South Carolina welcomes Ole Miss and ESPN’s College GameDay to Colonial Life Arena on Sunday, with the Gamecocks needing just one win to secure their fifth consecutive SEC regular-season championship. Here is what to keep an eye on heading into tip-off.
Availability
Raven Johnson played 19 minutes through illness in Thursday’s win over Alabama but sat out Friday’s practice to rest. She is expected to be available by Sunday. Adhel Tac’s situation is more uncertain. The forward missed several games while wearing a walking boot on her left foot, though she was seen without the boot on Friday, using a scooter instead. Head coach Dawn Staley described Tac as day-to-day, and the official availability report is due Saturday evening.
Ole Miss will likely be shorthanded as well. Starting guard Sira Thienou, who averages 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, is dealing with a bone bruise suffered in the win over Tennessee and did not play against LSU. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin stopped short of officially ruling Thienou out but indicated the program would be cautious with her return ahead of the postseason.
SEC Championship Picture
The situation is straightforward for the Gamecocks — a win on Sunday clinches a fifth straight SEC regular-season title outright. South Carolina has already secured a top-four seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament regardless of Sunday’s result.
Fatigue Could Be a Factor
Sunday’s game will be Ole Miss’s fourth in eight days, and the scheduling crunch is showing. The Rebels led LSU by 13 points in the third quarter on Thursday before collapsing, going scoreless from the field through the entire fourth quarter and losing the game. McPhee-McCuin acknowledged what was visible to anyone watching. “Not taking anything away from LSU,” she said, “but we ran out of gas.” Ole Miss had Friday off — its first rest day in a week — before turning attention to South Carolina, leaving minimal preparation time. It is a difficult position from which to engineer an upset.
College GameDay Returns to Columbia
Sunda marks South Carolina’s eighth appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay and its fourth time serving as host. Ole Miss will be making its GameDay debut. The broadcast begins at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN ahead of the noon tip-off. Colonial Life Arena opens at 10 a.m. for Fast Break Pass holders and 10:30 a.m. for general admission, with a pre-game Chalk Talk session with Wendale Farrow also scheduled, with those doors opening at 10:05 a.m.
Scouting Ole Miss
Under McPhee-McCuin, Ole Miss has consistently been a physical, defensively oriented team that competes hard on the glass. The offensive side of the ball has historically been more of a challenge, and Thienou’s likely absence makes that even more the case this weekend.
The defining difference for Ole Miss this season is senior forward Cotie McMahon, a 6-foot Ohio State transfer who has elevated her game to another level. She is averaging 20.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and over the past month has been especially dominant — averaging 24.6 points and 3.1 assists, scoring at least 20 in six of the last seven games, and posting a career-high 39 points with 10 rebounds and five assists against Tennessee.
Staley acknowledged McMahon’s central role in what Ole Miss does. “She’s a focal point, and I think some people like Cotie thrive in that position, thriving in the driver’s seat,” Staley said. “Coach Yo puts her in the position of being that person, and everybody else is just playing around her, and they don’t mind. It looks like everybody loves the role that they play for their team, and when you have that kind of situation, your play elevates, and you do some historical things.”
Surrounding McMahon are Christeen Iwuala, who contributes 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and Latasha Lattimore, who adds 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Debreasha Powe has had a difficult season shooting from three at 27.3 percent, though she ranked among the top ten in the SEC in that category in each of the two previous seasons and remains a threat worth monitoring.
Game Details
Sunday’s tip-off is set for noon ET on ESPN from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. South Carolina enters at 26-2 overall and 12-1 in the SEC. Ole Miss comes in at 21-7 and 8-5 in conference play.
