Women’s basketball coming off record-setting regular season with several individual honors
As South Carolina prepares for its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, experience is on the team’s side.
But the No. 17 Gamecocks (24-7, 11-5 SEC) expect a number of challenges, in particular the altitude in Boulder, Colo., where they will take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (25-7, 14-2 Summit) Saturday afternoon.
Last year, USC exited the NCAA Tournament with a loss in the Sweet 16. But the Gamecocks defeated Purdue at its home court to advance out of the Round of 32. Still, coach Dawn Staley said experience alone will not carry the team against a talented SDSU squad.
“We’re not going to solely rely on that,” Staley said. “We have to show up and play.”
The Gamecocks enter the tournament after one of the most successful regular seasons in their history. The team set a record with 11 conference wins, and several players received individual accolades.
Senior guard Ieasia Walker was honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the first such award in program history, and she was named to the First Team All-SEC. Guard Tiffany Mitchell was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Staley said the program’s successful year has given the Gamecocks extra motivation.
“Kids are tangible beings,” Staley said. “Winning and being in the spotlight is something that they like to do. When they find that they’re successful with things, it’s a little easier to coach. It’s a little easier to motivate. It’s a little easier to wake up and practice every single day.”
Mitchell admitted to being “a little nervous” to play in the high-pressure environment of the NCAA Tournament. But according to Staley, this year’s team is good at focusing on one game at a time and staying in the moment.
Offense has been a concern for the Gamecocks throughout the season, with USC averaging just over 60 points per game. That total ranks 13th of 14 teams in the SEC. South Carolina also ranks 11th in field goal percentage and last in free-throw percentage.
“I don’t know if we’ll hit a shot or a free throw, but I know we’ll defend and we’ll disrupt a little bit,” Staley said. “I think it’s going to come down to us being able to knock down shots.”
South Carolina has succeeded this season on the strength of its defense, which will face a challenge in a South Dakota State team Staley described as hard-nosed and gritty.
The Gamecocks have never faced the Jackrabbits, who also played in last year’s NCAA Tournament but lost to Purdue in the first round. South Dakota State is currently riding a six-game winning streak and won the Summit League Championships earlier this month.
Mitchell said the Gamecocks have not changed their game plan to accommodate the difficult playing conditions in Boulder.
“We can’t get in Colorado shape in three days, but we’re just going to try to play our game, and hopefully it doesn’t affect us,” Mitchell said.
The team has embraced the win-or-go-home nature of the tournament and is prepared to play to its strengths against SDSU.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to do the things we’ve done all year long that made us successful,” Staley said. “That’s defend, rebound and hopefully score more points than they do.”