South Carolina outlasted No. 16 Vanderbilt on the road Sunday, which enabled tthe Gamecocks to grab a share of Texas A&M’s SEC lead after the Aggies fell to No. 10 Tennessee. And with South Carolina’s remaining opponents owning a 27-36 in-conference record thus far, the Gamecocks have a chance to control their own destiny.
With the win at Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks are off to their best start through 20 games in school history at 18-2.
Ole Miss (10-11, 1-6 SEC) will be the first team to visit No. 7 South Carolina (18-2, 6-1 SEC) during the Gamecocks’ two-game home stand. They will host Missouri Feb. 2.
The Rebels secured their fist SEC win over in-state rival Mississippi State last week and, in doing so, erased their five-game losing streak. Ole Miss opened up conference play with an 85-76 loss to Missouri, then proceeded to give up 94 and 93 points to Alabama and No. 10 Tennessee, respectively. Through seven SEC contests, the Rebels are surrendering an average of 81.6 points per game.
Although the Rebels’ recent struggles have been documented, head coach Dawn Staley isn’t exactly salivating at the thought of playing a bottom-tier SEC team.
“I find that whether you’re at home or away in this league, you have to be able to play and sustain yourself for 40 minutes,” Staley said. “And if you don’t, teams are going to make you pay for it.”
Currently in a transition stage, the Rebels are under the first-year leadership of head coach Matt Insell. The school has struggled to find a long-term solution since former head coach Adrian Wiggins was placed on administrative leave amid a recruiting investigation.
With Ole Miss giving up buckets by the handful, and the Gamecocks dominating in the paint — 46 of their 61 points at Vanderbilt came in the paint — South Carolina figures to improve upon their school-best 18-2 start. The Gamecocks also rank third in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing only 52.3 points per game.
The Gamecocks will look to contain junior forward Tia Faleru, who leads the team in rebounding with 88 offensive rebounds and 104 defensive rebounds. Faleru is second on the team in points, scoring 322, which is 23 behind point guard Valencia McFarland. Faleru posted 29 points and 15 rebounds in Ole Miss’ victory over Mississippi State.
So far this season, South Carolina has been lead by its play by centers Elem Ibiam and Alaina Coates. With both players listed at 6-foot-4, opponents have had trouble battling Ibiam and Coates for rebounds. Between the two of them, they own 292 total rebounds on the season.
Staley acknowledges the Gamecocks success in the post this season and suggests that it will continue.
“We have to somehow force it in there,” Staley said. “That is where our advantage is and that is where high-percentage basketball is for us. It’s worked for us all season long, and it has to continue.”
South Carolina will look to distance themselves from Texas A&M in the standings over these next few games. The Gamecocks will face Ole Miss (1-6 SEC), Missouri (2-5 SEC), Mississippi State (2-5 SEC) and Arkansas (2-5 SEC). Two out of the Aggies’ next three — No. 16 Vanderbilt and No. 14 LSU — opponents are ranked and both hold 5-2 records in conference play.