PHOENIX — Everyone keeps calling Agot Makeer the X-Factor. The label is not wrong — but it is incomplete.
The real X-Factor powering South Carolina’s Final Four run is a two-headed defensive organism: Makeer and Raven Johnson, working in concert, creating a switching, length-and-physicality combination that has neutralized opponents’ best players in ways that defy conventional basketball logic.
A 5-foot-9 point guard guarding 6-foot-3 forwards. A 6-foot-1 freshman locking down elite perimeter players. Together, they have become the defensive identity of a team preparing to play for a national championship.
Johnson: The Lion Who Guards Everyone
The matchup that has defined South Carolina’s last two tournament games is one that should not work on paper. In the TCU game, Dawn Staley deployed Johnson against 6-foot-3 forward Marta Suarez. Against UConn, it was Sarah Strong — 6-foot-2, the leading candidate for National Player of the Year, leading UConn in all five major statistical categories.
Johnson held her own against both. Neither scored against her in the post.
The physical explanation is partial but important. Johnson is strong for her size, and her 6-foot-2 wingspan allows her to contest and defend at a level her listed height does not suggest. But the more complete explanation is psychological — Johnson simply refuses to concede a matchup because of a size disparity.
“We go with a small lineup, Coach tells me do what you do to stop the four player,” Johnson said. “Most of the time, they’re bigger than me. They’re probably stronger than me. I don’t back down to the matchup. I might tell her, I got her, whatever she needs to do, I got her.”
The people who know her best translate that into something more vivid.
“She has the heart of a lion, and she’s not going to back down from anyone,” Ta’Niya Latson said. “Whether you’re 6-7 or 5-2, she’s going to guard you. That’s what makes her special, because she can be a floor general but also be a menace on the defensive end.”
Staley has leaned into this unconventional weapon deliberately, identifying what it produces that traditional size-matching cannot.
“Raven was guarding Sarah for a short portion of the game. We didn’t really skip a beat,” Staley said. “It was a different type of defense that Sarah was probably used to being guarded by — being physical, playing underneath her, just make her think more like a guard versus a big.”
That last phrase is the tactical insight. Johnson’s physicality and positioning forced Strong to process the game differently than she is accustomed to. It disrupted rhythm, created hesitation, and reduced the efficiency of one of the most productive players in the country.
Makeer: The Length That Comes From Nowhere
With Johnson occupied on the interior, Staley needed someone to handle the perimeter assignment — Azzi Fudd against UConn, Olivia Miles against TCU. That someone has been Makeer.
At 6-foot-1 with a 6-foot-4 wingspan, Makeer is longer than Johnson and quicker into passing lanes. Her defensive style is different — less about physicality, more about timing, anticipation, and the ability to appear in spaces where opponents do not expect her.
Joyce Edwards described what it looks like from the inside.
“Gotti, it’s really her length. You think you have an easy layup and here she comes swatting it out of nowhere. You think you’re about to catch the ball, and she comes in the passing lane. I would say Raven’s a little bit more physical. She gets into the body and she does all the nitty gritty.”
Staley understood exactly what putting Makeer on the perimeter unlocked.
“We needed Gotti to be on the floor because if Raven didn’t have Fudd, we needed Gotti’s length, which is a different look for her as well,” Staley said. “We were able to be a little bit more versatile in our small lineup because of Raven’s ability to be fearless and guard anyone.”
The System Within the System
What makes the Johnson-Makeer combination genuinely sophisticated is how each player’s role supports the other’s sustainability. Johnson runs the offense, brings the ball up, and guards post players — a load that accumulates over forty minutes. Makeer recognizes this and has taken ownership of managing it.
“Raven has to be the point and she has to bring the ball up,” Makeer said. “You can get tired doing that all the time. So I think I help her out by guarding the best player and give her breaks off the ball.”
Johnson confirmed the arrangement from her own perspective.
“She has a knack for finding the ball, hunting the ball. That helps me also. I can get a little break or a breather guarding the post player.”
This is roster intelligence in its most functional form. Two players who understand each other’s limitations and deliberately structure their defensive assignments to compensate for them — without being asked, without formal rotation charts, simply through the competitive awareness that good players develop over time.
What It Produces Beyond the Stats
The impact of Johnson and Makeer’s defense extends beyond what they do individually. It elevates everyone around them — and Edwards has seen it happen in real time.
“That type of stuff is contagious,” Edwards said. “You see Raven get a steal for a layup and you’re like, I want to get a steal for a layup, too. It raises the whole defense and it elevates it.”
Johnson’s steal and layup against UConn was not just a two-point swing — it was the moment that put South Carolina ahead for good and sent a psychological signal through both benches. Makeer’s habit of converting turnovers into transition opportunities has created momentum runs that have defined the Gamecocks’ second halves throughout this tournament.
What It Means for the Championship
South Carolina plays UCLA on Sunday, and Lauren Betts — 6-foot-7, 17.2 points per game, the most dominant interior presence in the tournament — will be the central challenge. But Betts is not the only threat. Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, and Gabriela Jaquez form a veteran perimeter group that can punish defensive lapses.
The Johnson-Makeer defensive system is designed for exactly this kind of multi-layered challenge. Johnson’s willingness to take Betts or another interior player allows Makeer’s length to patrol the perimeter. The versatility of the small lineup gives Staley options that most programs cannot replicate.
Call it the X-Factor if you want. Just understand that X equals two.
