After consecutive losses, Dawn Staley, South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach, didn’t panic. Instead, she issued a challenge to her team: “play a resemblance of who we are” as a cohesive unit. The Gamecocks responded emphatically, securing two dominant SEC victories over Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
These wins bring Carolina’s overall record to 25-3 and 13-1 in conference play. The SEC standings are tight, pending the outcome of the Texas Longhorns’ game against Georgia. A Texas win would keep them tied with USC atop the conference.
The recent losses caused South Carolina to drop from No. 2 to No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. While the defeats against UConn and Texas weren’t devastating, they did allow other teams to close the gap in the NET rankings. The latest AP poll still has USC at No. 6. Texas has now claimed the top spot after Notre Dame’s loss.
Here’s a look at the current AP Top 25: (including first-place votes)
- Texas Longhorns (19)
- UCLA Bruins (11)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Southern Cal Trojans (1)
- UConn Huskies
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- LSU Tigers
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- NC State Wolfpack
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Tennessee Lady Volunteers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Duke Blue Devils
- Baylor Bears
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Maryland Terrapins
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Creighton Blue Jays
- Michigan State Spartans
- Florida State Seminoles
- Louisville Cardinals
South Carolina has two crucial SEC games remaining this week. First, they travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face Yolett McPhee-McCuin‘s Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss, who has spent time in the Top 25 and “others receiving votes” category, has an 18-8 overall record and a 9-5 SEC record. Tip-off is at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app.
Then, the Gamecocks host a major matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats on Senior Day. Kenny Brooks‘ squad, currently ranked No. 15 in the AP poll (and as high as No. 8 earlier in the season), will be fighting for a top-four SEC Tournament seed and a double-bye. The game will be televised on ESPN at 2:00 p.m., with streaming available on the ESPN app.
