SEC notebook: South Carolina-Alabama showdown, top 10 clash for Texas, things we learned in Week 2

South Carolina (16-1) has picked up three commanding wins in league play that include a top 10 victory against Texas on Sunday in convincing fashion. The Gamecocks have collected five wins over ranked foes and have only allowed two opponents to notch 70 points this season. Even more, of South Carolina’s ranked opposition, six of those teams have been limited to 57 points. 

With South Carolina continuing to dominate as usual, the team continues one of its most difficult stretches of the season, facing four top 25 teams over the next 11 days with the idea of proving why the reigning champs look primed to compete for another national title in April. But with each win in pursuit of the ultimate goal comes more focus and improvement, something Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley doesn’t take lightly. 

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South Carolina enters Thursday with a matchup against Alabama (16-2), a team that is coming off a tightly-contested win in an affair on Sunday with Mississippi prior to a disappointing road loss on Jan. 9 to Texas. Entering the second week of conference action, the biggest storyline surrounding the Gamecocks’ program was the loss of Ashlyn Watkins as an enforcer in the paint  and how the team would respond in her absence. 

The answer to that question is the strength of South Carolina’s depth and the ability of Staley’s players to truly embrace the “next person up” mentality. In Watkins’ absence, it has allowed South Carolina to showcase the impact of Sania Feagin and freshman Joyce Edwards more as well the rebounding abilities of guards like Raven Johnson in addition to her scoring and offensive facilitation. 

“[Depth] helps in the longevity of a season,” Staley said in her news conference on Wednesday. “During the stretch of conference play, it is about trusting your team, trusting your habits that you’ve built. And we’ve been able to do that.”

Those habits will be tested once again against a Crimson Tide team that sits in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense (80.8 ppg) and offensive rating (109.1) while also being among the top 15 in effective field goal percentage (53.7%) and eighth in 3-pointers made (159). 

“Alabama is always tough,” Staley said. “They always have great guard play. They can shoot the ball. … Hard place to play as well. For us, it’s packing our habits, hopefully guard the 3-point line and guard the paint.”

Alabama will once again be without its second leading scorer Sarah Ashlee Barker (15.6 ppg), a key part in the Crimson Tide’s veteran rotation at the guard position. But in Barker’s absence, others like Zaay Green, Aaliyah Nye, Essence Cody and Diana Collins — who typically is part of Alabama’s bench rotation — have stepped up and delivered huge contributions, especially in the team’s most recent victory against Mississippi.

“We’ve got to have more of a committee [team contribution],” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said during her weekly news conference. “… We’ve got to have more as we continue to move forward without SA [Barker]. We can’t expect Zaay [Green] and Aaliyah [Nye] to do what they did [against Mississippi]. 

“We can and we hope they do but we have to also be able to provide some assistance in some other spots. Essence [Cody] had a phenomenal second half. I don’t think it’s a secret that our bench has to perform better. … We have to come out with a tremendous effort, near perfect effort.”

Big tests for Tennessee

Volunteers head coach Kim Caldwell knew the difficulty of navigating SEC country would be a weekly gauntlet. 

Through two weeks of league play, the Volunteers (14-2) could have been undefeated. Instead, Tennessee registered its first two blemishes to Oklahoma and LSU — two of the SEC’s total seven top 25 teams in the nation — by an average margin of 1.5 points. And for Caldwell’s squad, the journey doesn’t get easier. However, she and her players — especially those who aren’t as familiar with the physicality of the league — are up for the challenge of rising to the occasion.

“We’re [Caldwell and players] all understanding it together, the physicality,” Caldwell said Tuesday in her weekly news conference. “… We need to get a little bit tougher if we want to compete.”

The Volunteers enter the third week of conference action with a tough matchup against Mississippi State (15-3) before going 140 miles east for a clash against Vanderbilt (14-4), a team that went toe-to-toe with LSU and has two top 25 scorers in the country in Khamil Pierre and Mikayla Blakes. Tennessee’s ability to score at a high clip and its relentless press defense have remained constant factors in the Vols’ success. Currently, Tennessee leads the nation in scoring offense (96.4 ppg), 3-pointers made per game (12.0), 3-point attempts per game (36.0) and offensive rebounds (20.6) while sitting sixth in bench points per game (33.8).

Defensively, the Vols sit second in the country in turnovers forced per game (26.4) and turnover margin (11.8) as well as third in steals (14.4). However, the Vols will square off against an invigorated Bulldogs’ team that is coming off wins against Oklahoma and Georgia last week after dropping back-to-back games to Kentucky and South Carolina to begin league play.

