Who: #1 South Carolina (4-0) vs. Clemson (3-0). Clemson, SC.
Time/TV: 5:00 on ESPN2.
Line: SC -19.5 per Draftkings with a total of 135.5.
History: South Carolina leads 35-33. The overall record here is pretty misleading. Carolina has won 13 straight and Clemson hasn’t beat USC since 2009, (Joyce Edwards was three-years old). During that stretch 12 points is smallest margin of victory. Only three of those games were decided by 21 points or less. South Carolina is 13-2 against Clemson under Dawn Staley. I feel comfortable saying conservatively that Clemson will not beat Carolina again while Staley is the coach. Clemson leads all-time on their home court by a 20-11 margin, but the Tigers have only beaten a Staley coached team once in Clemson back in 2009. South Carolina has won six straight in Clemson with closest game being a 17-point Gamecock win in 2011.
Last Meeting: November 16, 2023. Carolina 109-40. South Carolina raced to a 31-6 first quarter lead and a 62-15 lead by the half. Six Gamecocks finished the game in double figures and Raven Johnson had 17 assists, one shy of a program record. The Gamecocks out-boarded the Tigers 73-27. Kamilla Cardoso and Ashyln Watkins both notched double-doubles.
Scouting the Tigers
Clemson completely overhauled their program after a disappointing 12-19 season. They hired 39-year-old Shawn Poppie from Chattanooga. In two seasons in Chattanooga, Poppie went 48-18 and made the NCAA Tournament both years. Poppie brought in 10 new players from the portal, ten more than Dabo last year. Gamecock fans will be familiar with some of those names including Florence native Loyal McQueen. Loyal hasn’t quite lived up to her name as she’s on her third program of her college career. She started Georgia Tech before playing three seasons at Alabama. McQueen is average 17.3 points and six assists per game on the young season.
Mia Moore is also averaging double figures with 12.3 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game. Moore has played a single season at UAB and Mississippi State before transferring to Clemson. Jordy Griggs (Kentucky) also has SEC experience prior to joining Clemson from the portal. Poppie brought three players with him Chattanooga. He also landed a pair of double-digit scorers in Tessa Miller (Belmont 14.4 ppg) and Summah Evans (Mercer 13.4 ppg).
Clemson enters tonight’s game at 3-0 with wins over Jackson State, NC Central, and PC. They are shooting a solid 36.8% from three and 84.8% from the charity stripe. It goes without saying that South Carolina will present a different level of challenge.
Gamecock Streaks
We told you about the winning streaks over Clemson above. Here are a few more.
The Gamecocks’ current 32-game road win streak is the third-longest in NCAA Div. I history.
A win tonight would be South Carolina’s 43rd consecutive, breaking the program record for winning streak. It would be the seventh-best mark in NCAA Div. I history. “To be able to do something that the Freshies have done means that you can do it in a different way,” Staley said. “It’s been much different than the Freshies had done it, but we look forward to being in the company of royalty.” The Gamecocks’ first 42-game streak ran March 18, 2022, through March 27, 2023. South Carolina is just the second program in NCAA history with multiple 40-game win streak. UConn is the other with four 40-game winning streaks. Tennessee holds the SEC record for the longest winning streak with 46 straight.
The Gamecocks are also currently in the midst of a 60-game home winning streak, good enough for the 12th longest in NCAA history.
Prediction
South Carolina is expected to have everyone back and healthy for the first time this season. The Gamecocks will use a rotation of 13-players in runaway games. This game will be used as a final tuneup before Carolina takes on two Top 10 opponents away from Columbia. The Gamecocks head to Los Angeles to face 5th-ranked UCLA and then to Fort Myers for a neutral court game against 8th-ranked Iowa State. Those games will present challenges to the Gamecock Boston/Cardoso-less frontcourt. As for tonight, Staley will test out some rotations available for the first time this season and the Gamecocks will cruise. Carolina 88-57.
