2023-24 South Carolina regular season, Part 2

[visitingcock]

Dawn said last night. Cardoso would be a game time decision. Don't think she is playing imo.

I think she is being very loose with the phrase "gametime decision." Those games aren't a 30 minute flight away. If she goes, I would think she would go for all the games, thus leave on the 7th or so.

It may come down to how we fare against LSU. Win at Baton Rouge and Cardoso goes. Loss, and she stays to play UConn.One or two losses is no big deal, but lose both of those and we will need to win out, including the SEC tournament., for a 1-seed

 

[jake0414]

I have to believe Dawn and Cardoso have already reached an agreement with Team Brazil but have deferred announcing until closer to game day. Brazil will want to know if Cardoso plays for them or not so it can plan accordingly for the qualifying tournament. Cardoso earned MVP honors of last summer’s Americup Tournament so the Brazil coaches certainly want her on the team.

Brazil plays Thu Feb 8, Sat Feb 10, and Sun Feb 11, all games at 6PM Brazil time, 4PM EST. Conceivably she might play game one Thu and if Brazil wins by a big margin (used for tie breakers) Brazil might release her to fly home for the UConn game. I can‘t imagine her playing game two Sat and flying back to Columbia afterward if Brazil wins Thu and Sat thereby earning an Olympic berth. The UConn game tips at 2PM EST Sun. But that scenario makes it a game time decision.

 

[Creature]

I think she is being very loose with the phrase "gametime decision." Those games aren't a 30 minute flight away. If she goes, I would think she would go for all the games, thus leave on the 7th or so.

It may come down to how we fare against LSU. Win at Baton Rouge and Cardoso goes. Loss, and she stays to play UConn.One or two losses is no big deal, but lose both of those and we will need to win out, including the SEC tournament., for a 1-seed

She will never stop any player from playing in an Olympic event for her country. Cardoso has an NIL deals tied up with her being on the Brazilian basketball team. Thats smother reason. 2ndly. Dawn

I have to believe Dawn and Cardoso have already reached an agreement with Team Brazil but have deferred announcing until closer to game day. Brazil will want to know if Cardoso plays for them or not so it can plan accordingly for the qualifying tournament. Cardoso earned MVP honors of last summer’s Americup Tournament so the Brazil coaches certainly want her on the team.

Brazil plays Thu Feb 8, Sat Feb 10, and Sun Feb 11, all games at 6PM Brazil time, 4PM EST. Conceivably she might play game one Thu and if Brazil wins by a big margin (used for tie breakers) Brazil might release her to fly home for the UConn game. I can‘t imagine her playing game two Sat and flying back to Columbia afterward if Brazil wins Thu and Sat thereby earning an Olympic berth. The UConn game tips at 2PM EST Sun. But that scenario makes it a game time decision.

It does not operate like that. IMO
Olympics trump all other commitments

 

[ConwayGmck]

South Carolina wins 81-57 to improve to 15-0, 3-0 in SEC play. Missouri falls to 9-7, 0-3.

Bree Hall led the Gamecocks with a career high 21 pts - all scored through the first three quarters, on 8-10 shooting and 4-4 behind the 3-pt. line. Te-Hina Paopao added 15 pts on 6-10 shooting, 3-4 from the 3. Raven Johnson, Ashlyn Watkins, and Sania Feagin each added 10 pts - Watkins and Feagin filled the void nicely for Kamilla Cardoso and Chloe Kitts, who each had off nights. Cardoso did lead the team with 8 boards, but only 7 pts on 2-5 shooting.

Hayley Frank and Ashton Judd each led Missouri with 16 pts, and Grace Slaughter chipped in with 12 pts.

The Gamecocks shot 33-64 (.516) from the field, 8-15 (.533) from behind the 3-pt. line, and 7-8 (.875) at the free throw line: all with Cardoso, Fulwiley, and Kitts - 3 of our top 5 scorers on the season - combining to shoot 3-12 in the game for a combined 9 points. They are averaging a combined 34.0 ppg coming into tonight's game. Shows the depth and balance we have this season.....

 

[TC22]

South Carolina wins 81-57 to improve to 15-0, 3-0 in SEC play. Missouri falls to 9-7, 0-3.

Bree Hall led the Gamecocks with a career high 21 pts - all scored through the first three quarters, on 8-10 shooting and 4-4 behind the 3-pt. line. Te-Hina Paopao added 15 pts on 6-10 shooting, 3-4 from the 3. Raven Johnson, Ashlyn Watkins, and Sania Feagin each added 10 pts - Watkins and Feagin filled the void nicely for Kamilla Cardoso and Chloe Kitts, who each had off nights. Cardoso did lead the team with 8 boards, but only 7 pts on 2-5 shooting.

