South Carolina women's basketball: Three things we learned from the first week of SEC play
The first week of the SEC season is in the books. Here are three things we learned from South Carolina women’s basketball’s 2-0 start.
1. Chloe Kitts is fine
Kitts hadn’t played 20 minutes in a game since TCU, and she had just four total points and nine total rebounds over the three-game stretch against Charleston Southern, Wofford, and Missouri.
I got a lot of questions about what was wrong with Kitts. Yes, she was in a bit of a shooting slump, but mostly, it was other players getting hot.
It’s not a coincidence that Kitts’ dry spell happened at the same time Joyce Edwards was scoring a new career-high each game. Or that Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac (who also set new career-highs) were getting significant fourth-quarter playing time.
Kitts is in a tough situation. If she gets off to a slow start while someone else is playing well, she might not get back on the court. But when her number was called after Ashlyn Watkins went down with an injury against Mississippi State, Kitts was there for 17 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
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2. Raven Johnson is back
Johnson had her best game of the season against Mississippi State. She chipped in nine points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals to stuff the box score. Johnson wasn’t too shabby against Mizzou either, notching seven points and two rebounds. Throw in a season-high 13 points against Wofford, and it certainly looks like Revenge Tour Raven is back.
Last season, Johnson averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. She shot 44%overall and hit 35% from three. Over the last three games, Johnson’s averages are 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, along with 57% shooting and 38% from behind the arc.
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It’s no coincidence that South Carolina has scored 93, 83, and 95 points in the last three games. Johnson is also playing great defense. That’s always been one of her strengths, but she was shaky at times early in the season.
Truthfully, when you look at Johnson’s game splits, she’s probably been “back “ for a month. It took her stacking the last three games to make us notice.
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3. The SEC grind is real
The first week of SEC play had a bit of everything. Rivalry games, ranked matchups, an upset, and underdogs making the favorites sweat.
Struggling Texas A&M upset Ole Miss on Sunday. Oklahoma managed a split with its two top-15 games. Mississippi State began the week with a top-30 NET but is 0-2 in the league.
The cliche is that there are no surprises in conference play, but so far, we’ve seen a bit of the opposite. Both Mizzou and Mississippi State went against tendencies at the beginning of their games against South Carolina, and it took the Gamecocks a quarter or two to adjust.
It’s going to be a tough season.
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