No. 1 South Carolina travels to face No. 15 Duke. How to watch, what to know
Two undefeated teams — and two Olympic head coaches — are set to face off in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
Dawn Staley’s top-ranked South Carolina (10-0) travels to Durham, North Carolina to play Kara Lawson’s No. 15 Duke team (8-0) in the Gamecocks’ fifth game against a top-15 team in The Associated Press poll.
South Carolina is 5-2 all-time against Duke and dominated the Blue Devils to an 89-46 win December 2019, the last time the two met at Colonial Life Arena. This year’s edition in Durham tips off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
Here’s what you need to know before the Gamecocks’ matchup with the Blue Devils.
South Carolina winning through tough stretch without key starter
The Gamecocks recently claimed their fourth top-10 win of the 2021-22 season in a 66-59 victory over No. 8 Maryland and will face No. 15 Duke and No. 3 Stanford before their Christmas break.
Staley said Tuesday the Gamecocks are still recovering from the “taxing” matchup against Maryland, prioritizing time for recovery after the win.
Starting point guard Destanni Henderson missed her second game in a row Sunday as 6-foot-4 Laeticia Amihere continues to run in the point in Henderson’s absence. Staley maintained Tuesday that Henderson was “day-to-day,” the message she’s repeated throughout her recovery, but offered optimism about her return.
“We’re thinking about Henny in the long haul for her (and) for us,” Staley said. “I know she wants to play. She looks like she could play, but we’re going to be real cautious about it. We’re a week away from the Christmas break. That’ll do us some good, but I’m almost certain we’ll see her before Christmas break.”
Sunday, fifth-year senior guard LeLe Grissett returned to the court for the first time since her leg injury from last year’s SEC tournament championship in March. She made an impact immediately
“She brings energy. She brings experience. She brings just the intangibles,” Staley said after Maryland. “She got offensive rebounds, putbacks. She did the things that she normally does for us, and those are some of the things that we miss. It’s a certain comfort we have when LeLe’s on the floor and when LeLe’s actually eligible to play.”
Kara Lawson has Duke rolling in first full season
It’s technically Kara Lawson’s second year leading Duke women’s basketball, but the Blue Devils have already doubled the number of games they played last season.
Staley took note of how Lawson utilized Duke’s canceled 2020-21 season to pick up wins on the recruiting trail, and Lawson’s new-look roster is already paying off.
All five of the Blue Devils’ leading scorers weren’t on the team last year — four transfers and one top 50 player from the class of 2021.
Texas transfer guard Celeste Williams leads the team, averaging 14.4 points and 7.8 rebounds through eight games. Freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson adds a dimension off the bench, averaging 13.3 points.
Duke has defeated one ranked opponent through its eight-win start, winning over then-No. 9 Iowa 79-64 on Dec. 2. The Blue Devils will play the Gamecocks after a nine-day break in action, having played its last game on Dec. 5 against Pennsylvania.
“They took a year off and they went recruiting,” Staley said. “That’s what you do. She’s got some good players, I think she runs some good sets. She’s got them playing with some confidence. Good team, hard road game for us.”
COVID-19 policies at Cameron Indoor Stadium
Duke requires all fans attending basketball games at Cameron Indoor Stadium to show either proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or a negative COVID test within 72 hours to gain admission to the game.
Fans can upload their vaccination card or negative COVID-19 test to DukeCheckIn.com before the game or verify in person at one of six tents outside the venue.
Attendees also have the option to pay $45 for an on-site rapid antigen test at Blue Devil Tower on game day.
Staley posted a video to social media Monday going through the protocols with Gamecock fans ahead of Wednesday’s matchup.
“We don’t want you outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium taking things to a level that it doesn’t need to go to all because you didn’t know this information,” Staley said in the video. “I’ll see you in Cameron Indoor Stadium, loud (and) proud.”
Duke also requires all fans to wear a mask inside the arena.
How to watch South Carolina vs. Duke women’s basketball
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (10-0) vs. No. 15 Duke (8-0)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Watch: ACC Network
