New faces help South Carolina remain formidable foe
SEC winning streaks say a lot about the state of affairs for South Carolina and Tennessee.
The No. 5 Gamecocks (18-1, 8-0 SEC) have won 24 in a row in regular season league play. The Lady Vols (13-7, 4-3) haven’t won more than two in a row in the conference since February of 2015.
UT brings a two-game win streak to a meeting between the two women’s basketball teams at 6 p.m. Monday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. (TV: ESPN2, Radio: Lady Vol network).
Here’s three things to watch:
1. South Carolina has reloaded
Tennessee is familiar with South Carolina’s post duo of A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates.
The 6-foot-5 Wilson, who scored 26 points in a 64-61 victory over previously unbeaten Mississippi State last week, scored 25 against UT last season in Knoxville. The 6-4 Coates leads all active Division I players in rebounds (1,140) and double-double games (54).
Transfer guards Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray, though, will be making their first appearance for the Gamecocks against Tennessee. They’re averaging a combined 26 points per game. Davis leads the team in 3-pointers with 35. She also had a hand in limiting Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians to 12 points and 4-for-16 shooting. Gray shared SEC player of the week honors last week with Missouri’s Sophie Cunningham.
“I think it’s just added to their arsenal,” UT coach Holly Warlick said.
2. There might be new rivalries within the rivalry
The presence of Davis and Gray will add a personal dimension to the game.
Davis initially committed to Tennessee in 2010 but reopened her recruitment in February of 2012. The reason why was concern about the health of then-Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. who announced in August of 2011 that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia Alzheimer’s type.
Davis eventually signed with Georgia Tech and scored 28 points against UT on Nov. 17, 2013. She transferred to South Carolina after being named first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a sophomore, saying she wanted to pursue a national championship.
Warlick said she anticipates the 6-2 Davis guarding Lady Vols guard Diamond DeShields. They attended Norcross (Ga.) High and DeShields described her and Davis as close friends. However, Davis finished her high school career at Buford.
DeShields and Gray, meanwhile, were teammates at North Carolina before transferring.
3. Lady Vols need rebounding recovery
The Lady Vols were outrebounded by 12 against Florida on Thursday. The deficit was their largest of the season and translated into a 17-5 disparity in second-chance points.
They need to bounce back for South Carolina, which has a plus-9.2 rebounding advantage this season.
“I think we have a lot of respect for South Carolina and their rebounding ability,” Warlick said. “I think it starts with that.
“We talked about rebounding (against Florida) but I don’t know if we respected their rebounding.”
The Lady Vols also must be better defensively. Their strategy will be worth watching. Both of Mississippi State's centers, Chinwe Okorie and Teaira McCowan, fouled out against the Gamecocks. UT can't afford such attrition.