South Carolina’s first SEC tournament matchup set vs. Arkansas. Here’s what to know
South Carolina’s first SEC tournament opponent is set.
Top-ranked USC will play the eighth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday at noon, after the Razorbacks defeated Missouri on Thursday 85-74.
The Gamecocks were in attendance for Thursday’s game between the Tigers and Razorbacks. USC coach Dawn Staley told reporters on Wednesday that the team likes to watch as many games as they can, since they never know what can happen.
USC trounced Arkansas at home in January, winning 92-46.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. ARKANSAS GAME INFO
Who: No. 8 Arkansas (21-11, 7-9 SEC) vs No. 1 South Carolina (29-0, 16-0 SEC)
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena (15,951) in Greenville, S.C.
When: Noon Friday
TV: SEC Network
Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com
LAST MEETING
South Carolina decimated the Razorbacks in Columbia.
Aliyah Boston broke the 40-year double-double record previously held by Sheila Foster, as she grabbed her 73rd career double-double. Zia Cooke scored a team-high 24 points, and Kamilla Cardoso added 15 points off the bench.
It was difficult for the Razorbacks to get an offensive flow going, scoring just seven points in the second quarter and trailing by 29 at halftime.
RAZORBACKS STAYING ALIVE
Arkansas used an explosive fourth quarter to get past Missouri on Thursday in its first SEC tournament game. The team trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter but outscored the Tigers 29-10 in the fourth quarter.
Chrissy Carr, a fifth-year guard, scored a game-high 34 points with six made 3-pointers, which gave the Razorbacks the lift they needed after the team found itself in foul trouble. The team’s star forward, Erynn Barnum, was limited due to foul trouble.
Arkansas is one of the “First Four Out” in ESPN’s bracketology for the NCAA tournament with a 7-9 conference record. The win against Missouri keeps it alive for the time being, though a loss to South Carolina makes it even tougher to make the Big Dance.
Arkansas was ranked for a few weeks after getting out to a 13-0 start to the season, but has struggled in conference play. Still, the Razorbacks are a capable offensive team with four double-digit scorers.
Head coach Mike Neighbors called his team “good lesson-learners” on Thursday. The team suffered a blowout loss to LSU in the conference opener, but later lost by just three points in the second meeting.
QUICK NOTES
South Carolina is in the midst of a 35-game winning streak.
USC had three players — Boston, Cooke and Cardoso — make All-SEC teams. Barnum was Arkansas’ lone representative.
The Gamecocks average 81.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the country.
Staley is 8-1 against Arkansas since Neighbors took over in 2017. Neighbors has an 8-5 SEC tournament record.
South Carolina has won six conference tournament championships under Staley, the last one coming in 2021.
Arkansas was the fourth-highest scoring team in the SEC at the end of the regular season with 72.8 points per game.
GAMECOCKS AND RAZORBACKS PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina: Boston has been a two-way force all season, as she was awarded with her fourth SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor this week and her second consecutive SEC Player of the Year award. She’s averaging 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while averaging just 25.7 minutes.
Zia Cooke, G, South Carolina: Cooke leads South Carolina with 15.5 points per game. She made a team- and career-high 54 3-pointers in the regular season, giving USC the ability to space the floor when her shot is on. She had three straight games with fewer than 10 points, but closed the regular season with six consecutive games with at least 12.
Erynn Barnum, F, Arkansas: Barnum scored just four points on Thursday against Missouri after getting in foul trouble early on, but led the team with 16.3 points in the regular season. Barnum increased her points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks averages from last season while also leading the SEC in shooting percentage.
Samara Spencer, G, Arkansas: Spencer is Arkansas’ second-leading scorer and scored a team-high 15 points against South Carolina in January. She also leads the team with 4.3 assists, and the Razorbacks are 8-4 when she dishes out at least five.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 3:19 PM.
