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

No. 6 South Carolina hits the road for the final time this season against Ole Miss. Find out how to watch and what to watch for.

1. Just Win
Dawn Staley said that several times on Wednesday, and I’m not just bringing that up because I wrote a story with that title last week.

It’s that time of season. Coaches always say they want to play their best basketball in March, and March is a day away.

Everybody needs to play their best basketball now,” Staley said. “You can’t wait until after Selection Sunday. You can’t wait until you’re in the finals of the SEC championship. It’s now.”

All of the Gamecocks’ goals are still attainable. Yes, they could use a little help (see number three below), and yes, the top seed in the SEC tournament could be decided by a wonderfully ridiculous coin flip, but it’s all still there if they just win. 

“Just win. At this stage of the game, it’s just about winning,” Staley said. “Ugly wins count just as much as pretty ones. You’ve got to bear down.”

2. Mighty Midlands
South Carolina’s two best players recently have been the homegrown kids, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards. 

Fulwiley, who tied her career-high with 24 points last time out, turned it up a notch about this time last season. Staley said Fulwiley is channelling recent frustrations the right way. That is especially true of her shot selection and getting to the rim.

“Playing her best basketball, t’s coming together for her,” Staley said. “She’s a competitor. Losses really bring out something. She’s more focused, she’s more efficient.”

Staley recently told Fulwiley that her speed is her superpower and that she was missing out on 6-8 points because she wasn’t shooting layups.

“She’s getting them now,” she said.

Edwards is about to experience March for the first time, but she doesn’t seem fazed by the pressure.

“It’s just a comfort thing,” she said. “Realizing the physicality and embracing it and just going out there and playing basketball.”

Win tickets to Senior Day, South Carolina-Kentucky women’s basketball game

3. Scoreboard-watching Guide
Previously, this was a bonus section. But partially because South Carolina doesn’t tip off until 9, it’s too important Thursday night. 

It starts with the second top 16 reveal at 6:30 on ESPN2. I expect the four one seeds to be UCLA, Southern Cal, Texas, and South Carolina. I don’t know in what order, but it doesn’t matter with that group because the two California schools will get sent to Tacoma, and the two SEC schools will get sent to Birmingham. 

I’ve seen a lot of so-called experts disagree, but we’ll find out Thursday evening.

Speaking of that, UConn and Notre Dame each play ranked opponents Thursday night. A loss would probably end their hopes of a one seed, so root for Creighton and Florida State.

Getting to the SEC: Texas plays at Mississippi State, aka the Vic Schaefer revenge game. South Carolina needs Mississippi State to pull off the upset.

No. 15 Kentucky hosts no. 11 Tennessee, and the Gamecocks should root for Kentucky. The Wildcats are ranked 22nd in the NET. South Carolina needs Kentucky to be in the top 25 for their game on March 2 to count as a Quad 1 win. A loss

Alabama hosts LSU, and an LSU loss would clinch a top-two seed for South Carolina (a South Carolina win would also clinch a top-two seed).

4. Availability Report
Ashlyn Watkins is Out for South Carolina.

Mariyah Noel is Probable for Ole Miss.

5. Scouting the Rebels
The scout on Ole Miss is pretty simple, but that doesn’t mean playing the Rebels is easy: Ole Miss defends like crazy but has trouble putting points on the scoreboard. 

The Rebels have put scares into teams like Southern Cal, UConn, NC State, Alabama, and Texas but ultimately fell short because they couldn’t get baskets in crunch time. 

Ole Miss relies on forcing turnovers that can be turned into easy baskets instead of having to execute a half-court offense. (Sound familiar?) The Rebels use a four-out lineup so they can apply defensive pressure, and average 11.9 steals per game and 23.5 points off of 21.6 turnovers.

“They can pressure a lot more at all five positions,” Staley said. “A lot. They want to be disruptive to your offense, they want to turn you over for easy buckets. They rebound the heck out of the basketball, so they give themselves a chance to win.”

Ole Miss has four players averaging double figures, and KK Deans, perhaps the most dangerous scorer, is averaging 8.8 points. But there isn’t a go-to scorer that can get a bucket when needed.

The Ws
Who: #6 South Carolina (25-3, 13-1) at Ole Miss (18-8, 9-5)
When: 9:00 ET, Thursday, February 27
Where: SJB Pavilion, Oxford, MS
Watch: ESPN

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