How USC’s win over Tennessee shapes SEC race, compares to other national powers
Four different teams have topped the Associated Press Top 25 rankings this season in women’s basketball, and Tennessee has faced three of them. Before the Lady Vols fell to the current No. 1, South Carolina, by a 69-48 margin on Sunday, they had previously lost to Stanford, 78-51, and UConn, 60-45.
So suffice it to say, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper has gone against some very good basketball teams.
And after watching the Gamecocks topple her team with withering defensive pressure, overcoming a size disadvantage with seemingly little trouble, she was asked to compare USC to the other top opponents UT has played, both of whom are still in the top six nationally.
“That’s a great question. I think, you know, stylistically, they’re different. I think you’re looking at Stanford and UConn and South Carolina and comparing them — I think they have depth, South Carolina has depth,” Harper said. “They have great poise and athleticism, I think Stanford has depth, UConn has a lot of poise. I think South Carolina, they just have so many options offensively and defensively. I think they’re going to give a lot of teams problems.”
Winners of 15 games in a row, the Gamecocks still have some tough games left on the schedule before tournament play, including UConn in a week and Kentucky on the road.
But Tennessee marked the beginning of the homestretch in league play for USC, and going into the game, coach Dawn Staley knew how important a win would be for position in the conference standings.
“Obviously we thought this was a really big game,” Staley said of her coaching staff. “We didn’t really pass that down to our players. I mean, it’s pressure enough for them to come out and continue to play the way they have. But for us, I mean, you got to continue to jockey, you know, there are teams in which, (with) one loss, the picture looks a lot different than what it is today.”
And Tennessee was also one of the biggest hurdles left in South Carolina’s pursuit of the regular season conference crown. The Lady Vols and Gamecocks had split their last four meetings, and Harper has had UT playing well after the firing of former coach Holly Warlick and two disappointing seasons. But instead of a tight contest, the Gamecocks romped to their largest margin of victory ever in the series.
Now with the win, South Carolina stands 1 1/2 games ahead of Mississippi State, who will play Georgia on Monday night. Thanks to the tie-breaker the Gamecocks hold over the Bulldogs, they can afford a slip-up and would still stay ahead in the race for the SEC tournament’s top seed.
Behind MSU and Tennessee, who play on Thursday, every other team in the conference has three losses. In South Carolina’s seven remaining league games, its opponents have a combined record of 31-32 in the SEC, and the three most daunting, Texas A&M, Kentucky and LSU, are all currently dealing with injuries to their star players. The Gamecocks look well-positioned to keep their run going throughout February with the poise and depth Harper praised.
Results aside, however, Staley said the emphasis moving forward will continue to be on execution as South Carolina tries to build up experience and defend its No. 1 ranking.
“What I tell our women, is that, you know, we have to respect every opponent. Like we played with Mississippi, you know, obviously, it was a lopsided win, but we’re not really looking at the score, we’re looking at execution because if we’re going to be able to execute on both sides of the ball, the score will take care of itself,” Staley said. “So we want to work on creating very good habits, and I thought (the game against Tennessee) was a step in the right direction for us to continue that in a broader sense.”
When do the Gamecocks play next?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (21-1, 9-0 SEC) vs. No. 25 Arkansas (17-4, 5-3 SEC)
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 1320 AM/107.5 FM in Columbia area
