Today’s game showed why Dawn and a lot of fans are so high on this team’s potential - they can really put numbers on the board that we generally didn’t last year. An odd night at A&M aside, the team has been on fire since the Oklahoma disaster.
Gamecocks 2025-2026 Season
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WBBTakeover
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The freshman and sophomores have raised the bar for this team. All of them are capable of producing if they get minutes!
If there’s one area where we really need improvement , it’s handling pressure of a full court press, especially inbounding the ball. We look confused sometimes… and good teams practice countermeasures to make it less of an adventure.
bballnut90
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I think it was worth the gamble. Tennessee isn't a program that wants to be a borderline Sweet 16 team each season which were the results they were getting under Harper. Caldwell looked like a great hire a year ago, this season hasn't gone as smoothly with higher expectations and a very different roster.
Being able to recruit great players who want to be coached is hands down the #1 most important skill of coaching and is the best indicator for success. Kim is proving herself to be an excellent recruiter in that she can land highly ranked kids which is more than can be said for Harper. How well she can coach them up and develop a team to play great basketball remains to be seen. I do think she probably needs to be more selective about which talented players she takes, as there are some players on the current team who came with red flags IMO and might be detractors to team chemistry.
bballnut90
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Regarding SC today, just a dominant win after Tennessee hung with them early. Great display by SC but almost an equally bad performance by Tennessee. That said, South Carolina is playing great basketball and looks solidly a step ahead of last year's team.
Also Tournebize nailing that 3 from the corner looked like a taller Tessa Johnson on the wing with her quick release. She's now 4-5 from 3 on the season with great form. I feel like Dawn is slowly but steadily unleashing her and she's going be a major factor in the post season.
Also Tournebize nailing that 3 from the corner looked like a taller Tessa Johnson on the wing with her quick release. She's now 4-5 from 3 on the season with great form. I feel like Dawn is slowly but steadily unleashing her and she's going be a major factor in the post season.
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I'm not really sure what you mean by "hung with them early". Watching the game, I didn't get the sense that Tennessee ever posed a serious threat (or any threat at all, really). To me, the game was over by halftime based on the way that they played. They didn't compete.
Your coach is in way over her head here. She, and anyone affiliated with that program, ought to be embarrassed.
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If you’re curious as to what a dumpster fire looks like, go beyond this site to a Tennessee WBB forum and… man! The torches and pitchforks are out! Caldwell called her team “quitters” in the postgame presser, and the program seems to be consuming itself.
Crazy, because at one time, Tennessee was WBB’s top program… before Geno took Pat’s place as the GOAT. Their fans are desperate to become relevant again, and few think that Caldwell’s “hockey line substitution” system works against top tier teams. They hung with UConn for a half, then fell apart like a cheap suit. Then, yesterday… a beatdown of epic proportions… the worst defeat in their history.
Never easy to replace a legend. Some day, hopefully not soon, the Gamecocks will have that unenviable task. We should never take for granted what we have now… perennial contenders for conference and national championships, the WBB leader in game attendance, respect for an extraordinarily well run program. We need to enjoy the present, because the future is guaranteed to no one.
Crazy, because at one time, Tennessee was WBB’s top program… before Geno took Pat’s place as the GOAT. Their fans are desperate to become relevant again, and few think that Caldwell’s “hockey line substitution” system works against top tier teams. They hung with UConn for a half, then fell apart like a cheap suit. Then, yesterday… a beatdown of epic proportions… the worst defeat in their history.
Never easy to replace a legend. Some day, hopefully not soon, the Gamecocks will have that unenviable task. We should never take for granted what we have now… perennial contenders for conference and national championships, the WBB leader in game attendance, respect for an extraordinarily well run program. We need to enjoy the present, because the future is guaranteed to no one.
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I was snooping around Vol Nation yesterday 👀
Was I right?
WBBTakeover
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Yes 😄
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Cardoso the easy answer.
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They fired a coach over that one
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Yep. Pretty much spot on.
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I saw someone say they didn’t expect the LSU game to be within 15 points and I legitimately do not know which way they meant.
bballnut90
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The score was 27-24 early in the 2nd quarter, that’s hanging with a team early. South Carolina obliterated them the rest of the way. Not sure why you’re nitpicking something irrelevant when I’m giving major props to SC and agreeing with you.
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If by "hanging with a team early" you mean "firing up three-pointers in an undisciplined way and getting lucky that a few of them fell", then sure.
This was never a contest. Your team got stomped and your team's coach is behaving like more of a teenager than some of her teenaged players.
I believe SC will beat LSU by 10-15 points. I also wouldn't be surprised if it was more though
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LSU has gotten beaten down badly in all their “big games” this season much like TN. I’ll be shocked if this is close (less than 20 points). Williams is good but SC has the defenders to shut her down and LSUs overhyped freshmen class won’t make up for Flaujaes erratic play
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LSU will be jacked up for that game, for many reasons. They're going to want to get out and run and get the crowd into it early. But if they aren't able to control the tempo (or the boards) and if we're able to get the ball inside repeatedly, I'm not sure how they win.
A path to victory for them heavily features Mikaylah Williams and Jada Richard. A path to another SEC loss involves too much Flau'jae Johnson and too much MiLaysia Fulwiley. Guess what we're more likely to see on Saturday.
LSU has a "main character syndrome" issue. The wrong people will be shooting and doing so often.
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Genuinely do not know what to expect.
Blowout either way, close game, I do not know.
At LSU, Tigers coming off a loss, so much pent up frustration in BR to break streak, SCar's injuries and evolving lineups.
The personal motivations of FJ and .
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My lean is toward a LSU win. USC has just too much played less than stellar on the road. There's the OU and TAMU games recently but even games against UF and UGA they played somewhat off, and with a team like LSU and that loud hornets nest crowd, well I'm not feeling all that confident.
bballnut90
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You must have mixed them up with someone else. They lost on a buzzer beater to a full strength Kentucky team and a close loss at #5 Vanderbilt. They haven’t been beaten down badly by anyone this year. They’ve won every other game including a victory over Texas.
bballnut90
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I agree with this, though I think it’s kind of a toss up. South Carolina is better on paper but LSU will come out swinging. I think Flaujae and Fulwiley are the wildcards. If both play well I see LSU winning, but if one of them doesn’t it’s advantage SC. PMAC will be rocking and I could see this game drawing more viewers than any other in the regular season.
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Sellout crowd and the No. 3 team that they have lost to 17 straight times including all 5 with Mulkey at the helm. I would have to lean to an LSU win, and the analytics seems to back that up. I would not be shocked with a South Carolina win... but I would be surprised. Too much to overcome IMO.
Right now I just trust J&J and the much more than I do Fulwiley and Flau'jae. Obviously LSU has the talent to compete against anyone, but my gut tells me Williams will play well but won't get enough touches and there will be stretches of the game where LSU will go to one on one ball and what would be a tight game, will turn into a slow methodical beat down over 4 quarters.
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If we win impressively at LSU, i will adjust my opinion of the team’s ceiling. I’ve already said we’re good enough to win it all, but our most impressive games have all come at home. Need to see a great performance on the road.
LSU crowd will be as hyped as they were for Texas if not more, and they led that one the whole way.
I’m not convinced. SC seems very mental for lsu in a lot of ways. They always find ways to choke when it matters most
You know Flaujae and Lay gonna end up turning the game for lsu (in the wrong way)
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According to SEC Now, Schaefer was asked postgame why Harmon was “benched” and he corrected the reporter that she was “substituted”. So I guess she’s alright.
Schaefer also went on a long, Caldwell-esque rant on his team.
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