When you're 19-0, facing a team you've beaten 20 times in a row and playing in an arena that you haven't lost in since 2013, getting complacent is a concern.
Unless you're the Gamecocks.
No. 1 South Carolina — also the Southeastern Conference's top-ranked scoring defense — pounded Alabama 85-54 in a physical, tooth and nail contest Thursday night while earning its eighth conference win.
South Carolina (20-0, 8-0 SEC) dissolved a two-point Alabama lead early in the first half, using a layup from senior center Elem Ibiam and a jumper from junior guard Khadijah Sessions to inch ahead.
From there, South Carolina's bench handled the rest.
Freshman guard A'ja Wilson entered the game along with sophomore center Alaina Coates and freshman guard Bianca Cuevas seven minutes into the contest and never relinquished the lead.
Wilson collected four points, a block and a defensive rebound in her first minute of action, Coates finished the game with her ninth double-double of the season and Cuevas led the team with five assists.
Coates collected 14 points on the night and grabbed 10 total rebounds, including nine defensively.
"I thought when we inserted Bianca [Cuevas] into the game, she really pushed the tempo up a little bit and got us some easy buckets," head coach Dawn Staley said. "And then we were able to set our defense up and play more of our speed. It took a while for us to get control of the game."
The Gamecocks used the substitution to spark a 10-0 run, pushing the game out of reach for the hapless Crimson Tide.
Once South Carolina was able to control the pace, its focus turned to what the team does best: outmuscling the competition and controlling the paint.
Forty-two of the Gamecocks' 85 points came in the paint where the Crimson Tide were no match for the sheer size of South Carolina's post players. The Gamecocks also outrebounded Alabama 37 to 22.
Alabama (12-11, 1-7 SEC) started three freshmen against South Carolina Thursday night, including two true freshmen. Freshmen guards Meoshonti Knight and Hannah Cook recorded eight and nine points, respectively, while redshirt freshman guard Karyla Middlebrook finished the match with 11 points.
Cook also chipped in with a team-high six rebounds.
With the victory, South Carolina is one step closer to a showdown with No. 2 University of Connecticut. But right now, Staley and the Gamecocks have their plates full with a conference that features six teams in the AP top 25.
"The talk and the anticipation of playing UConn is there, but we play in the best conference in the country," Staley said. "And we're going to be challenged every single night. So if that isn't enough to keep you focused, I don't know what is."
The Gamecocks have now won 20 games in a row and are also the owners of a home win streak that predates the 2014-15 season. The team's 8-0 start in conference play is also the best in school history.
South Carolina has turned on the afterburners and is leaving the rest of the SEC in its dust. But to get to where they want to go, Staley knows her team just needs to take it one day at a time.
"This team is just focused on the next challenge, and I don't think we're into the records; we're into the next challenge," she said. "Our next challenge is playing at Ole Miss ... and possibly getting another win on the road."