Like Tennessee, Mississippi State presents challenges on both sides of the ball. Currently, Bulldogs leading scorer Jerkaila Jordan (15.6 ppg) is the only SEC player and one of six in the country averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and one block per game. Okot leads the nation in field goal percentage (69.3) and Eniya Russell is one of two players in the SEC notching 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest.

Defensively, head coach Sam Purcell’s squad is one of the best in the country, sitting as one of 13 teams nationally to hold opponents to less than 60 points per game and shooting less than 40% from the floor as well as notching 8.0 steals and 4.5 blocks per contest. Mississippi State also ranks in the top 20 in the country in field goal percentage defense (35.3), which is a little more than three percent higher than Kansas State, who leads the nation at 32.2%.

“They are incredibly talented, they are going to go in transition,” Caldwell said. “Their half court defense is really good, so it’s really going to be a tough matchup for us.”

Tennessee has won three of the last four meetings against Mississippi State.

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Critical matchups for Mississippi State

The holiday season is a time where some teams may see a slight decline in intensity. For Mississippi State, it’s the exact opposite.

Despite the Bulldogs’ two blowout losses to ranked Kentucky and South Carolina to begin conference play, Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell told reporters Wednesday that his players learned a lot and are figuring out how to weather the storm of SEC play.

“I really truly believe I am watching my team gel [from the losses],” Purcell said. “We learned a lot from South Carolina. … South Carolina doesn’t have a kid that scores over 11 points. They are a team. That’s what I’ve been preaching with this group. We have a lot of special pieces.”

Mississippi State picked up a win against Oklahoma, the second top 10 victory at home in the past two seasons under Purcell’s leadership as well as a victory against Georgia thanks to MSU converting a season-best 14 threes, the most of a Purcell-led Bulldog lead in three seasons.

“Christmas is a time we get better,” Purcell said. “… We’ve been doing morning sessions with extra shooting and coming back to practice. …We’re finding Debreasha Powe. I think she had three [field goal attempts] shots [in the Kentucky game]. That’s not enough for Debreasha Powe.”

For context, Powe is one of two MSU players (Destiney McPhaul) in the SEC’s top 15 to average above 40% from beyond the arc with at least two attempts per game. But beyond uptick in 3-point shooting, among the best duos in the SEC sits Bulldogs’ Jordan and Russell. Purcell believes their “chemistry is coming.” 

But with matchups against a ranked Tennessee — scoring machine and defensive menace — and in-state rival Mississippi — veteran-led squad with a knack for strong defense on Sunday — Purcell must refrain from turning the ball over, take advantage of points in transition, shoot the ball well from the field and defend.

“They [Volunteers] are just relentless,” Purcell said. “You got to be great with box outs within this style of play. You got to take care of the basketball. You got to own the paint, send four or five people to the boards because [if] they send four to the boards, if you can secure the rebounds and get out, you can get easy transition opportunities.

“[Mississippi] is extremely athletic, they play hard and they love to defend. … [Mississippi head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has] done a phenomenal job in getting more offensive players. … With returned experience and a lot of newcomers, they are a tough team.”

Texas-Maryland, a top 10 clash

The Longhorns will seek to bounce back starting Thursday with a game on the road against Auburn before a top 10 road matchup against Maryland on Monday. Texas enters the week coming off a loss to South Carolina in a top-10 showdown that saw Longhorns star Madison Booker (7 points on 3-for-19 shooting from the floor) have her worst game of the season and a team that shot 28% in the game.

Although Texas (16-2) didn’t shoot the ball well and committed some unfavorable turnovers in Sunday’s loss, one of the Longhorns’ strengths in this contest was offensive rebounding by Kyla Oldacre, who finished with 12 of her total 16 rebounds on offense. As a team, Texas outrebounded South Carolina on the offensive boards (20-6). As Texas seeks to not have another subpar shooting night, another strong performance from Oldacre will be important against a Maryland team that sits top 20 nationally in offensive (15.3, 18th) and defensive (29.2, 18th) rebounding while coming in sixth nationally in total rebounds (44.5) per game.