Hayley Frank and Ashton Judd each led Missouri with 16 pts, and Grace Slaughter chipped in with 12 pts.

The Gamecocks shot 33-64 (.516) from the field, 8-15 (.533) from behind the 3-pt. line, and 7-8 (.875) at the free throw line: all with Cardoso, Fulwiley, and Kitts - 3 of our top 5 scorers on the season - combining to shoot 3-12 in the game for a combined 9 points. They are averaging a combined 34.0 ppg coming into tonight's game. Shows the depth and balance we have this season.....

And I thought Feagin had a fantastic night, especially on defense. Was very impressed with her extended minutes. The fact that that Missouri had several shot clock infractions last night was very encouraging because they play that 5 out ball screen offense that we have had trouble with before.

 

[Creature]

Whats wrong with Fulwileys Jumper? Anybody know? She is god awful from 3 now. I know the coaches have worked with her setting her feet.

 

[GamecockFam]

Whats wrong with Fulwileys Jumper? Anybody know? She is god awful from 3 now. I know the coaches have worked with her setting her feet.

I have a feeling there is some doubt creeping into her mind that is causing some confidence issues and putting her through a shooting funk similar to what Zia would go through. Missouri wasn't guarding her on the perimeter and daring her to shoot the three ball, so I think it's compounding the issue because she cannot drive for layups and get that confidence back.

I find it interesting that players that started the season off hot are cooling off and those that started slow are starting to perform at a high level. I would argue that Cardoso, Fulwiley and R. Johnson had fantastic starts but now are struggling. And Watkins, T. Johnson, Hall, and Feagin are starting to elevate their game. Kitts' performance has been a rollercoaster where we don't know what we're getting from week to week. Only Paopao has been relatively consistent through it all.

 

[ConwayGmck]

Over the last 6 games including Missouri, Bree Hall has shot 31-45 (.689) from the field, and 16-23 (.696) from behind the arc. The only downside is that she's also shot 6-12 (.500) from the charity stripe, after shooting 9-11 (.818) there prior. But Bree is averaging 14.0 ppg over the last 6 games. Another offensive force developing her game.....and a great perimeter option to develop alongside Paopao, who is currently the nation's top 3-pt. FG shooter at .552% coming into the Missouri game, now shooting .563. Hall is now shooting .500 from the arc with her torrid run.......

 

[Creature]

Another thought transfer portal- Jersey Wolfbarger formerly of Arkansas. 6ft5 F/G and former MCDAA . Would you kick the tires on her? She is a unicorn at that size with guard skills.

 

[visitingcock]

Another thought transfer portal- Jersey Wolfbarger formerly of Arkansas. 6ft5 F/G and former MCDAA . Would you kick the tires on her? She is a unicorn at that size with guard skills.

No. She won’t bang. Wants to hang around outside the paint shooting jump shot. She doesn’t want to play post

 

[GoChips20]

To go from losing a second straight national title because of an inability to hit threes to the best three-point shooting team in the nation is so, so Dawn Staley.

 

[GoChips20]

With SC at 15-0 and most teams playing ~30 games in the regular season, seems like a good time for a midseason assessment of the team. Won’t do everyone but a rundown on the key pieces:

Cardoso: I think most SC fans would like to see more dominance from her but she’s done well, especially defensively. This team has turned out to be more balanced than expected which has reduced her role and I’m not sure if she’s truly our go-to player. She doesn’t show great touch around the basket compared to Betts or other premier centers but she’s still an agile force on the floor. She remains capable of taking over games when needed.

Johnson: Has cooled off since a hot start but continues to show tremendous improvement from a season ago. To raise your shooting percentage 15 points is remarkable. I’m not a big fan of Clark in large part due to the whole waving-off incident but it may have been the best thing to happen to Raven. She seems to have settled in more as a shooting guard than a true point but it’s working nonetheless. Has been an excellent defender; wonder if she draws the Bueckers assignment in a few weeks. She’s doing very well overall. She’s learning.

PaoPao: SC’s record and season looks at least moderately different without her. That deadeye shot is dependable night in and night out. Brings terrific PG skills and leadership to the table as well. She’s the real deal and it’s lovely to see her having by far her best collegiate season yet with a change of scenery — far from guaranteed in the transfer era.

Hall: What a turnaround between the first two quarters of the season. She’s blossomed into a go-to leader and her shot has been dead-on as of late, now over 50% for the season. I think she’s the x-factor and can be the difference between a title and not. Love her defensive commitment as well.

Kitts: Has earned the starting 4-spot. She’s inconsistent but I’m not sure you can ask a freshman (by game experience) to do much more than she has. Her rebounding production has been a huge boost and she brings something to the frontcourt SC hasn’t had in a few seasons.

