For a variety of reasons, I was not able to access and listen to any of the games played at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, so I won't be able to give any actual accounts of the ebb and flow of the games played there. So this is just a very short wrap-up of the final results of the tournament for the South Carolina women's basketball team.

Game One: Oklahoma Sooners

This is a game that I thought USC would have a good chance of both being competitive and winning. I think the team showed that they could certainly compete with this team--and this level of team play--though they got off to a bad start and ultimately, were not able to overcome the slow start.  In the end, South Carolina had outscored the Sooners in the second half and outrebounded the Oklahoma team. However, their shooting left a lot to be desired. While the Gamecocks took a handful more shots, overall, than the Sooners, their shooting percentages were terrible (49% for the Sooners to only 39% for the Gamecocks) and it was much worse from the 3-point line. The Gamecocks outshot Oklahoma from only the free throw line (63% to 61%) but missing 8 shots for the game is simply too much. Eight points just happened to be the Oklahoma margin of victory, too. Hmmmmmmmmm....

Oklahome 75, South Carolina 67

Game Two: Notre Dame

This is the team that I thought would be the most difficult matchup for the Gamecocks, particularly if the Irish lived up to their pre-season billing--which they did. Notre Dame returned an experienced, accomplished team this year, one that should contest for the national championship or consider itself an underachiever. It is not surprising that a young, inexperienced team that is trying to work out its own identity--like South Carolina-- would have some trouble keeping up with this team. Still, the Gamecocks gave it a total effort and only trailed by 7 at the half. However, the Irish came out of the dressing room on fire and never looked back. And that's what you'd expect a championship-caliber team to do.  The Gamecocks have a way to go before they can expect to hold their own against a team this good.

Notre Dame 78, South Carolina 55

Game Three: San Diego State University

I expected South Carolina to win this contest, despite SDSU's recent success on the hardwood. I could make up all kinds of reasons, but what it really comes down to is that attitude that the West Coast teams just hate: I do believe that any SEC team, playing well, should stay in the game with one of the non-elite West Coast teams. (That's just me, I'm not speaking for anybody else.) So sue me. As it turned out, judging by the result---I may be right! Yes, it was close, but South Carolina won. It was a tight contest, with the lead changing constantly. The Gamecocks were facing an experienced, confident team that has known some success. Coming out on top required the kind of focus and determination that they are going to need when the conference season rolls around.  That's what the non-conference season is for, after all, to prepare the team for the "real" season. That's a good thing.

South Carolina 58, SDSU 55

 

While a 1-2 tournament record isn't everything the Gamecocks hoped for, their showing in this tournament was definitely a step in the right direction and something to build on. Go Gamecocks!