South Carolina returns from the Christmas break to host Providence. Here are five things to watch for.
1. Who will play?
Because the team was off for Christmas, South Carolina did not have media availability between the FGCU and Providence games. That means we will all be watching warmups intently.
Freshman Agot Makeer has missed five straight games while in concussion protocol. She was dressed and warmed up against Penn State and FGCU, but did not play. Makeer has had another week to recover since the game in Fort Myers. Could that be enough to get her back in the lineup?
Incoming freshman Alicia Tournebize is enrolling midseason to join the Gamecocks and will be eligible to play immediately. However, she is not expected to be in Columbia in time to play against Providence.
2. Holiday Hangover
South Carolina has a quick turnaround from its Christmas break to playing Providence. The Gamecocks had basically two days to get back into the swing of things and work off all the milk and cookies.
Historically, South Carolina has had some uninspired performances in its first game back. The last two seasons, South Carolina has had sloppy wins over Wofford and East Carolina. Of course, the most infamous hangover game was at Missouri on December 31, 2021, when the Gamecocks dropped their only game of the regular season.
Dawn Staley often talks about playing to the standard. You can bet the players have heard that on repeat since Christmas.
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3. “Run Run Run”
South Carolina’s transition game took over against USF and FGCU. It isn’t hard to run off of a turnover or long rebound, but South Carolina wants to play fast on every possession, even after made baskets.
To play as fast as Staley wants the Gamecocks to play takes commitment and effort. It also takes conditioning. Fast break points will be a good measure of how well the Gamecocks play to their standard.
4. Val’s back
Sunday’s game is a homecoming for one of Staley’s oldest birdies. Providence assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Valerie Nainima played at South Carolina from 2009-2011. She averaged 17.0 points and shot 35.8% from three as a junior, before being slowed by a knee injury as a senior.
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A native of Fiji, Nainima began her career at Long Island before joining Staley in Columbia. Since her playing career ended, Nainima coached at Fordham and Michigan before Providence.
With her quick release and unlimited range, Nainima was one of the most entertaining players of the Staley era. Unfortunately, because those teams lost a lot, she’s been somewhat forgotten.
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5. Scouting the Friars
Providence hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1992, and that probably isn’t going to change this season. The Friars are ranked 164th in the NET and already have three Quad 4 losses.
Befitting a struggling team, Providence doesn’t score (56.2 points) or shoot (39.8%) well, and doesn’t defend (60.0 points) or rebound (34.4) well.
Guard Sabou Gueye is Providence’s most reliable scorer. She averages 13.9 points on 51.0% shooting. Gueye also averaged 6.2 rebounds and is coming off a season-high 23 points in the Friars’ overtime win at Georgetown.
6-2 forward Teneisia Brown is Providence’s best interior player. She averages 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds, but will face a tough assignment against Madina Okot and the South Carolina frontcourt.
The Ws
Who: #3 South Carolina (12-1) vs Providence (8-5, 1-2 Big East)
When: Noon, December 28
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: SEC Network