South Carolina basketball freshman wins weekly SEC award

Last week, Dawn Staley's South Carolina basketball team went 2-0 with blowout SEC wins over Kentucky (98-36) and Texas A&M (99-64). The two games saw several Gamecocks put up impressive stat lines (Kamilla Cardoso had two double-doubles, Chloe Kitts, had a double-double, Sania Feagin tied a career-high in scoring, and Ashlyn Watkins even threw down a dunk), but one Gamecock had arguably the best two-game stretch of her career.

Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 35 points on 13-20 shooting (6-9 from 3-point range) and added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. She accomplished all of that in 41 minutes on the floor. Her 21 points against Texas A&M was a career-high number. As she often does, Fulwiley also put out a couple of highlight reel-worthy plays, most notably a spinning, driving layup and a ridiculous behind-the-back pass.

For her efforts against the Wildcats and the Aggies, Fulwiley was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, sharing the honor with LSU's Mikayla Williams.

It is only fitting that Fulwiley and Williams were SEC Co-Freshmen of the week this week as the Gamecocks and Tigers will face off in Baton Rogue on Thursday for the College GameDay game of the week.

South Carolina basketball whipped up on the Bayou Bengals in Columbia last season, winning 88-64 even after taking their collective feet off of the gas down the stretch. It was the only matchup between the two teams last year, but LSU won the national championship after beating Iowa following the Hawkeyes upset of the Gamecocks in the Final 4.

South Carolina basketball is the only undefeated team in the nation, and LSU has two losses, but only one of them has come during SEC play, so a win would give LSU the tie-breaker at the top of the SEC standings. Tennessee also has just one loss in league play, and both the Gamecocks (2x) and Tigers will play the Vols later in the schedule.

Fulwiley and Williams will take the floor in the #1 vs. #9 showdown at 8:00 on Thursday on ESPN and the ESPN app.