The Terrapins (16-1) also rank in the top five in the country in free throws made (305, 3rd), free throws attempted (406, 4th) and free throw trips (191, 4th) while sitting at No. 12 in points per game (84.0). Maryland has five players who are currently shooting 80% or better from the free throw line that include Shyanne Sellers, the team’s second-leading scorer, leading scorer Kaylene Smikle, Bri McDaniel, Sarah Te-Biasu and Saylor Poffenbarger. 

But like the Terps, Texas enters this matchup also having the ability to get to the charity stripe as the Longhorns have made 105 more free throws than their opponents this season while leading the country in free throws made per game (18.4) this season. Vic Schaefer’s squad has also been a menace in forcing turnovers (25 per game), leading the nation in turnover margin while also limiting its opposition in second chance points this season.

LSU

Despite all commotion of a low strength of schedule in nonconference play for LSU, Kim Mulkey’s Tigers are still undefeated after securing wins against a ranked Tennessee and a talented Vanderbilt squad in the second week of conference play. LSU (19-0) remains as one of three teams (UCLA and Ohio State) that are still undefeated this season and one of three in the country with at least 12 wins against Division I opponents with a winning record.

As the Tigers continue their climb, their success will continue to rise as far as the play of their big three in Aneesah Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. In LSU’s wins last week, Morrow posted two strong double-doubles. Even more, against the Commodores on Sunday, she registered her 17th double double of the season and became the eighth player in NCAA Division I history to score 2,500 career points and surpass 1,500 rebounds. Currently, Morrow sits at 91 double-doubles, tying her for the second most in Division I history with Oregon’s Jillian Alleyne. 

LSU returns to action on the road against a Florida team that has two losses — against Alabama and Kentucky — but has talented guard play in freshman Liv McGill (16.1 ppg), Laila Reynolds (10.3 ppg) and Jeriah Warren (13.6 ppg) as well as strong post presence in veteran Ra Shaya Kyle, who is nearly averaging a double-double  (15.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg) while shooting 63.7% from the floor. 

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Kentucky

Through two weeks of SEC play, the Wildcats’ play might be the biggest surprise of the conference. Kentucky (15-1) is one of four teams nationally (South Carolina, UCLA and Notre Dame) that has at least eight victories against A4 opponents. Last week, after emphatic wins against Florida and Auburn, the Wildcats registered their fourth best start in program history and are 4-0 for the first time in SEC play since the 2012-13 campaign.

Their starting lineup featuring Georgia Amoore, Dazia Lawrence, Amelia Hassett, Teonni Key and Clara Strack continues to excel on the hardwood with sharp shooting — Wildcats have shot at least 47% from the floor in their last seven consecutive games — and 14 of Kentucky’s 15 wins have come by margin of at least 10 points. A big key to Wildcats’ success starts with the team’s ball movement (ranking seventh nationally in assists per game with 19.6), sitting at fifth in the assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55) while also grabbing critical defensive rebounds (11th, 30.0 rpg) and Kentucky using its interior length to its advantage (leading the nation in blocks per game with 7.4). The Wildcats get a road test on Sunday against Georgia.

Oklahoma

The Sooners suffered a tough loss against Mississippi State to start the second week of conference play before bouncing back with a victory on Sunday against Texas A&M, its first SEC win at home. Oklahoma (14-3), a team still figuring things out in a way, has not lost its two SEC games by a large margin. In fact, the Sooners average margin of loss is 5.5 points. For head coach Jennie Baranczyk, it comes down to shooting the ball well, limiting turnovers in critical moments and players further solidifying their roles. 

One constant for OU remains Raegan Beers, who leads the Sooners in scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.2) and a big reason why Oklahoma averages the third most points in the paint (44.0) in the nation. Beers scores 12.1 of her total points inside the paint. It also helps that OU ranks 17th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (15.4) and among the top 10 in the country in second chance points (15.2). The Sooners enter Thursday with a matchup against Missouri — a former Big 12 foe — before going on the road Sunday to face South Carolina. 

Mississippi

Mississippi (11-5) produced a split in the second week of conference play, defeating Vanderbilt in convincing fashion before dropping a game on Sunday to a sharp-shooting Alabama squad. When it comes to Mississippi, the Rebels’ scoring droughts in key moments are a big reason why they often lose games. Against Alabama, the Crimson Tide outscored the Rebels in both the second and third periods before Mississippi came charging back to take the final quarter. 

However, Alabama’s 3-point shooting was the X-factor, finishing the game at 63.2% (12-for-19) from beyond the arc in comparison to Mississippi at 33.3% (7-for-21). Coach Yo’s squad will seek to bounce back on Thursday with a game against Florida and a road test against in-state rival Mississippi State. 

