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

South Carolina returns to the court following exam break when it hosts USF on Sunday. Find out what to watch for and how to watch.

1. Need a break?
After South Carolina routed TCU for its second straight top-ten win, I wondered if the exam break and the upcoming Christmas break would disrupt the Gamecocks’ hot streak. 

Apparently, the Gamecocks had no such concerns.

“It was taxing. I was tired,” Dawn Staley said. “I was tired. Like, I look forward to this break. I look forward to our Christmas break, although I know we’ve got a few more games to play. I think our players have really locked in. I know they have to be exhausted physically, mentally, and welcome the break that’s coming up, but they still want to approach each game and play to our standard.”

Bree Hall wasn’t as tired, probably the benefit of being about 30 years younger. But she said the first 10 games reminded her of the 2021-22 season, when it felt like every opponent was ranked in the top 15.

“It’s kind of like my freshman year,” she said. My freshman year our schedule was similar to how it is right now. It takes me back to there, how it was really tough games back-to-back-to back, but we’re playing really well.”

I made the same observation last week and wrote about how playing such a challenging schedule makes it hard for coaches and players alike to learn about the team. When you’re just trying to make sure you win games it doesn’t leave a lot of time to tinker with situational adjustments or substitution patterns. It’s especially true when, in both seasons, you have a variety of players miss games here and there.

That leads us to…

2. Analytics or guts?
South Carolina didn’t have all 13 players available until it played Clemson in the fifth game of the season. And it wasn’t until the seventh game against Iowa State that a consistent rotation started to take shape. 

The rotation is still something of a work in progress because Staley has so many options. She is playing 10 players for significant minutes, and it’s a struggle to mix and match all the different combinations. 

On Friday, Staley said that figuring the rotation is part science, part art.

“We have an aid in looking at analytics and looking at lineups and how productive they are as far as plus-minus,” she said. “But I like certain groups together. Whether the plus or minus says it’s a good idea. I think our season is still very young, so we’ve got time for that part to develop, but I like the direction that we’re going in.”

Over a three-week span, South Carolina has just three games. But they are all at home and South Carolina will be heavily favored. Hopefully, the Gamecocks will be able to try some combinations with the game in hand.

They also get plenty of practice time, which leads to…

3. Rest or rust?
It’s the annual question coming off exam week, but it is especially relevant this season because South Carolina was playing its best basketball before the break. 

To combat the chance of rust, Staley gave the Highlighters, the male practice players, a break and held a full intra-squad scrimmage. It was intense enough that she felt the need to post about it on social media on Thursday. On Friday she explained her thinking.

“We just started to do some intra-squad scrimmages, where we’re just competing against each other,” Staley said. “It gives us another level of just competition. Like, fresh breath. Break up the monotony of going against the Highlighters, and it was really good, good action for us this week.”

4. In or out?
The 10-player rotation means three players – Maryam Dauda, Adhel Tac, and Sakima Walker – are on the outside. It’s surprising they aren’t playing more, each for different reasons.

Dauda is an experienced and productive starter in the SEC. Tac is a highly regarded and intelligent recruit. And Walker is a veteran presence with the most experience at South Carolina. 

But Dauda has struggled to adapt to South Carolina’s system, Tac is still shaking off the rust after missing almost two seasons due to injuries, and Walker has issues with fouls and turnovers.

Walker is day-to-day with an ankle injury. She didn’t practice last week which makes it unlikely she will play on Sunday. 

Dauda and Tac probably have a chance to get significant playing time over the next three games. It’s a chance to get some valuable experience and hopefully find a role in the rotation.

5. Scouting the Bulls
The Bulls would probably take issue with being grouped together with Charleston Southern and Wofford, South Carolina’s next two opponents. USF is one of the more successful AAC programs and expects to contend for an NCAA Tournament appearance every year.

South Carolina knows that firsthand. The teams met in the 2023 NCAA second round, and USF gave South Carolina fits in the first half before South Carolina’s depth and talent took over for a deceiving 76-45 win.

USF’s five losses have come to good teams: UConn, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Mississippi State, and TCU.

The Bulls are led by some familiar faces. Leading scorer Sammie Puisis (13.5 points) was on the 2023 tournament team, as was leading rebounder Carla Britto (7.5 rebounds). Point guard Mama Dembele (5.9 points, 5.1 assists) led the SEC in assists last season for Missouri. 

“It’s a team that poses a threat of, they’re always moving, they’re always going to challenge you to fit every screen, and a lot of that action is away from basketball,” Staley said. “We may have a tendency to not see the full court. They’re going to force us to do that. For us, we have to be disruptive. With a team like South Florida, you can’t allow them to just take the shots that they want to take, or else it’ll be a long, just a long day for us. So, it’s our will versus their will.”

The Ws
Who: #3 South Carolina (9-1) vs South Florida (5-5)
When: 2:00 pm, Sunday, December 15
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: SEC Network