South Carolina Women's Basketball Preview: Gamecocks Host Mississippi State

South Carolina will look to extend their winning streak to four games on Thursday night against Mississippi State.

Jan 15, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Adhel Tac (15) celebrates a play against the Texas Longhorns in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The (22-2) South Carolina Gamecocks are back in action tonight to take on the (16-7) Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tip-off is set for 6:30 pm (ET) live from Colonial Life Arena on SEC Network.

Tonight's game will be played under the theme of Play4Kay, whose goal is to be the premier non-profit organization dedicated to supporting innovative ways of fighting ALL cancers affecting women and providing support through giving strength, courage, and hope. South Carolina players will wear pink Play4Kay warmup shirts during pregame festivities.

Preview

Jan 11, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Mississippi State comes into tonight's game led by head coach Sam Purcell, who is in his fourth season with the program. Purcell has a 83-42 record as the team's lead man. He and the Bulldogs will be looking for an upset this evening with the help of leading scorer Madison Francis (13.2 ppg) and top rebounder Favour Nwaedozi (10.4 rpg).

It will be a tough task on the road against a top three Dawn Staley coached team. The Gamecocks are on a three game winning streak and will look to extend that to four games behind do it all forawrd Joyce Edwards (20.3 ppg).

Staley is 19-6 against the Bulldogs from Starkville, Mississippi, in her career. The program as a whole is 28-19. South Carolina has won the last seven meetings with those wins coming by an average of 14.9 points.

The Gamecocks will look to continue their impressive efficiency play in this matchup. The team is fifth in the NCAA in field goal percentage (.510) and in field goal percentage defense (.338). The Gamecocks are second in the nation in offensive points per possession (1.209) and points per possession allowed (0.716), per Synergy. The ability to play at a championship level on both ends of the court should pay dividends as the teams gets into tournament play later in the year.

Looking for more:

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• South Carolina's Shane Beamer Talks 2026 Recruiting Class, Coaching Additions, and More
• South Carolina Football: Recapping the Gamecocks Roster and Staff Additions
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• South Carolina Picks Up Commitment From a Top Long Snapper Prospect
• South Carolina Picks Up Missouri State OL Ebubedike Nnabugwu in the Transfer Portal
• UCF Wideout DJ Black Returns to South Carolina for Final Year of Eligibility

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