Watkins: I think she’s going to be a first-round draft pick in 2026. Elite athleticism, exceptional defensive skills, and a growing offensive game. She’s another x-factor for this team. SC needs her to continue growing and improving to reach its goals.

Fulwiley: Has also cooled after a blazing opener although she just seems like the type of player who is going to wake up by March. She’s more a scorer than a shooter and that’s not a problem given SC’s other three primary guards. She brings a dynamism that other teams have to prepare for and it creates opportunities for others. She’s valuable even when she’s not playing well.

OVERALL: Jury’s still out on how far this young team can go but they certainly have the potential to win it all. A lot of the bigger early-season wins have been devalued as the season has gone on but metrics love this team on both sides of the ball. As an SC fan it’s just nice to enjoy the ride. Nobody had this squad at #1 (for good reason) and regardless of what happens from here they’ve now spent half the season there. Dawn has to be above or even with Cori as the frontrunner for COY at this point.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

To go from losing a second straight national title because of an inability to hit threes to the best three-point shooting team in the nation is so, so Dawn Staley.

Might want to check the math on "second straight"

 

[GamecockFam]

With SC at 15-0 and most teams playing ~30 games in the regular season, seems like a good time for a midseason assessment of the team. Won’t do everyone but a rundown on the key pieces:

Cardoso: I think most SC fans would like to see more dominance from her but she’s done well, especially defensively. This team has turned out to be more balanced than expected which has reduced her role and I’m not sure if she’s truly our go-to player. She doesn’t show great touch around the basket compared to Betts or other premier centers but she’s still an agile force on the floor. She remains capable of taking over games when needed.

Johnson: Has cooled off since a hot start but continues to show tremendous improvement from a season ago. To raise your shooting percentage 15 points is remarkable. I’m not a big fan of Clark in large part due to the whole waving-off incident but it may have been the best thing to happen to Raven. She seems to have settled in more as a shooting guard than a true point but it’s working nonetheless. Has been an excellent defender; wonder if she draws the Bueckers assignment in a few weeks. She’s doing very well overall. She’s learning.

PaoPao: SC’s record and season looks at least moderately different without her. That deadeye shot is dependable night in and night out. Brings terrific PG skills and leadership to the table as well. She’s the real deal and it’s lovely to see her having by far her best collegiate season yet with a change of scenery — far from guaranteed in the transfer era.

Hall: What a turnaround between the first two quarters of the season. She’s blossomed into a go-to leader and her shot has been dead-on as of late, now over 50% for the season. I think she’s the x-factor and can be the difference between a title and not. Love her defensive commitment as well.

Kitts: Has earned the starting 4-spot. She’s inconsistent but I’m not sure you can ask a freshman (by game experience) to do much more than she has. Her rebounding production has been a huge boost and she brings something to the frontcourt SC hasn’t had in a few seasons.

Watkins: I think she’s going to be a first-round draft pick in 2026. Elite athleticism, exceptional defensive skills, and a growing offensive game. She’s another x-factor for this team. SC needs her to continue growing and improving to reach its goals.

Fulwiley: Has also cooled after a blazing opener although she just seems like the type of player who is going to wake up by March. She’s more a scorer than a shooter and that’s not a problem given SC’s other three primary guards. She brings a dynamism that other teams have to prepare for and it creates opportunities for others. She’s valuable even when she’s not playing well.

OVERALL: Jury’s still out on how far this young team can go but they certainly have the potential to win it all. A lot of the bigger early-season wins have been devalued as the season has gone on but metrics love this team on both sides of the ball. As an SC fan it’s just nice to enjoy the ride. Nobody had this squad at #1 (for good reason) and regardless of what happens from here they’ve now spent half the season there. Dawn has to be above or even with Cori as the frontrunner for COY at this point.

If I were coach, I would put a heavy dose of Watkins on Bueckers if UConn goes with a four guard lineup. Watkins would probably move to AE and Hall to Bueckers if Ice Brady and AE are on the floor at the same time. I would think that Raven's main assignment would be one of the other guards...Muhl, Arnold, or Shade. My bet would be Muhl.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[SCspur]

If I were coach, I would put a heavy dose of Watkins on Bueckers if UConn goes with a four guard lineup. Watkins would probably move to AE and Hall to Bueckers if Ice Brady and AE are on the floor at the same time. I would think that Raven's main assignment would be one of the other guards...Muhl, Arnold, or Shade. My bet would be Muhl.

