The South Carolina Gamecocks travel to Mississippi on Sunday to take on the Ole Miss Lady Rebels. It’s an important game for both teams, as both have post-season aspirations but are currently mired in the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference standings. The Gamecocks are a little more needy, as they are currently 0-2 in conference games and really need the boost that a win would bring, especially a road win. Road games are especially tough in the SEC, as the Gamecocks well know, having lost to Alabama in their first SEC outing. However, Ole Miss doesn’t have the most impressive record we’ll see this year. Their only quality wins, so far, are over Arkansas and Miami--and how much quality either win shows is debatable. Ironic, considering that 17 of the teams they play, this season, were involved in post-season play, last season. Perhaps that is a reflection on the decisions made by the Selection Committee? The Lady Rebels made a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, last season, but the leader of that team (All-American Armintie Price) is now playing in the WNBA. Head coach Carol Ross also stepped down at the end of the season, relinquishing control to assistant Renee Ladner, who came to Ole Miss along with Ross four years previously. While the Rebels lost a lot in Armintie Price, Ashley Awkward and Jada Mincy, they return a lot of talent. They currently have 4 players averaging in double figures: Shawn Goff (13.7), Alleshia Easley (13), Carla Bartee (10.5) and Shantell Black (10.4). Odd note: Easley’s average is based on the one and only game she has played in, slightly skewing how balanced the team scoring appears to be. Bartee leads the team in rebounds, with 8.7 per game, followed by Goff with 7.2 per game. They are currently 7-8 overall, but 6-1 at home. And theirs is one of those coliseums that make untraditional use of the space inside; it’s not the usual box design, with everything arranged in straight rows, at 90 degree angles. It seems to be disconcerting to visiting teams, much like the under-the-basket seating at Vanderbilt. However small an advantage that may be, it IS an advantage.

The current season statistics show that the Rebels are a little better than their opponents in most categories–but not all. And their scoring average is exactly equal to the average score they allow: 69.3 to 69.3. The Gamecocks will have to play good defense, holding the Rebels under that average, as the balanced scoring of the Lady Rebels will require a balanced response and well-coordinated team defense.
The Gamecocks will also have to recover their shooting touch to top 69.3 and put themselves in good position to win the game; Ole Miss has only won 1 game in which the opponent scored more than 69 points, an overtime win against Central Michigan. The Gamecocks are currently averaging 69.2 points per game. What does it mean?

The Gamecocks continue to be led by Jordan Jones (12.6 ppg), Demetress Adams(11,7 ppg) and Brionna Dickerson(10.9 ppg) on offense. Adams adds 8.4 rebounds per game and has 50 steals on the season, currently leading the SEC in that category with a 2.9 per game average. Part-time point guard Samone Kennedy leads the team in assists (69) and is second in steals (29 total).This team is getting experienced in a hurry, with 9 players averaging between 13 and 32 minutes per game. The Gamecocks have faced far more adversity already, this season, than is anywhere close to normal in a given season. Results are a little mixed, but they appear to be pretty mentally tough and playing about as well as it’s possible to play, with key players suffering a steady stream of illness and injuries. Some of the starters are playing in pain and the bench gets shorter all the time. Nearly every player that has been called has responded–some clearly need more time, training and experience, but nobody has backed away from the challenge. That bodes well for the future, but there is a conference race going on NOW. The Gamecocks have the tools to win this game and start climbing in the SEC standings–if they believe that they can. Most SEC teams will have 2 losses by the end of the season, if not more, so now is not the time to throw in the towel. Last time out, the Gamecocks played even with the #2 ranked Lady Vols for 20 minutes–and it was hardly a flawless effort. If they can show that kind of effort against Ole Miss, they can beat them--and a few more SEC teams, as well.

The Gamecocks and Lady Rebels tip off at 2 pm Central Time on Sunday.