PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB concludes regular season with battle at South Carolina

Coming off a huge win at Memorial Coliseum against No. 11 Tennessee, Kentucky Women’s Basketball has some momentum heading into Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday. There, the Cats take on the Gamecocks in their final matchup of the regular season before learning their role in the SEC Tournament.

Get to know the Gamecocks before the game with KSR’s game preview.

Bio Blast

South Carolina has been widely considered one of the best basketball teams in the nation for years now, thanks to Dawn Staley and her dominant coaching style. It wasn’t until recently that UConn defeated the Gamecocks for the first time in Colonial Life Arena for a whopping 71 games. Thankfully, the Huskies proved that South Carolina can be beaten at home. Since Kentucky is heading into Columbia off of a huge win over Tennessee, it’s likely the momentum could help the Cats pull out a win.

Last season, Kentucky was defeated by South Carolina, in Columbia, 98-36. The Cats played the Gamecocks again at the end of the season, and lost 103-55. Fortunately, things are different now. The Cats have the best chance they’ve had in years to come out of Columbia with a historic win. Kentucky barely trails the all-time series, 41-35. But since Staley made her way into South Carolina, the Cats have struggled to overcome her style of play. The last time the Cats defeated the Gamecocks in Columbia was Feb. 21, 2019, 65-57. Almost five years to the day, Kentucky has the chance to make history, and finish the regular season with a 23-win record for the first time since 2019.

South Carolina boasts the twelfth ranked scoring offense in the country, reaching 80.6 points per game. The Gamecocks are only allowing 57.1 points per game, giving them one of the largest offense-defense differentials in the league. The team is also averaging only 12.1 turnovers per game, putting them at the 15th lowest in the NCAA. While it’ll be tough for Kentucky to pull this one out, there’s no doubt that they can go into Columbia and leave with a victory.

South Carolina Projected Starters

• #0 – G Te-Hina PaoPao
• #5 – G Tessa Johnson
• #8 – F Joyce Edwards
• #12 – G MiLaysia Fulwiley
• #21 – F Chloe Kitts

Scouting Report

When you look at the stat sheet, there isn’t any one particular player for South Carolina that really jumps out. There isn’t a 20 points per game scorer or anyone who grabs 10 rebounds per game, but that’s the thing. Everything they do is by committee, and that committee just happens to be made up of a plethora of McDonald’s All Americans.

Freshman Joyce Edwards leads the way in the scoring column, averaging 13.2 points per game on 56.7% shooting from the field, also grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. MiLaysia Fulwiley has improved on her freshman campaign, now posting 12.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

There’s also Te-Hina Paopao, perhaps the most pro-ready player at Dawn Staley’s disposal. The 5-foot-9 senior guard averages 10.1 points, 2.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds and she is shooting 38.6% from deep this season. A year ago, she shot 46.8%, which was tops in the country. Her innate ability to knock it down from deep is her trademark, why she’s going to be a headache for Kenny Brooks and Kentucky defensively.

South Carolina Gamecocks Roster

Projected Kentucky Starters

#3 – Georgia Amoore

5-FOOT-6 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

18.9 PPG – 7.0 APG – 2.1 RPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

11.7 PPG – 8.3 RPG – 1.7 BPG

#10 – Dazia Lawrence

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – REDSHIRT SENIOR

12.9 PPG – 2.3 RPG – 2.2 APG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – SOPHOMORE

15.0 PPG – 9.6 RPG – 2.7 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-3 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

9.2 PPG – 8.1 RPG – 2.0 APG

Initial Availability Report

Starting this season in conference play, SEC teams are required to release an availability report, listing players and their injury statuses for their upcoming game.

Here is the initial report for Kentucky-South Carolina:

The final availability report will be available closer to game time.

**Note: Kentucky’s Dominika Paurová is not listed as “Out” because she is completely exempt from the season due to an ACL tear she suffered in the offseason. Jordan Obi, who also suffered a lower leg injury in the summer, may return to the hardwood this season, hence why her name appears on the availability report.**

How to Watch/Listen

Place	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, South Carolina)	2 p.m. ET	ESPN (Roy Philpott and Carolyn Peck)	630 WLAP, 790 WKRD (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

Follow Along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG

Unable to watch the game? Don’t worry — we’ll be providing real-time updates throughout to keep you informed on the action. Follow along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG, which will get rolling on the website an hour before the game starts.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).