South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch - No. 15 Kentucky

South Carolina wraps up the regular season against Kentucky on Senior Day. Find out how to watch and what to watch for.

1. What’s at stake?
A lot.

The Gamecocks are playing for their fourth consecutive and ninth overall SEC regular season championship. South Carolina can clinch with a win or if South Carolina loses and Texas loses to Florida. If both teams win, they would both claim the regular season championship (the SEC only breaks ties for tournament seeding.

If both South Carolina and Texas win, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will flip a coin at halftime of the LSU-Ole Miss game to determine the top seed.

South Carolina is also playing for a one seed in the NCAA tournament. The Gamecocks dropped off the top seed line in the top 16 reveal on Thursday but presumably moved back up after Notre Dame lost to Florida State. Beating Kentucky would solidify that position.

Kentucky is already locked into the fourth seed in the SEC tournament, but the Wildcats are playing for NCAA seeding as well. The Wildcats were a four seed in the top 16 reveal, but would solidify a three seed with a win.

Sunday’s game is sold out, raising the season average to 17,028. The two postseason games count towards the attendance average, but South Carolina is poised to break the NCAA attendance record. Kevin Miller will have more on Sunday morning.

Finally, it’s Senior Day. Te-Hina Paopao and Sakima Walker walked for Senior Day last season but elected to return for their extra COVID year. They will be recognized but not with a full senior day celebration. 

Bree Hall, Sania Feagin, and Raven Johnson, the members of the 2021 signing class (along with Saniya Rivers, who transferred after their freshman season), will be recognized with the full Senior Day ceremony. 

Johnson has another year of eligibility left because she redshirted due to an ACL injury during their freshman season. She has not announced whether she will use the extra year, but she wants to walk with her classmates.

Got all that?

“We’re going to be celebrating our seniors, obviously, but it always seems like it’s a game in which we’ve got to win,” Dawn Staley said. “So we’ve got to go out there and win the game and compartmentalize. Celebrate them when it’s time to celebrate them. When the game is up, it’s a business game for us.”

2. Peak at the right time
It’s March, which means there is no time left to prepare for, well, March. The Gamecocks need to play their best, and that mostly boils down to one thing: shot selection.

“We know what the culprits are when we’re (struggling),” Staley said. “We’ve got to take expected shots. It forces us to get back on defense or get offensive rebounds. When that doesn’t happen, it favors our opponent, and they took advantage of it.”

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3. More on Chloe Kitts’ triple-double
On Thursday, Chloe Kitts recorded the ninth triple-double in program history with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kitts said it was the first triple-double she had ever had at any level, and even though she is a good passer, she’d never had 10 assists before.

“What I’m really proud of with Chloe is she’s an adult now,” Staley said. “She’s grown. Her habits are grown-like. Her communication is great. She’s really not been here very long for her to get it. So I think that’s what I’m most proud of. Her game is maturing as well. So I’m super proud when people pour into their game, and with good habits, you set yourself up to have these type of moments but also just playing the right way moments.”

Watching on television, it appeared that Staley called a timeout in the fourth quarter specifically to get the tenth assist. Kitts confirmed that was the case.

“Yeah, it was,” Kitts said. “I was supposed to pop out and get it and Joyce was supposed to post up and it worked out.”

As soon as Edwards scored and the triple-double was in hand, Kitts immediately signaled to the bench for a sub.

“I was tired,” she said.

4. Availability Report
Ashlyn Watkins is out for South Carolina. Sakima Walker is also Out. There was no indication she was injured.

Jordan Obi is out for Kentucky.

5. Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky has been one of the best surprises of the season, and Kenny Brooks should win SEC Coach of the Year and possibly national Coach of the Year.

The Wildcats are coming off a thrashing of Tennessee, which was a much-needed win. After starting the season 19-2 and 8-1 in the SEC, they were just 2-3 over the past five games – a stretch where the Wildcats finally played the SEC’s other top teams.

Kentucky has won with an extremely efficient offense and a shot-blocking defense (SEC-best 7.0 per game). 

“They play really connected,” Staley said. “(Tennessee’s) pressure didn’t bother them. They passed through it. They hit shots, they play comfortable, and they’re the type of team in which, if you allowed them to play comfortable, they’ll pick you apart. Great guard play. Great vision out there. Not a whole lot of disruption, and when you don’t disrupt a team like that that can hang 100 on you easily, it’s a hard night.”

Georgia Amoore, who followed Brooks from Virginia Tech, is a player of the year candidate. She is averaging 18.9 points and 7.0 assists (league-high). Clara Strack, another former Hokie, averages 15.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. 

But in losses, opponents have been able to disrupt Kentucky’s offense, beginning with Amoore. She only shot over 33% in one of Kentucky’s five losses and twice shot below 28% and averaged 5.2 assists in the losses.

The Ws
Who: #6 South Carolina (26-3, 14-1) vs #15 Kentucky (22-5, 11-4)
When: 2:00 ET, Sunday, March 2 (Doors open at 12:30)
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: ESPN

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