How to watch, what to watch for as South Carolina women host No. 4 Baylor
Who: No. 18 South Carolina (4-3) vs. No. 4 Baylor (2-0)
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2
Where: Colonial Life Arena
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 107.5 FM in Columbia
South Carolina’s projected starting lineup: Junior guard Tyasha Harris, redshirt junior guard Te’a Cooper, sophomore guard Bianca Jackson, redshirt senior guard Donyiah Cliney, redshirt senior forward Alexis Jennings
Baylor’s projected starting lineup: Sophomore guard DiDi Richards, graduate guard Chloe Jackson, junior guard Juicy Landrum, junior forward Lauren Cox, senior center Kalani Brown
Injury report: After exiting Wednesday’s game against Dayton early with an undisclosed injury, redshirt junior guard Te’a Cooper will be “ready to rock and roll,” Staley said Friday. Cooper was dressed to play but did not participate in any drills in the portion of practice open to media.
Redshirt senior forward Alexis Jennings, redshirt senior guard Nelly Perry and redshirt senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore are all healthy after dealing with injuries and minute restrictions.. Perry and Jennings both said they would feel ready to play a full game.
South Carolina notes: The Gamecocks rank fourth in the nation in blocks per game at 7.6 swats. Leading the way, junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is averaging two per game. ... USC has lost its last three home games against top-10 opponents dating back through last season, but is 39-12 against ranked opponents in the last five years. ... According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina ranks 14th nationally in turnover rate, up from 71st last year.
Baylor notes: The Lady Bears feature one of the best offenses and defenses in the country, ranking in the top 20 in both categories. ... Led by its strong frontcourt play, Baylor shoots better from the field (56.1 percent) than it does from the free throw line (56 percent). ... Kim Mulkey’s freshman class was one of the most hyped recruiting groups in recent NCAA history, with five five-star prospects. Of that quintet, forward NaLyssa Smith is averaging more than 13 points and seven rebounds per game so far. ... In Baylor’s only game against a ranked opponent this season so far, the Lady Bears needed to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit against Arizona State.
This story was originally published December 1, 2018 at 9:15 PM.
