South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch - Liberty

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1. Point guard

There’s been some good, and some really good, from Kierra Fletcher and Raven Johnson so far, but also some areas for concern. Let’s recap.

Through eight games, Fletcher averages 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in just 14.8 minutes per game. She has improved noticeably since the beginning of the season, which she attributed to finally being able to practice after some nagging offseason injuries. Fletcher is back to playing good defense and has become more patient offensively (the UCLA game is Exhibit A), taking the shots the defense gives her instead of forcing poor shots. 

However, Fletcher has just 11 assists against 10 turnovers and has yet to make a three-pointer this season (0-6). She still needs to get better at setting up her teammates, and eventually, opponents will take away her midrange looks and force her to shoot from behind the arc.

Johnson averages 2.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in just 14.5 minutes. She leads the Gamecocks in assists despite limited playing time and only has 11 turnovers. Johnson has also been a pesky defender, grabbing nine steals (second on the team) and blocking four shots. Her point guard instincts are obvious.

But Johnson is a miserable 9-34 shooting the ball, including 2-17 from three. She’s taken the second-most threes on the team, so confidence is not an issue. As long as she is missing, it limits her effectiveness. It often looks like Johnson is bothered by her knee brace, but you also suspect she just needs to see the ball go through the net a few times to get back on track.

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2. Rest or rust?

Fletcher and Johnson have had a week of practice to fine-tune some things, but they’ve also had finals to contend with. Dawn Staley said the week is stressful and the focus isn’t always on basketball.

“You feel like their minds are divided on the court and off the court, it’s hard to compartmentalize during finals week, especially when you’re trying to do well,” Staley said. “We force them to lock in and be with us for the two hours that we dedicate to practice.”

It’s never quite clear how the team will perform in the first game back, and the classic rest versus rust argument plays a role. Fortunately, Liberty offers a way to ease back into the season.

3. Come on Kamilla

Kamilla Cardoso got a nice gift to start finals when she was named SEC Player of the Week. She averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds last week and tied her Gamecock career-high against UCLA then set a new high against Memphis. 

Cardoso had a double-double in two of the last three games and was just one rebound short against UCLA. Cardoso showed flashes last season, most notably against Miami in the NCAA tournament, but this is easily the most productive stretch Cardoso has had since she was a freshman at Syracuse. It’s no coincidence that it came after a DNP-CD against Cal Poly, and Staley hopes that message was picked up by everyone.

“Kamilla has turned the page,” Staley said. “She’s been consistent over the last couple of games. If it can work for Kamilla it can work for anybody.”

From the South Carolina game notes, during this span, Cardoso is averaging 5.3 points per game from putting back her own missed shots. 

Cardoso has also benefitted from better passing from her team. It seems obvious to throw high passes to the 6-7 center, but the Gamecocks haven’t done it well until recently. Johnson has been a big part of that, with Staley saying their “connection is real.” Aliyah Boston has also improved, and the two of them can play over the top of most opponents.

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4. Traffic changes

During exam week the new Greene Street bridge beside Colonial Life Arena opened. With the bridge open, Devine Street is now closed at the railroad tracks. This changes how many people will get to the Arena. 

Fans will no longer be able to get to the arena from Huger Street by taking Devine Street past Palmetto Pig. They will have to turn onto Greene Street one block up. 

Greene Street will be closed in front of the arena, and Gadsden Street will be closed behind the arena, meaning all traffic that comes over the bridge will have to turn right. 

Based on the number of people on a normal game day who stop for invisible stop signs and are surprised that “permit only parking” means you need a permit to park, expect traffic to be extremely slow Sunday.

5. Scouting the Flames

Fun fact: this is the first time Liberty has faced the no. 1 team in the country since 2014, also against the Gamecocks. The Flames lost that game 84-44.

Liberty is led by 6-3 senior post Mya Berkman. She is averaging 14.6 points and 8.0 rebounds this season, and had 26 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Minnesota, Liberty’s lone power conference opponent this season.

“They run pretty good offense,” Staley said. “They shot threes and they’ve got a big inside (Berkman) that is shooting over 60%. They seem like Legos. They just fit with each other.”

Berkman is actually shooting 69.1%, which is pretty impressive. She holds the rare distinction of shooting better from the floor than the foul line (68.4%). 

Staley may have oversold Liberty’s three-point prowess some. The Flames are hitting just 27.6% from three, worse than South Carolina’s 27.9%, but they average over 23 attempts per game. That’s a big jump from the 15-per-game South Carolina shoots. 

Staley wants South Carolina to play fast to disrupt Liberty’s offense and let the Gamecocks’ athletic advantage take over. 

The Ws

Who: #1 South Carolina (8-0) vs Liberty (3-4)

When: 2:00 pm, Sunday, December 11

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network +

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