South Carolina women's basketball: The 3-2-1 - Clutch Players, Burning Questions, and a favorite play from the SEC Tournament
South Carolina won the rubber match against Texas to claim its third straight SEC Tournament. Here are the clutch players, burning questions, and favorite play from the weekend in Greenville.
Three Clutch Players
Chloe Kitts (MVP), Sania Feagin, and MiLaysia Fulwiley were named to the SEC All-Tournament Team, so I’m going to focus on other players who deserve recognition.
Bree Hall/Tessa Johnson
Vs Vanderbilt: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, block/4 points, rebound, steal
Vs Oklahoma: 7 points, 5 rebounds, block/11 points, 5 rebounds, block, assist
Vs Texas: 2 points, 3 rebounds/14 points, assist, steal, block
I think it’s important to recognize these two as a pair because they rotated frequently to stay fresh. In three games in Greenville, they were matched up against Mikayla Blakes, the SEC Freshman of the Year who scored 55 points earlier in the season, Payton Verhulst, second-team All-SEC who scored 38 earlier in the season, and Madison Booker, the SEC Player of the Year.
Don’t let the points in the box score fool you. Hall and Johnson won the matchup all three times. Blakes scored 20 points, but shot just 5-15. Verhulst had 15 points on 10 shots. The coup de grace was holding Booker to 10 points (seven of which came long after the outcome was decided) on 4-13 shooting.
Joyce Edwards
Vs Vanderbilt: 21 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, block, assist
Vs Oklahoma: 29 minutes, 21 points, 5 rebounds
Vs Texas: 22 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, block, steal, assist
Edwards could have easily made the all-tournament team, but one of South Carolina’s forwards had to be left off. Edwards used her quickness to help South Carolina control the paint against the bigger Sooners and Longhorns. She was also good at drawing fouls and only missed one free throw in the tournament.
Maryam Dauda
Vs Vanderbilt: 3 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds
Vs Oklahoma: 12 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, assist
Vs Texas: 1 minute, no stats
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Dauda didn’t play a lot, but she made her minutes count. That made a big difference for a team that has limited depth in the frontcourt. She played All-SEC post Raegan Beers to a virtual draw in the semifinals, which was pretty impressive.
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Two Burning Questions
1. Can South Carolina carry this over to the NCAA Tournament?
That is the million dollar question (or $500,000 question, which is Dawn Staley’s bonus for winning the national championship). The South Carolina team that bulldozed through the SEC tournament and routed Texas can definitely win it all. The version of the Gamecocks that we’ve seen for the last three weeks is one we also saw in December and January.
But there’s also the version of the Gamecocks we saw back in November and for most of February – the one that lost to UCLA, Texas, and UConn. It’s a big gamble to assume that version is gone forever. Only time can answer this question.
2. What will South Carolina’s seed be?
I can give a better answer to this question. South Carolina should be the first or second overall seed in the tournament. Fortunately, there isn’t much difference between the two this season. South Carolina should get the three things it wants most: it will be a one seed, it will play in one of the Birmingham regions, and it will play the Friday/Sunday schedule.
That gives the Gamecocks an easier bracket, an easier trip for the FAMs, and an extra day of rest before a potential Final Four game.
One Favorite Play
I wish this video started a few seconds earlier because it cuts off Sania Feagin’s outstanding defense to force a miss by Kyla Oldacre. The sequence is pretty special on its own, but it was also when I knew Texas had no chance.
