The Daily Gamecock

Looking for a four-peat: Gamecocks travel to Nashville for SEC Tournament

The three-time reigning SEC Tournament champions head to Nashville on Friday looking for similar success, but it won't be an easy feat for the South Carolina women's basketball team. 

The Gamecocks have lofty goals ahead as they begin their postseason runs. Head coach Dawn Staley has emphasized the importance of wanting her team to successfully compete.

“If we can set our defense up, then we're pretty good,” Staley said. “It’s just a lot of ball turnovers that create a lot of easy baskets for us.” 

South Carolina can only focus on what is right in front of them, as their first opponent for the tournament remains unknown. As the No. 2 seed, the Gamecocks will face the winner of the Tennessee-Auburn game at 7 p.m. on Friday. 

Not only do the Gamecocks not have the No. 1 seed as they have the past few years, but they will be playing with limited players. SEC Player of the Year A'ja Wilson may be unavailable for the tournament, as she did not play in the regular season finale against Tennessee on Sunday due to vertigo. The Gamecocks were down to just eight players in Sunday's contest due to injuries. 

Wilson has suffered from this in the past, which has hurt her playing ability. If South Carolina is unable to have its senior back, then Staley says they will just have to continue and move forward. Staley did mention during practice on Wednesday that Wilson will travel with the team to Nashville, but her availability to play is yet to be determined. With that in mind, the Gamecocks will have to mentally escape the challenge of potentially not having their playmaker on the court despite her strong desire to play. 

For South Carolina (12-4), there will be some refocusing to be able to go into such a tough competition in the SEC.

"It’s still a day-to-day thing so we’re going day to day with it, and if we’re without her services, we’re just going to have to continue,” Staley said.

One of the main focuses for the team will be capitalizing on rebounds and not giving up too many turnovers, which has been a huge problem in their final few games. Ty Harris wants her team to succeed and believes that one way is for her to prepare selflessly first. 

“Probably just getting healthy and getting back to normal,” Harris expresses regarding what she is going to do to prepare for the upcoming tournament. “Not being so tired, being focused and getting locked in again.”

The Gamecocks road to four-time SEC Tournament champions will begin on Friday at 7 p.m.


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