Final thoughts as South Carolina women’s basketball opens new season at NC State
Women’s basketball season has arrived.
The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks begin their tough 2021-22 non-conference schedule with a marquee matchup, facing No. 5 N.C. State on the road in Raleigh on a nationally televised game at 5 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN.
Head coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks play every other team in the preseason AP top five this year, but opening against the Wolfpack offers a redemption opportunity. South Carolina’s first matchup poses a chance to jump-start the new season by avenging last year’s disappointing performance against the eventual 2021 ACC tournament champions.
Here are three final thoughts as the Gamecocks’ season gets rolling against the Wolfpack.
Second chance for Gamecocks
Staley isn’t caught up in South Carolina’s No. 1 ranking. The Gamecocks were there last year, and Staley has already called the preseason poll “old news.”
What makes her most excited is a chance at a “do-over” with North Carolina State on Tuesday.
Recall last season, when South Carolina hosted the Wolfpack in USC’s fourth game of the 2020-21 campaign. Ranked No. 1 on their home court, the Gamecocks lost a defensive battle 54-46 to N.C. State off uncharacteristically cold shooting.
South Carolina shot 27% from the field, their lowest since 2013, and scored 46 points, their fewest since 2018. N.C. State capitalized on a late surge in last year’s meeting, outscoring the Gamecocks 11-2 in the game’s final five minutes.
Every Gamecock who dealt with last year’s defeat returns this year, and the Wolfpack also bring back their best-performing players against South Carolina, including Kayla Jones, Jakia Brown-Turner and Elissa Cunane.
Staley said last year’s game is hard to watch, but it isn’t defining the way the Gamecocks look at this year’s matchup. She said South Carolina didn’t perform like they did against N.C. State in 2020 “99%” of the season, so this year they’re looking to play like themselves.
“We’re not motivated by it because it wasn’t really us,” Staley said. “I think what we’re motivated by is just being able to be the best that we can be in and kind of play our style of playing and play the way we’re used to playing.”
Aliyah Boston vs Elissa Cunane, Round 2
Plenty of eyes were set on the matchup between South Carolina’s 6-foot-5 star forward Aliyah Boston and N.C. State’s 6-foot-5 elite center Elissa Cunane last year, but Staley walked away disappointed.
“I’m sorry, the matchup didn’t live up to it,” Staley told reporters after the game. “I think we probably put basketball back a few years.”
Boston, an AP All-American first team selection, will once again face Cunane, named the ACC preseason player of the year, seeking a much more productive performance than last year’s nine-point, nine-rebound showing. Cunane scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the 2020 game.
This year’s South Carolina team also features Syracuse transfer Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center who played Cunane and N.C. State in the Orange’s ACC slate last year. Cunane had another stellar performance against Syracuse with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Cardoso was limited to three points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
A win catapults the national championship campaign
A loss to N.C. State wouldn’t hurt the Gamecocks’ top goal of winning another national championship, but a win is likely to soar South Carolina’s early-season confidence.
The Gamecocks were boosted by their exhibition opening win over Benedict, where newcomers shined and chemistry started to flow. Including the trip to Raleigh, South Carolina’s first two regular-season games will be road matchups before it returns home Nov. 17 to play in-state rival Clemson.
Staley said South Carolina is a committed team that’s been challenged in the week leading up to their season opener in Raleigh, and the Gamecocks are ready to roll in front of a road crowd allowing full capacity for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I do think we have a game plan in place that will help us win a basketball game on the road good against a really good basketball team,” Staley said. “So we’ll see. I’m excited to see how how we fare against N.C. State in that type of environment.”
Taking victory on the road against N.C. State, the opponent that stripped the Gamecocks of last year’s No. 1 ranking early, would reaffirm preseason clamor that this year’s South Carolina team is in line for another deep run in the NCAA tournament, potentially earning Staley’s second national championship.
It’s been well-documented this year’s Gamecocks are hungry for the title. What better way to start a challenging non-conference schedule and another campaign to the national championship than redemption?
Next USC women’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina at N.C. State
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.
Watch: TV via ESPN, streaming via ESPN app
Listen: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
