COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball is closing in on conference play.
It has two home games in Colonial Life Arena − vs. Charleston Southern on Thursday (noon, SEC Network+) and Wofford on Dec. 29 (2 p.m., SEC Network) − before the No. 2 Gamecocks (10-1) play their first SEC game against Missouri on Jan. 2 (7 p.m., SEC Network) in Mizzou Arena.
Coach Dawn Staley’s team has worked to figure out its identity without Kamilla Cardoso, and with the addition of Joyce Edwards and Maddy McDaniel. Since the 77-62 loss to UCLA on Nov. 24, South Carolina has looked like a different team in many ways but there are still some areas that can improve.
Ahead of conference play, here are three things that the Gamecocks can clean up in the final two games of 2024.
Consistency, playing more complete games
South Carolina came out slow in the first quarter for the first three games. Against East Carolina on Nov. 17, it looked as though the Gamecocks outgrew their bad habit of a rusty start but against Clemson and UCLA, the problem returned.
After two games, they came out red-hot against Iowa State on Nov. 28 and haven’t let the issue of bad starts linger, though it has surfaced in the second or fourth quarter.
On Sunday against USF, South Carolina had a 24-14 lead after the first, had a 19-19 second quarter followed by a 21-10 third before the Bulls outscored the Gamecocks 21-14 in the fourth quarter. Letting up for an entire quarter or making sloppy mistakes that result in baskets on the other end can be the difference between winning and losing.
Staley said when her team gets out to a quick start, it thinks it’s going to be a lopsided win, which can result in carelessness and being undisciplined on defense. Handling a hot start and especially maintaining that disciplined, energetic play on defense will be key going forward.
Half-court offense for South Carolina
For Staley, a lot of the season has been figuring out lineups. She has a bevy of skilled guards and post players who bring different skills and height to the table. Playing around with different groups of five has resulted in spurts of disjointed half-court offense. The Gamecocks have been strong in transition but not as successful when setting up plays. That said, USF was a great look of what happens when South Carolina has productive ball movement around the key and inside the paint.
If the Gamecocks show a consistent focus and there is less 1-on-1 play as the shot clock winds down, the offense will be hard to stop.
2025: South Carolina women selected for Players Era tournament in 2025 with Duke, Texas, UCLA
3-point shooting for South Carolina
Through 11 games last season, the Gamecocks had made 81 3-pointers and were shooting 51.5% from behind the 3-point line. Through 11 games this season, they are shooting 37% and have made 69 3-pointers. The games last season aren’t exactly the same as this season, and certain defenses impact how many and how well South Carolina shoots but overall it can be shooting the ball just a little bit better from beyond the arc.
Against USF, the Gamecocks made a concerted effort to feed their post players, resulting in 46 points in the paint. The guards still got numerous open 3-point shots but only knocked down five of their 16 attempts. Once they start hitting more 3-point shots, opposing guards will be forced to play them close up, which creates a more balanced scoring attack.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How South Carolina women’s basketball can improve ahead of SEC play