Florida

The Gators still remain on that teetering line in the SEC of taking the next step to rise among the middle-of-the-pack teams. Currently, Florida (11-7) is one of five teams in the SEC with two wins and two losses through two weeks of conference play. It’s no question that they have the talent with athletic scoring guards and consistent interior play. However, for Kelly Rae Finley’s squad, it’s about finishing games. Florida gets a chance to take another step this week with a road game on Thursday against Mississippi before returning to Gainesville for a Sunday matchup against undefeated LSU. 

The last time Mississippi and Florida clashed was in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament where the Rebels bested the Gators. A win for Florida would be Finley’s first against the Rebels. Florida enters Thursday ranked third in the SEC and 14th nationally in field goal percentage (48.4%), along with four players averaging double figures in McGill, Kyle, Warren and Reynolds. 

Georgia

The Bulldogs are one of three teams — Texas A&M and Arkansas — that have one conference win heading into Thursday’s league action. Ironically, the Bulldogs get a Thursday matchup on the road against the Aggies, a contest that has been decided by a total of six points in the last two meetings, before facing Kentucky on Sunday. Although the wins haven’t piled up for Georgia, the Bulldogs (9-9) are still averaging their best offensive output to start SEC play in four seasons, averaging 70.3 points per game. Trinity Turner continues to lead the way for UGA, averaging 12.9 points and is one of three freshmen on the team continuing to provide major contributions on the hardwood.

Texas A&M

After coming off four games against consecutive ranked opponents that includes two games on the road last week, the Aggies face Georgia on Thursday, hoping to pick up their second conference victory of the season. Texas A&M (8-8) has played well at home this season, sitting at 7-3 in that category and facing a UGA team that remains winless on the road. Even more, the last time the two teams met in College Station, the Aggies notched the win. Aicha Coulibaly continues to be the player to watch for Texas A&M as she leads the team in points (12.3) while shooting 50% from the floor and scoring more than half of her points in the second half of games.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks picked up their first SEC win of the season on the road against Auburn last week. However, big picture, not much has changed for Arkansas (8-11) as Izzy Higginbottom still sits as the nation’s fourth leading scorer (24.5 ppg). However, Arkansas suffered its third loss by a margin of 32 or more points in its last four games. For context, those losses came against LSU, Texas and Tennessee, three of the seven ranked SEC teams in the nation. The Razorbacks return to action on Sunday against another ranked foe in Alabama. 

Missouri

The Tigers (11-8) are one of two teams (Auburn) that have yet to win a game in conference play. Missouri’s closest chance of winning came last week in a two point loss on the road to Georgia. In Missouri’s three other games — against the Gamecocks, Crimson Tide and the Gators — the Tigers have lost by a combined average margin of 25 or more points. Despite the losses, Missouri still leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (38.3%) with much of this recognition coming from the play of Grace Slaughter. The Grain Valley, Missouri, native ranks eighth in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (45.9) among athletes who average 1.5 or more 3-pointers per game this season. The Tigers enter Thursday with a road matchup against the Sooners before staying on the road for a Sunday game against Auburn. 

Auburn

The Tigers will play their fourth ranked opponent in their last five games on Thursday when they face the Longhorns. However, Auburn (9-8) is still without Taliah Scott due to an injury to her wrist. Although Auburn is winless in conference play, two of their games — against LSU and Arkansas — have come by a margin of 10 points or less. As players like Taylen Collins, Syriah Daniels and Celia Sumbane continue to progress back to their normal routines after dealing with injuries, things could get better for the Tigers. In the meantime, DeYona Gaston continues to be the bright spot for Auburn, averaging 22.3 points (eighth leading scorer in the nation) and 8.4 rebounds per game and sitting in the top 10 in the conference in both categories. Auburn would snap a five game losing streak with a win against Texas. Following the Longhorns’ matchup, the Tigers will face Missouri on Sunday. 

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SEC games this week

Thursday, Jan. 16

South Carolina at Alabama

Texas at Auburn

Missouri at Oklahoma

Mississippi State at Tennessee

Georgia at Texas A&M

Florida at Mississippi

Sunday, Jan. 19

LSU at Florida

Kentucky at Georgia

Oklahoma at South Carolina

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Missouri at Auburn

Mississippi at Mississippi State

Alabama at Arkansas

Monday, Jan. 20

Texas at Maryland