guard Shyanne Sellers was a first-team All-B1G selection. Sellers had 11 points and six assists in the Elite 8 game last season. Sellers will be relied on to replace some of the scoring lost by the departure for Diamond Miller, (2nd overall WBNA Draft Pick) and Abby Meyers.

Like most teams, Maryland does not have an ideal defensive matchup for Kamilla Cardoso. Faith Masonius could be the one guarding Cardoso on Sunday. Cardoso has a six-inch height advantage. Last season, Kamilla shot a combined 10-of-15 in two games against the Terps.

Brinae Alexander is a player familiar with the Gamecocks. She is in her sixth season of the college basketball and second at College Park. Alexander played four seasons at Vanderbilt prior to transferring. She has never beaten the Gamecocks. Alexander, a 6'0 foot guard, scored 15 points in Maryland's season opening win against Harvard. All of her points came on three-point shots (5-8).

Maryland will need a big season out of Jakia Brown-Turner, the NC State Graduate Transfer to contend in the B1G. Maryland has advanced to the round of the 16 in the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons. If they are going to make four straight years, they will need Brown-Turner to play a key role.

First up, before the game, the Gamecocks will retire Tiffany Mitchell's jersey, who was the program’s first SEC Player of the Year. The three-time All-American and 2015 Dawn Staley Award winner led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Final Four in 2015. She was part of the program’s first SEC Regular-Season Championship in 2014, she would lead the Gamecocks to two more by the end of her career, and its first two SEC Tournament titles in 2015 and 2016. Mitchell was taken in the first round of the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. Mtichell just completed her first season with the Minnesota Lynx.

While one game is far too early judge, South Carolina's depth looks as good as last season. The ball handling was improved as well. Carolina ranks among the nation’s best in scoring offense (14th, 100.0 ppg), field goal percentage (15th, .544), assists per game (2nd, 29.0), blocks per game (1st, 11.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (14th, 2.07) and bench points per game (22nd, 41.0).

Today is the home opener for the Gamecocks. South Carolina is 38-9 in home openers. Since the opening of Colonial Life Arena for the 2002-03 season, the Gamecocks are 19-2. Under Staley, USC is 13-2 in home openers, including wins in the last 12.

This could easily be a “jet lagged” induced trap game with a young Gamecock team overconfident after trouncing Notre Dame. Carolina is still more talented and isn’t losing a home opener. Gamecock 81-69.