Gamecocks work on defense ahead of Georgia game
Having gotten a few needed days of rest, the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks got back to work in preparation for another SEC matchup.
The Gamecocks0 (18-1) watched the tape from the Mississippi State game and got to work trying to make some defensive adjustments. Mississippi State scored 54 points in the paint and got to the basket easier than any of USC’s opponents so far this year. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged her team struggled.
“It’s hard. It was a hard guard for us. Just downhill drives,” she said. “I don’t think anybody drives as hard as Mississippi State downhill like that.”
She added that she’s not inclined to switch from man-to-man defense to a zone.
“I like what we do in zone, I don’t like the rebounding,” she said. “It takes us out of rebounding position, so I’m just a little bit hesitant in doing that. If we get better rebounding, you’ll see it a lot more.”
Saturday, the Gamecocks face a Georgia Bulldog team that will challenge their defense in particular according to Staley.
“They’re healthy. They’ve got guards that are very athletic. They play fast,” she said. “They get up and down the floor in transition, so they’re going to challenge us to match up with them quickly.”
The Bulldogs have some momentum coming into the game after getting their first win over a ranked opponent this season. UGA defeated No. 21 Arkansas 64-55 on Thursday to improve to 3-3 in SEC play and 12-7 on year.
They will not only be trying to protect homecourt, but playing giant slayer as well. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said her team is well aware of how high the stakes are as the number one team and she tries not to make that a bigger point of emphasis than it needs to be.
“Because we’re in conference play, we have the target on our back,” she said. “It’s just being number one, the target’s still there, it just got bigger because you beat us, you’re getting more than a conference win. You’re beating the number one team. Do we talk about it? No. I don’t want to bring it up more than what the pressure is being a top team in the conference and being a top team in the country.”
Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. in Athens and then they’ll try to play forward Victaria Saxton, who missed last game with an ankle sprain. Staley said she’s in position to give it a go on Saturday.
“She’s upright, she’s moving, she did some shooting. We don’t want to push her until tomorrow,” she said.