How to watch, what to know as No. 1 USC women’s basketball plays South Dakota State
South Carolina will take a quick break away from Colonial Life Arena this week.
The No. 1 Gamecocks will face South Dakota State in Sioux Falls on Thursday in what is technically a neutral-site game. (The Jackrabbits typically play on campus in Brookings, about an hour from Sioux Falls.)
USC will look for its second-straight 10-0 start to the season.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE GAME INFO
Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (9-0) vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (7-4)
Where: Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
TV: ESPN2
Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com
GAMECOCKS SHARING THE SCORING
South Carolina’s averaging 83 points per game, which is the 15-best mark in the country.
The Gamecocks have had five different leading scorers in their nine games. Seven players on the team average at least 7 points per outing.
Head coach Dawn Staley has made it a point of emphasis to utilize each player as much as she can. Some of the wins over unranked teams have been opportunities to do that. USC’s starting lineup has sat out during the fourth quarters of one-sided victories.
Kamilla Cardoso has been a standout reserve so far, averaging 10 points and 7.8 rebounds per game off the bench.
BATTLE-TESTED JACKRABBITS
South Dakota State is 2-1 this year against ranked opponents.
It defeated then-No. 10 Louisville 65-55 in the Battle 4 Atlantis invitational, and it beat then-No. 24 Kansas State 82-78 last week. The lone loss against a ranked opponent came against Creighton in the season opener.
The team even snagged a one-point win against Mississippi State of the SEC.
The Jackrabbits won the WNIT back in March with a victory over Seton Hall. The team finished the season 29-9 and was tied for first in the Summit League regular season.
South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston is in his 23rd season with the team and has never had a losing season with the Jackrabbits. They’ve gone to the NCAA tournament 10 times in his tenure, most recently in 2021.
QUICK NOTES
South Carolina is holding teams to an NCAA-best 46.7 points per game on defense.
South Dakota State started the season ranked No. 23.
This will be the third nationally televised game for the Gamecocks this season.
USC is second in the country with 50.7 rebounds per game, with a rebounding margin of 20.3 per game.
Both Dawn Staley and Aaron Johnston are in their 23rd seasons as head coaches.
The Gamecocks last played in Sioux Falls in 2021, when they competed in the Women’s Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
GAMECOCKS AND JACKRABBITS PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina: Boston is up to 66 career double-doubles, including six in nine games this year. She’s tied at first on the team with 1.6 blocks per game. Boston’s activity on both ends of the floor has shown why she’s the reigning National Player of the Year.
Zia Cooke, G, South Carolina: Cooke poured in 20 points in the Gamecocks’ win against Liberty, accounting for the first 20-point game from a South Carolina player this season. She’s made a team-high 15 3-pointers this year, shooting 37.5% from distance. Cooke leads the team with 13.4 points per game.
Myah Selland, F, South Dakota State: Selland is a sixth-year senior for the Jackrabbits and their leading scorer this year with 15.3 points per game. She’s scored at least 20 points in each of the team’s games against ranked opponents, including a season-high 25 in the upset win over Louisville.
Paiton Burckhard, F, South Dakota State: Burckhard has reached double-figure scoring in seven of her last eight games. She leads the team in rebounding with six per game and is shooting 51.2% from the floor. Burckhard is in her fifth year and is a career 10.8 points-per-game scorer.
