Sunday afternoon, after all the Democratic presidential candidates have packed up and left the state, the Florida Gators will invade the Colonial Center in Columbia, SC. At least, one hopes, they will not be leaving multiple messages on our answering machines.

The Gators have a new head coach, this season, having parted ways with Carolyn Peck at the end of last season. Enter Amanda Butler, Gator graduate and former head coach at Charlotte. Butler has had a pretty easy transition to this program and has an 13-6 record to show for it, 11-2 at home. The team has 3 players scoring in double figures: Marshae Dotson (14.9 ppg) Depree Bowden (13.9) and Sha Brooks (10.9 ppg). Dotson also leads the team in rebounding with 9 boards a game. Aneika Henry, a transfer from Seminole CC, has made a splash this year averaging 6.1 rebounds per game and leading the team in blocked shots with 40. The Gators lead their opposition in nearly every statistical category. One of the major advantages that the Gators have over the Gamecocks is a longer and productive bench. While the upperclassmen trio of Dotson, Bowden and Brooks provide most of the scoring, 5 other players average at least 5 points per game apiece. After being one of the SEC cellar-dwellers, last season, the Gators are currently tied for 5th place in the conference, with the Gamecocks in twelfth place. The Gamecocks will be trying to climb out of the cellar, with the first big step being to get past the Gators. They will be led by freshman guard Jordan Jones, averaging 13.1 points per game and followed by 3 others in double figures: Demetress Adams (11.7 ppg ), Brionna Dickerson (10.6 ppg) and Ilona Burgrova (10 ppg.) Burgrova’s scoring has picked up since the start of conference play and she is still the second leading rebounder with 7 boards per game. Adams leads the rebounding with over 8 per game and also leads the team in blocked shots (37) and steals (53).

Statistically, the Gamecocks match up fairly well with Florida; Carolina is a wee bit better in defensive statistics and a wee bit better in a couple of offensive categories, percentage-wise–but Florida averages 70.5 points per game, compared to USC’s 68.4. South Carolina has had some difficulties in the very close contests, so far this season. Apparently, that’s why they play the games; otherwise, the Gamecocks might well be 3-1 instead of 0-4.

The Gamecocks have faced a number of challenges, this season, without needing an on-court opponent. Before the start of the season, Ashlie Billingslea, the projected starter at the point, went out with an ACL injury. Several games into the season, her replacement (Courtney Newton) went out with a similar injury. Shooting guard Brionna Dickerson has some issues with her feet, that may not be completely resolved until the season is over, which is also true of the bone bruise suffered by Jordan Jones a few games ago. Demetress Adams reportedly has a problem with a big toe–if you’ve ever had similar problems, you know how incredibly painful that can be. Lakesha Tolliver, always a strong inside player, has been sidelined by headaches severe enough to require hospitalization and does not yet have a projected return date; last week, junior college transfer C.J. Pace was declared academically ineligible. The rash of losses has meant that players who were projected to be lower on the depth chart are playing a lot of minutes, and, sometimes, starting games. These problems have contributed to the rocky start to the conference season, but the Gamecocks have a chance (and home court advantage) to start turning that around on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is at 3 pm.