Why was USC center Kamilla Cardoso left unguarded? Tennessee coach explains
South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso hit a shot for the ages when she banked in the first 3-pointer of her career at the buzzer to beat Tennessee, 74-73, in the SEC tournament semifinals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
But in the aftermath of Cardoso’s game-winning 3, USC fans and Tennessee fans alike were left wondering: Why didn’t the Lady Vols guard Cardoso on the shot?
In her postgame press conference, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said that not guarding Cardoso was not an intentional strategy on UT’s part. Instead, she said, it was the result of a defensive miscommunication.
Before Cardoso’s shot, Tennessee was leading South Carolina 73-71 with 1.1 seconds remaining in the game. Harper had a timeout to use, but she said she declined to use it since USC was out of timeouts and any delay would’ve given the Gamecocks more time to prepare.
“And I wanted Tamari (Key) to be in the paint so they couldn’t get a pass to the paint,” Harper said, “and we were trying to get Rickea (Jackson) back there in the play. And, obviously, at the end of a game like that, everybody is a shooter. … We just didn’t do what we needed to to get that defended.”
On USC’s final possession, Key — Tennessee’s starting center and Cardoso’s primary defender — was stationed in the paint with her hands up. Jackson, the Lady Vols’ leading scorer, was positioned on the left wing. Neither was close enough to Cardoso to even marginally contest her 3-pointer at the buzzer.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said postgame that she’d initially hoped for guard Te-Hina Paopao to take USC’s last shot in a catch-and-shoot situation.
But, given how well Tennessee had defended Paopao (three points, 1-of-8 shooting) all night, Staley was “skeptical” that Paopao could get a good look.
“I just told Raven (Johnson) just throw it high to Kamilla, and I told Kamilla, ‘Pass it to Pao,’ ” Staley said, before detailing how at the last second she changed plans and simply told Cardoso: “Shoot it.”
“I added some more words to it than that,” Staley said, laughing.
A video of the final play, posted to X (formerly Twitter), also shows Staley appearing to green light Cardoso to shoot the ball, rather than pass it to Paopao.
Cardoso’s game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer was the first three she’s made in her college career, as well as only the second she attempted. Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center and 2024 All-SEC First Team selection, had never shot a 3 in three seasons at USC; her only attempt came as a freshman at Syracuse.
Staley said she’s often encouraged Cardoso to take more mid-range jump shots and “maybe this will open the lid for her to shoot a little bit more” going forward for the Gamecocks (31-0).
“Because she’s got a decent shot,” Staley said. “She’s got a decent mid-range. She’s got a decent 3. She’s always going to be open. So maybe she’ll be there.”
USC, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, will play No. 2 seed LSU in Sunday’s SEC championship game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena (3 p.m., ESPN).
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 8:12 PM.
