What to Watch as South Carolina Faces Duke in Las Vegas Showdown
South Carolina heads to Las Vegas on Wednesday to face Duke in the opening round of the Players Era Championship. Here are the major storylines heading into the matchup.
1. What Happens in Vegas… Definitely Won’t Stay There
With a full season of hindsight, South Carolina learned plenty from last year’s season-opening win over Michigan — both the positives and the problems.
Chloe Kitts proved she had the clutch gene. Rebounding and rim protection weren’t where they needed to be. The guard play was hit-or-miss. And that spark from the national championship run? It wasn’t quite there.
What was true on November 4 was still true by April 6.
Now, another early-season measuring stick awaits. Dawn Staley scheduled a soft opening to give her reshaped roster — which returns just one starter from their last trip to Las Vegas — time to gel. Easier opponents and a standalone test against Southern Cal gave USC room to develop rhythm and trust.
But now comes the real challenge. Everything South Carolina has worked on — the pace, chemistry, defensive tenacity, and hustle — gets stress-tested over Thanksgiving week.
“We’re a team that is (called) the Fighting Gamecocks,” Staley said. “We’ve got to get multiple efforts in that area. We’re talented, but if we see somebody who is talented, like we’ll see in the next few games, something has to give. I do think that area can be a difference maker of us winning or losing.”
2. Bench Production Could Swing the Outcome
For the first time in three weeks, South Carolina had all 10 available players in the win over Queens — and it showed.
The Gamecocks got 33 bench points, their second-highest output this season. Adhel Tac (11 points, 10 rebounds in her first career double-double) and Maryam Dauda (nine points) were standouts.
But the biggest impact came from Maddy McDaniel, who played only 12 minutes yet completely shifted USC’s second unit. Her presence stabilizes the rotations and elevates those around her — something that will matter in a two-game-in-two-days tournament.
“It’s imperative that we have all 10,” Staley said. “It was really good to get Maddy back, especially for a few practices; we’re just going to acclimate her back into the swing of things. I thought she did great. But, it’s needed. It’s needed for our rotations, it’s needed for us to practice, it’s needed just for some of our younger players to stay in the positions that they need to be able to be effective.”
3. Chloe Kitts: Duke’s Worst Nightmare… But Not This Time
Injuries are never welcomed, but Duke has to feel some relief knowing it won’t face Chloe Kitts this year.
Kitts has terrorized the Blue Devils in all three of her career meetings with them:
- As a sophomore, she dropped 14 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, punctuating the performance with a blown kiss at a helpless defender.
- Last season, she posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in a December victory.
- And in the Elite Eight, she led USC with 14 points, sinking two clutch free throws to seal the win.
Without her, South Carolina’s roster doesn’t have a strong history against Duke.
Joyce Edwards averaged only 6.0 points and 1.5 rebounds against Duke last year. Tessa Johnson has been held scoreless in two of her three meetings and has just six total points. Raven Johnson’s numbers — 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists — are modest.
Even Ta’Niya Latson, who played Duke three times at Florida State, struggled, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 turnovers.
“The fact that we’re missing Chloe was really a call to action,” Adhel Tac said. “It told everybody that we need to step up and we need to be able to still be together and not try to be Chloe, but be ourselves and take it up another notch.”
4. The Other Half of the Bracket
Wednesday’s game is the second half of a double-header. Before South Carolina takes the court, No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Texas face off at 1:00 ET.
The winners meet on Thanksgiving at 8:00 PM ET, while the losers play afterward at 10:30 PM ET.
Both potential matchups bring rich drama:
- UCLA snapped USC’s 43-game program-record winning streak last season with a 77-62 win in Westwood. This year, both are among the top national title contenders.
- Texas and South Carolina — soon-to-be SEC rivals — met four times last season. USC dominated three of those games, but Texas ended the Gamecocks’ SEC-record 57-game conference winning streak on its home floor.
Either matchup would be electric.
5. Scouting Duke: Desperate or Dangerous?
Duke enters Las Vegas as one of the biggest disappointments in women’s college basketball. A team that opened the season ranked No. 7 now arrives unranked at 3-3.
If the football comparison fits, Duke has been the women’s hoops version of Iowa — defense-heavy, offense-optional. But this year, even that hasn’t worked.
Their recent collapses include:
- Leading Baylor 43-40 with three minutes left… losing 58-52
- Leading West Virginia 23-20 at halftime… losing 57-49 to a team missing four starters
- Allowing USF to shoot 57% and lead by 20 most of the night in an 85-72 loss
Duke’s late-game scoring only makes losses look closer — the reality has been uglier.
The bigger question: Is Duke a talented team unraveling or simply a bad team with big names?
They certainly have talent. The roster includes multiple McDonald’s All-Americans, including Toby Fournier, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year — and a player USC struggled to contain last season.
But right now, Duke looks disconnected, poorly coached, and inconsistent.
Game Details
Who: No. 2 South Carolina (6-0) vs. Duke (3-3)
When: 4:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 26
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Watch: TruTV
