South Carolina-Tennessee women’s basketball: Where to watch, what to watch for
Who: No. 9 South Carolina (14-2, 3-1 SEC) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (15-1, 3-1 SEC)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 107.5 The Game
Series History: South Carolina is 5-46 all time against the Lady Vols, but is 3-1 since 2015
South Carolina’s Starters: F Alexis Jennings, F A’ja Wilson, G Tyasha Harris, G Doniyah Cliney, G Lindsey Spann
Tennessee’s Starters: C Mercedes Russell, F Jaime Nared, G/F Rennia Davis, G Evina Westbrook, G Meme Jackson
Last Game: Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season to Texas A&M on Thursday, falling in overtime on the road, 79-76. South Carolina defeated Auburn on Thursday, 71-63, after sprinting out to a 30-10 lead at home.
Key Storyline: It’s all about A’ja. Whether or not South Carolina’s All-American forward can play after spraining her ankle against Auburn on Thursday will determine the entire nature of this game. With her, the Gamecocks not only have their main offensive weapon, they have someone who can match Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared, both of whom made the Naismith Award’s midseason watch list of the 25 best players in the country.
Without Wilson, USC is a solid team, but the rest of the squad would have to put together the performance of their careers to compete with UT’s high-powered offense, which ranks 12th in the country.
Other Notes: Sunday will be a blackout game at Colonial Life Arena, with all fans encouraged to wear black ... The Lady Vols are the seventh Gamecock opponent this season who are currently ranked ... USC, Tennessee and four other teams are tied for second place in the SEC ... Tennessee is one of five teams to have multiple players on the Naismith Award midseason watch list, which was released Thursday ... Both the Lady Vols and the Gamecocks rank in the NCAA’s top 25 in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage and rebound margin.
Greg Hadley: 803-771-8382, @GregHadley9
This story was originally published January 13, 2018 at 3:05 PM with the headline "South Carolina-Tennessee women’s basketball: Where to watch, what to watch for."