South Carolina Basketball: Gametime announced; Preview and how to watch vs. South Florida
By Kevin Miller
On Friday, the South Carolina basketball team took down Norfolk State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the first of six victories that the Gamecocks will need to pull off to reach their goals of an undefeated season and back-to-back national championships. Round 2 should be a slightly more challenging test as South Florida was the regular season champion in the American Athletic Conference and actually spent part of the 2022-2023 season ranked in the AP Poll’s top-25.
The Bulls won a thriller over Marquette on Friday that went to overtime. Their reward for their victory? A one-day break before taking on one of the best basketball teams of all-time. The Gamecocks and Bulls will tip off at 1:00 on Sunday on ABC. The game will also be viewable on the ESPN App.
South Florida got a herculean effort from Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu against Marquette. The Cameroonian forward and AAC Player of the Year became just the third player in the last 20 years of the NCAA Tournament to go off for 20 points and 15 rebounds on 85% shooting or better. The Gamecocks will need to contain her if they are going to have a successful day on Sunday. At 6’4″, Fankam Mendjiadeu only faced one player her size from Marquette. All-SEC forwards Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso are both taller for the Gamecocks.
In their first-round matchup with Norfolk State, the Gamecocks struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. Some of that was because of the defensive effort as the Spartans led the country in scoring defense heading into the contest. Dawn Staley’s team turned the ball over too frequently early in the game, and they did not take the most efficient shots. Given the history of this team and their head coach, fans should expect things to look a bit different on Sunday.
Because of the lopsided score, South Carolina did not have to play the starters much in Friday’s contest. This also meant that the reserve players were able to play some valuable minutes and gain some confidence. Both of these factors will become more and more important as the Tournament progresses. Every year, some teams’ starters run out of gas, and their backups aren’t ready to play. Game 1 against Norfolk State was a good start for the Gamecocks avoiding those potential pitfalls.
A birth in the Sweet Sixteen is on the line, and, for the Gamecocks, the trip to the next round would be just over an hour northwest. Greenville, South Carolina and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will host the third and fourth rounds for the Gamecocks’ side of the bracket. As of now, it is unclear who Carolina would play should they advance. One of either UCLA or Oklahoma seems most likely, but multiple games still need to be played before matchups can be known.
South Carolina basketball is on the verge of history. Only five more victories stand in front of them. Theoretically, each test should be more challenging than the one previous, and the team certainly feels some pressure. However, the good news for South Carolina FAMs is that no other team in the country is built for these moments better than the Gamecocks.
An Olympic gold medal-winning coach leads the Gamecocks as Dawn Staley won three golds as a player and another as a coach. Four starters (Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Victaria Saxton, and Brea BEal) and three reserve players (Laeticia Amihere, Kamilla Cardoso, and Bree Hall) all played big roles on last year’s championship team. The lone starter who didn’t (Kierra Fletcher) is a 23 year-old senior point guard who has played lots of basketball, including four NCAA Tournament games at Georgia Tech. The depth is there, too, as the rest of the bench has five more blue chip talents.
Dawn Staley and her staff have built their program for moments like these. Up to this point, they’ve passed every test they’ve been given, and there is no reason to think that will change any time soon.