NCAAW: South Carolina’s on the verge of another SEC title

The SEC currently has a record-tying 10 ranked teams. But there’s little question about which one is the best.

No. 3 South Carolina is a conference-leading 12-1, giving them a two-game cushion over their closest challengers, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Vanderbilt, both of which have three conferences and were defeated by the Gamecocks. With another conference win on Sunday, head coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks can clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title; it would be their 10th in program history.

To do so, they’ll need to beat No. 17 Ole Miss, something they’ve done 20 times in a row (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). ESPN’s College GameDay will be on the scene in Columbia ahead of the matinee matchup.

When the ball is tipped, the Rebels will be playing their fourth game since last Sunday afternoon, when they lost to No. 16 Kentucky. On Tuesday, they played a rescheduled game against No. 21 Tennessee, winning at home. Then, on Thursday, they staggered down the stretch at No. 7 LSU, with a forgettable fourth quarter leading to a loss.

Concluding such a rigorous stretch of schedule against South Carolina is the cruel reality that Ole Miss must persevere through. And though the Gamecocks might empathize with their opponent, don’t expect them to make it easy.

When asked about Ole Miss’ difficult schedule spot, Staley said, “We prep for our opponent’s very best… In our league, no lead is safe, right? Anybody can beat anybody at any given time, so we always keep that in mind.”

The Gamecocks will be ready to take advantage of the Rebels’ tired legs. Look for the Raven Johnson-captained defense to lead to transition scores from the likes of Joyce Edwards. When Ole Miss ventures deep into South Carolina’s defensive halfcourt, Madina Okot will make any scores at the rim difficult. In the offensive halfcourt, Tessa Johnson looms as one of the SEC’s most deadly shooting threats, capable of cashing in on 3s if Ole Miss allows a sliver of space.

It’s the diversity of ways to win that makes South Carolina so dangerous. And so dominant.

Can the rest of the SEC’s ranked teams show that they’re up to South Carolina’s standard? Texas, LSU and No. 24 Alabama should score easy wins against lesser conference opponents on Sunday afternoon. The Longhorns host Mississippi State (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network), the Tigers welcome one of the other Tigers in Missouri (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network) and the Crimson Tide take their talents to Florida (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

Outside of South Carolina-Ole Miss, the SEC calendar includes two more double-ranked matchups: No. 21 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 16 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Here’s a key question for each of the lower-ranked teams looking to pull off the upsets.

Can Tennessee find balanced scoring to snap their three-game skid?

Of late, the Lady Vols have inspired little confidence, failing to take advantage of a get-right game against Texas A&M on Thursday and instead losing their third-straight game.

A pattern has emerged in Tennessee’s losses. One player, usually Talaysia Copper or Janiah Barker, has a huge scoring night, with the rest of the roster providing limited scoring contributions.

Over their current three-game losing streak, Cooper was fantastic against Texas, pouring in 29 points as she attacked the Longhorns in isolation. Barker and Nya Robertson were the only other Lady Vols to reach double figures. It was the same script against Ole Miss, when Cooper scored 30 points and no other Tennessee starter scored more than nine points. Barker, who is out against Oklahoma with an injury, assumed the leading role against A&M, the program where she began her college career, netting 29 points.

Contrast those outcomes with Tennessee’s recent wins. Four Lady Vol starters scored 14 or more points in the win over Missouri. Before that, Zee Spearman and Mia Pauldo shared the scoring load in the Vols’ overtime victory at Georgia, scoring 23 and 21 points, respectively, as Cooper chipped in 16 points.

More balanced point production is not a surefire solution to Tennessee’s issues. Additionally, having players who are talented enough to turn in big scoring games is not necessarily a problem. The pattern for the Lady Vols, however, suggests the team is at their best when the offensive process is more egalitarian.

But at this point, Tennessee simply needs a win in Norman, any way or any how.

Can Kentucky slow down Mikayla Blakes?

When Vanderbilt and Kentucky played in Lexington in earlier this month, Mikayla Blakes scored 19 of her 37 points in the fourth quarter to captain the Commodore comeback, as Vandy escaped with the 84-83 win.

Ahead of the rematch in Nashville, the question is simple for the Wildcats: Can they slow down the nation’s leading scorer?

Last Sunday, No. 24 Georgia executed an interesting defensive strategy on Blakes in their eventual upset of Vanderbilt. Georgia not only made sure Blakes always saw a crowd, an obviously smart approach, but they also were okay if their aggressiveness resulted in fouls—and it did! Blakes shot a season-high 20 free throws, making 19 of them. But, she had a season-low eight field goal attempts, with five of those coming from behind the arc.

In short, Blakes never found her scoring groove.

Could Kentucky opt for a similar strategy? It’s certainly not how they attempted to contain Blakes the first time around. In the first game between the two teams, Blakes took 25 shots, her third-most all season and tied for the second-most against a conference opponent. The Wildcats sent her to the line for only six free throws.

All that resulted in 37 points, Blakes’ second-most all season, and a fall-from-ahead loss for Kentucky.

With an elite rim protector in Clara Strack and disruptive defender in Teonni Key, Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks has the personnel required to experiment with different looks. Of course, Blakes just might solve them all and score a ton of points anyways.