South Carolina women's basketball will play Michigan in Las Vegas
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Two weeks ago, Dawn Staley revealed the location for South Carolina’s season opener and now we know the opponent. South Carolina will face Michigan as part of the Hal of Fame Series on November 4 in Las Vegas.
The game will be played at T-Mobile Arena, although tipoff time is still to be determined. The game is part of a doubleheader that also includes a men’s game between Ohio State and Texas. Presale tickets are on sale now at the T-Mobile Arena website, and regular tickets go on sale on May 21.
Michigan went 20-14 (9-9 Big Ten) last season and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines are undergoing a massive rebuild. Leading scorer Laila Phelia (16.8 points) transferred to Texas after the season. Second-leading scorer Lauren Hansen, formerly at Missouri, exhausted her eligibility.
In all, of Michigan’s top seven scorers last season – the seven players who averaged double-digits in minutes played – only guard Jordan Hobbs (9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) returns. The rest will be replaced by the eighth-ranked recruiting class. Top-five guard Syla Swords highlights the class, while Olivia Olson is also a top-20 prospect.
Last season South Carolina opened the season in Paris against Notre Dame. That game, a 100-71 win, turned out to be the catalyst for South Carolina’s undefeated championship season. Now the Gamecocks will trade the City of Lights for Sin City this fall.
Staley teased the game in a radio interview earlier this month. She revealed Las Vegas as the location, but at the time there was not a confirmed opponent.
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“We’ll open the season in Vegas playing an opponent that is fluctuating because the opponent we were supposed to play us is not going to play us anymore,” Staley said. “We’ll play in Vegas. I’ll give our listeners that much. Hopefully, we’ll get a big plane and take some fans and some donors and make it a great trip for everybody. Hopefully, you’ll be responsible and not gamble away your funds.”
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It is the second consecutive year for the season-opening Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas. Last year the men’s and women’s quadruple-header featured Ohio State and Southern Cal women and Oregon and Georgia men in an early session and LSU and Colorado women and Southern Cal and Kansas State men in a late session.
South Carolina has ties to Las Vegas as Gamecock great A’ja Wilson plays for the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces play most games at Michelob Ultra Arena with a handful at T-Mobile Arena. T-Mobile Arena is primarily the home of the Las Vegas Golden Knights NHL team.
The announcement comes a day after South Carolina learned its SEC schedule. The Gamecocks will play a home-and-home against Texas. They will also have home games against Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. The other road games are at Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.
The non-conference schedule includes Clemson, UConn, and UCLA, plus an ACC opponent to be announced as part of the ACC/SEC challenge.
