South Carolina women's basketball looks to guarantee a share of the Southeastern Conference's regular-season title Sunday, hosting the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels. The Gamecocks can clinch the conference tournament's first seed with a win.
Following an uncharacteristic overtime loss on the road to No. 16 Oklahoma, South Carolina has knocked off four top-25 ranked opponents in its last seven games. Two of those wins have been over teams ranked in the top 10. The Gamecocks have the best overall record (26-2) and best record in conference play (12-1) in the SEC.
The Rebels currently are the sixth seed in the SEC following a loss at home to No. 7 LSU. At a record of 21-7 overall and 8-5 in conference play, Ole Miss hopes to hold on to a top-eight seed in the SEC Tournament, which would grant it a first-round bye.
The loss to LSU was the Rebels' first at home this season after they were previously a perfect 12-0. The team’s success has been directly influenced by its environment, as Mississippi’s 4–4 road record makes it the only top-eight seed in the conference under .500 away from home. The Gamecocks' last home game, a 43-point route of No. 19 Tennessee, fostered a crowd of over 16,000 fans.
Head coach Dawn Staley's squad will also have the advantage of rest time over Mississippi. Due to inclement weather, the Rebel's Jan. 26 matchup with Tennessee was postponed to Tuesday, Feb. 17. Ole Miss then hosted the Tigers Thursday, and now they will head to Columbia for Sunday's game.
"We're playing all these games in these amount of days," head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin said. "One day rest? We can't even practice tomorrow."
Leading the team against Tennessee was senior forward Cotie McMahon, who scored 39 points on the night, with 23 in the second half alone. She also added 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. The team earned a 94-81 victory over the No. 21 Lady Volunteers in that game. On continuing to finish the season strong, McPhee-McCuin emphasized the difficulty of such a task.
"This will be harder than even the NCAA tournament," McPhee-McCuin said. "No other team in the country has this schedule that we have right now."
South Carolina will be the final ranked opponent for Mississippi this season, which will take on Florida and Texas A&M to close out the regular season.
Comparatively, the Gamecocks will have played five ranked opponents in their final six games by the end of the season. Consecutive victories over No. 19 Tennessee, No. 6 LSU and No. 25 Alabama extended the team's win streak to six entering Sunday's game.
Most recently, the team earned a 76-57 victory over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards' 23 points and 12 rebounds led the way, accompanied by senior center Madina Okot's 17th double-double of the season.
"We want to win the SEC outright," Staley said. "We have to beat a hot Ole Miss team at home, and then I don't even know the schedule after that."
South Carolina secured its 25th consecutive win over Alabama, and Staley preserved an undefeated record against the Tide. The Gamecocks now sit one win away from at least a share of the SEC's regular-season title.
Mississippi is allowing 59.4 points per game this season, the fifth-best mark in the conference. South Carolina comes in first in the SEC, allowing 56.3 points per game. Additionally, the Gamecocks are forcing teams to shoot 33.6% from the field this season, the second-best mark in the nation and the best mark in the SEC.
No SEC team has shot better from beyond the arc than South Carolina this season, nor has any team defended the 3-point line better. Nationwide, the team ranks second among all Power Four schools in allowed 3-point percentage at 26.2%.
A stoppable force meets an immovable object this Sunday, as Mississippi's 27.6% success rate from three is the worst mark in the SEC.
The Gamecocks have defeated the Rebels in 20 consecutive games, with their last loss to Ole Miss coming in March 2010. Of those 20 victories, 18 have come by double-digits. South Carolina leads the all-time series 32-17.