Mitchell vs. Mitchell highlights USC’s season-opener

Tiffany Mitchell smiled.

“She’s got to be kind of good if her last name’s Mitchell,” South Carolina’s All-American guard said Thursday. “I’m prepared for that.”

A season of grand expectations begins on Friday with one of the most hyped one-on-one matchups in the country. There’s plenty of other talent on both benches, with the No. 2 Gamecocks and No. 6 Ohio State returning most of the stars that combined for 58 wins last year.

But the spotlight will be on Mitchell vs. Mitchell.

“She’s a great player. We know she’s going to get hers,” Tiffany Mitchell said. “We’re just going to try to limit her as much as possible.”

She was referring to the Buckeyes’ own superlative All-American guard, Kelsey Mitchell. She became the first freshman to lead the nation in scoring last year, averaging 24.9 points per game.

With a slew of other talent returning to a team that came close to facing the Gamecocks in the NCAA Tournament – North Carolina’s Jamie Cherry beat the Buckeyes with a final-second jumper, advancing to a Sweet 16 matchup against USC – it’s expected to be a tightly contested game. There’s no better way for the Gamecocks to begin a season that returns much of the roster from a 34-win Final Four team than against another Top-10 team, with another game scheduled for Sunday.

“I think it prepares you for the NCAA Tournament, where you play every other night,” coach Dawn Staley said. “Hopefully it’s a test of our conditioning, our focus.”

Ceremonies recognizing last year’s accomplishments will he held before tipoff, and Staley’s hoping for the first sellout crowd for a women’s game in Colonial Life Arena’s history. The Gamecocks have won 34 in a row at home and with the Buckeyes just one of the Top-25 teams that will visit Columbia this year, there’s no better way to promote the atmosphere than with a huge first game.

Hoopla aside, it’s a game USC will have to play extremely well in to win. Preparation has been intense – Allisha Gray, who faced Kelsey Mitchell last year, mimicked her in practice this week. Tiffany Mitchell may guard her, but Staley said everyone will take a turn.

“It has to be a collective effort,” she said. “She is too good for just one person to guard for 40 minutes. You just can’t let her settle in and giving her a good look.”

“I do like to drive,” Kelsey Mitchell told The State. “I’m a big fan of driving, but I’m also taking what I’m getting.”

Kelsey isn’t too familiar with Tiffany, and Tiffany’s only seen Kelsey play a couple of times on TV. Kelsey’s ready for the Gamecocks and the thrill of playing in front of a large crowd.

“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us,” she said. “We’re playing a great women’s basketball team. I remember people saying they were an amazing team and (Staley’s) a great coach.”

The Gamecocks know how tricky it will be to stop her, but also know how well they play at home. Staley admitted they don’t have a player like Kelsey Mitchell – but they have a lot of players who can collectively equal what she does.

“They’re a very dangerous team,” Staley said. “We’ll be in the comforts of our environment, among hopefully 18,000 of our fans.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 7:57 PM.