I was thinking starting Watkins or Feagin alongside Kitts and let Hall matchup with Bueckers from tip and play Kitts on Shade. That puts Paopao on Arnold, Raven on Muhl, and either Ashlyn or Sania on Edwards. I’d rather have Watkins protect the paint and give Edwards fits than Bueckers. Paige is elite and I don’t want any or our bigs on her. Hall has some experience to an extent of guarding her, and I think both Johnson’s will take a turn defending her as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jah either especially for defense and a spark off the bench.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I was thinking starting Watkins or Feagin alongside Kitts and let Hall matchup with Bueckers from tip and play Kitts on Shade. That puts Paopao on Arnold, Raven on Muhl, and either Ashlyn or Sania on Edwards. I’d rather have Watkins protect the paint and give Edwards fits than Bueckers. Paige is elite and I don’t want any or our bigs on her. Hall has some experience to an extent of guarding her, and I think both Johnson’s will take a turn defending her as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jah either especially for defense and a spark off the bench.

If I were South Carolina I’d put Kitts on Nika, Johnson on KK, PaoPao on Shade and Hall on Paige. That minimizes the mist matches on defense as much as possible imo.

 

[visitingcock]

If I were South Carolina I’d put Kitts on Nika, Johnson on KK, PaoPao on Shade and Hall on Paige. That minimizes the mist matches on defense as much as possible imo.

Agreed. Hall on Paige. Bree has the most experience, the most practiced defensive skills and, except for Watkins, the most athletic ability .

 

[JstVisiting]

Might want to check the math on "second straight"

Might want to reread what you were replying to.

 

[JstVisiting]

Dawn was visibly unhappy on the bench for quite a bit of the game last night and there were instances she let some players know it, Raven in particular. I haven’t watched the broadcast yet so IDK how much of that made it through. GCC article said usually post game pressers usually happen 20-25 minutes after but it was 45 minutes before Dawn showed up for yesterday’s.

Pretty interesting write up which I believe is accessible for non members. Apologies if not:

South Carolina women's basketball: Why Dawn Staley called Sunday's win "disheartening"

#1 South Carolina is 14-0 and has won its two SEC games by an average of 21 points, but Dawn Staley is ticked off.

www.on3.com

Enjoyed that article, but there’s a reason at Missouri has been tough - they’re a big ten team playing in the SEC and, at home, they often get a big ten whistle. Every flop and flail is rewarded, while the big, mean “athletic” girls are punished for standing too close to a shooter. Dr. Jill would love it.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Coach Staley Postgame Presser. She was not happy with what i considered a well played game by our girls yesterday. What does she mean by- undisciplined play?

Against MSU? Worst game we've played this season.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I think she is being very loose with the phrase "gametime decision." Those games aren't a 30 minute flight away. If she goes, I would think she would go for all the games, thus leave on the 7th or so.

It may come down to how we fare against LSU. Win at Baton Rouge and Cardoso goes. Loss, and she stays to play UConn.One or two losses is no big deal, but lose both of those and we will need to win out, including the SEC tournament., for a 1-seed

While Kamilla is important to us, Ashlyn and Sania are playing much better and we will likely play at hyper speed if KC doesn't play. I think we're ok, either way.

 

[JstVisiting]

Against MSU? Worst game we've played this season.

While Kamilla is important to us, Ashlyn and Sania are playing much better and we will likely play at hyper speed if KC doesn't play. I think we're ok, either way.

Cordoso would be a matchup nightmare for UConn, but Watkins is probably much better suited to the pace of that game.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Cordoso would be a matchup nightmare for UConn, but Watkins is probably much better suited to the pace of that game.

Agreed, but Watkins has been playing very well, lately; probably better than Cardoso.

 

[GamecockFam]

I was thinking starting Watkins or Feagin alongside Kitts and let Hall matchup with Bueckers from tip and play Kitts on Shade. That puts Paopao on Arnold, Raven on Muhl, and either Ashlyn or Sania on Edwards. I’d rather have Watkins protect the paint and give Edwards fits than Bueckers. Paige is elite and I don’t want any or our bigs on her. Hall has some experience to an extent of guarding her, and I think both Johnson’s will take a turn defending her as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jah either especially for defense and a spark off the bench.

Putting Kitts on a UConn guard is a big recipe for disaster. IMO she doesn't have the reaction speed to defend the backdoor cut from the wing. I agree that Watkins would be the better option to defend Edwards but we gotta pick our poison and I would rather spend efforts forcing Paige into taking difficult shots. Edwards is also a good shooter so more than likely Geno will position her around the perimeter to pull her defender away from the basket and prevent Watkins' ability to block shots on the help side. Watkins is our best defender and is the only big that can reliably guard 1-5 -- Dawn even said it in a recent interview. Since Bueckers is occupying the role of point forward in a four guard lineup, Watkins is probably the best candidate with Hall as a close second.