South Carolina women's basketball: All you need to know before SEC play begins
Conference play in the SEC begins this week. Get caught up on the rest of the league before South Carolina opens league play on Thursday.
Standings
LSU 15-0
Tennessee 12-0
Alabama 13-1
Miss. State 13-1
Texas 13-1
Vanderbilt 13-1
S. Carolina 12-1
Oklahoma 12-1
Kentucky 11-1
Auburn 9-4
Ole Miss 9-3
Missouri 11-4
Florida 9-5
Texas A&M 7-5
Georgia 8-6
Arkansas 7-8
Biggest surprise
Kentucky or Tennessee
It’s hard to pick between these two. Kentucky was terrible last season and already has two wins against ranked teams this season. Tennessee was decent last season, but nobody knew what to expect from the Lady Vols this season and they have gone undefeated, albeit against a weaker schedule.
Both teams will face a significant step up in competition in league play. Tennessee will also lose coach Kim Caldwell to maternity leave sometime near the start of conference play.
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Biggest disappointment
Texas A&M
The Aggies were expected to take a step back from last season’s tournament squad, but not this bad. The season began with an embarrassing loss to TexasA&M-Corpus Christi and things have only gotten worse since then. It could be a long season.
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Player of the Year
Preseason: Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU; Aneesa Morrow, LSU; Madison Booker, Texas
Midseason: Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
There is no shortage of candidates, so we get to be picky. That means Johnson and Morrow are disqualified because of LSU’s joke of a schedule up to this point. Booker hasn’t done anything to disappoint, but some others have been even more impressive. Honorable mention to Vanderbilt’s Kamil Pierre, Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, and Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers, all of whom are having fantastic seasons. But Cooper has been a revelation at Tennessee and a reminder that fit matters. Cooper struggled to find a role at South Carolina, but Caldwell’s wide-open, fast-paced system is perfect for Cooper: it accentuates what Cooper does best while masking her weaknesses.
Freshman of the Year
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
By the end of the season, I expect this to be a toss-up between Blakes and South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards. But for now, Blakes gets the nod thanks to a torrid start to her career. She is averaging 19.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 steals.
Coach of the Year
Kenny Brooks or Kim Caldwell
Again it’s a tossup between the two coaches. The eventual winner will likely be whoever has a better conference season. Both teams still have enough question marks that it wouldn’t be shocking if they fall flat in SEC play.
