South Carolina women's basketball: Three things we learned in Las Vegas
South Carolina was a 21.5-point favorite against Michigan, but instead trailed for most of the first half and never could put the Wolverines away. What did we learn from the 68-62 nailbiter?
1. There’s a big hole in the middle
I often wrote that Kamilla Cardoso was a mismatch the moment she stepped on the court. At 6-7, opponents had to account for her even when she wasn’t doing anything. Not only is there nobody like that on this team, but they clearly missed having her imposing shot-blocking on the back of the defense.
Michigan attacked the rim without fear, something they wouldn’t have done when Cardoso or Aliyah Boston was protecting the lane. That is where South Carolina really misses Ashlyn Watkins, who would have swatted away a lot of those layups.
But Cardoso was also the Gamecocks’ safety blanket who Tessa Johnson said could clean up whatever the Gamecocks were doing.
“If we were struggling we could honestly just throw it up and she would rebound or make a shot or get fouled,” Johnson said.
I asked Johnson if Adhel Tac, who has a similarly imposing figure, could replace Cardoso. Tac had three rebounds in five minutes and altered a couple of shots.
“Yes, I see a lot of potential in her,” Johnson said. “She’s very strong and she just needs to get confident in herself. We believe in her.”
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2. From Big Shot Breezy to Big Shot Tessa
I don’t know what we are nicknaming Tessa Johnson. Can she be Tournament Tessa in the regular season? Too Tough Tessa? Threessa? Anyway…
Bree Hall got in foul trouble that disrupted her playing time, and she still hit a big shot (the jumper to end a six-minute scoring drought), but it’s pretty clear that Johnson has passed Hall in the rotation.
Hall is still going to start because she is a senior and has earned that right, but Johnson brings more to the table than Hall. Johnson can defend, shoot from three, hit the midrange, get to rim, and create for others. Hall doesn’t do the last two things.
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Johnson played 25 minutes and Hall played 22, but it probably would have been less if MiLaysia Fulwiley hadn’t been struggling so much (only four minutes in the second half.
3. It was good to get humbled
After the game, Dawn Staley actually sounded kind of happy that South Carolina had to grind out the win instead of winning a blowout.
“I like that we’ve been challenged. I like the fact that we’ve been exposed in certain areas,” she said. “Great film. Great lessons. Great gut check. Great opportunity for us to learn.”
I don’t think it was just coachspeak either. Things have come so easily for this group going all the way back to the Paris game last season, that it was good for them to get a wake-up call.
Early in the game, when the shots weren’t falling and Michigan came out and built an early lead, it was almost like it caught South Carolina off-guard and they didn’t know how to react for a while.
There’s something to be said for winning a game when it seemed like everything was going against you.
