5 things South Carolina must do to win a national championship
After facing off in November, South Carolina and UConn are set to play each other again. This time, it’s for a national championship.
The powerhouse programs have only met 11 times in the past, with the Gamecocks having won two of those contests. When it comes to national championship appearances, the Huskies are 11-0.
“We’re 1-0, so we’re 100% too,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.
Here are five things the Gamecocks must do to win the program’s second national title when the programs meet at 8 p.m. Sunday (ESPN).
Contain Paige Bueckers
The 2021 Naismith Trophy winner burst onto the women’s basketball scene last year in a big way and kept the momentum going as a sophomore this season. After returning from an injury, the Minnesota native is averaging 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
“When you get her back, even if she’s 70%, you’ve got to guard her,” Staley said. “You’ve got to pay attention to her.”
The responsibility of guarding Bueckers will likely go to Brea Beal, one of the team’s best perimeter defenders. The Gamecocks’ guard is coming off a Final Four where she bottled up Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith, who averages 14.3 points. Van Lith scored nine Friday — including a 3-pointer in the game’s final moments and after Beal had left the game.
Let Aliyah Boston work
Aliyah Boston swept all the national player of the year honors so far this season, and for good reason. The junior set an SEC record of 27 double-doubles and has an NCAA-leading 29 double-doubles on the year. She has a chance to make it 30 against UConn, which is well within her ability. Even when double- and triple-teamed, she possesses the ability to impose her will in the paint for contested layups and putbacks, or can kick it out to one of her open teammates.
“I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that she might be the hardest person in America to guard,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. “She scores if there’s one, two, three, four people on her. It doesn’t matter. ... I think she’s the most important person in the country in terms of what she does for her team. How do we guard her? I don’t know. I’m open for suggestions.”
Make outside shots
The Gamecocks had a rough stretch of shooting around 30% during the NCAA tournament, but caught fire against Creighton. The team scored 80 points for the first time since a game at Texas A&M on Feb. 24 when it recorded 89 points.
South Carolina also made 50.9% of its shots against the Bluejays and 42.9% against Louisville. While defense will be key, the Gamecocks need to make shots and get help from guards Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson on the perimeter.
Henderson had a third straight double-digit scoring game against the Cardinals with 11 points and went 3 for 6 from long distance. Cooke also reached double-digit territory with 10 points, going 50% from the field.
Stick to defensive identity
South Carolina is first in the country in blocked shots (7.5 per game), field goal percentage defense (33.0%), rebound margin (17.5) and scoring margin (20.4). The Gamecocks also have the third best scoring defense in the nation, allowing 50.7 points per outing.
The only teams to score more than 60 points on the squad in the SEC or NCAA postseason were Kentucky (64), Ole Miss and North Carolina (61 each). Defense has been the Gamecocks’ calling card all year long. Keeping that going will be crucial against a UConn team that averages 74.5 points per game.
Stay consistent
At various points of the year, South Carolina has been able to build strong leads but sometimes falters later in games. It almost cost the team against Stanford, which went on a 22-7 run in the third quarter during a regular-season game on Dec. 21.
Kentucky made the Gamecocks pay for a second-half dropoff by outscoring the team 21-7 in the fourth quarter and pocketing the SEC tournament championship. Since then, the Gamecocks haven’t lost a game and are focused on playing a full 40 minutes. It’ll take that and much more to fend off a UConn team looking to add a 12th national title under Auriemma.
This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 4:53 PM.
