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

South Carolina women’s basketball finally gets to play a game at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday. Find out how to watch and what to watch for when the Gamecocks host Coppin State.

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1. Get Right Game(s)
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with the Gamecocks. But opening the season with a pair of challenging neutral site games means they have been focused on winning the games and haven’t had a chance to work out all the kinks. 

They play three games over the next two weeks – against Coppin State, ECU, and Clemson – in which they will be heavily favored. That gives the Gamecocks a chance to iron out some of the issues that cropped up in the first two games. It’s good timing, too, since this stretch ends with a cross-country test at Final Four favorite UCLA.

2. Everybody’s Here
This might be the biggest thing South Carolina wants to figure out over the next three games. For the first time this season, South Carolina expects to have all 13 players available. 

Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins each missed a game due to suspensions, Maddy McDaniel has been recovering from knee surgery, and Tessa Johnson tweaked her ankle and missed the second half of the NC State game. 

The absences meant Dawn Staley and her assistants haven’t gotten to see the full team in a game or fine-tune the rotation. 

 “We look forward to just figuring out what substitution patterns will look like and keeping everybody healthy,” Staley said. 

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3. Streaking
South Carolina’s win over NC State was the Gamecocks’ 40th consecutive win. It’s the second-longest winning streak in program history, behind the 42 consecutive wins from 2022-23. 

With the streak, South Carolina joins UConn as the only two programs with multiple 40-game winning streaks. If South Carolina keeps winning, it will set a new program record against Clemson. 

South  Carolina is also within striking distance of Tennessee’s SEC-record 46-game winning streak.

4. Pregame Banner Ceremony
Prior to the game, South Carolina will unveil the 2024 national championship banner. The ceremony will begin at 6:45, 15 minutes before tipoff. 

Banners for the 2024 SEC championship have also been added. With the rafters getting cramped, the 2020 Consensus #1 banner has been retired, at least for now. 

During the offseason, South Carolina replaced the 2017 and 2022 championship banners. The old banners featured the Final Four logo from that season, but the new banners use the championship logo. 

The first 3,500 fans will also receive a free replica banner ornament. 

5. Scouting the Eagles
Coppin State was picked to finish third in the MEAC, and guard Laila Lawrence was a preseason first-team all-MEAC selection.

The Eagles are 2-1 on the season with a loss at Maryland. They outscored the Terps in the second half.

“They’re a formidable opponent,” Staley said. “They play hard for 40 minutes. They run some great stuff. They’re going to come in here ready to rock and roll no matter how many people we have in front of us. We got to play our style of play. We go to prepare like we would normally prepare for a game and not take anyone lightly.”

Lawrence is nearly averaging a double-double with 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds. She had 16 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland.

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The Ws
Who: #1 South Carolina (2-0) vs Coppin State (2-1)
When: 7:00 pm, Thursday, November 14
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: SEC Network+

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