COLUMBIA -- It was a popular prediction. Thinking about it, how could the SEC not do it?
In the quest to break the stranglehold that South Carolina has had on the conference the past three seasons -- or perhaps it was a case of what Dawn Staley constantly mentions, that others nationwide have a bad case of "South Carolina fatigue;" or maybe it was just a wild coincidence (pause for hysterical laughter) -- the second-ranked and defending national champion Gamecocks begin SEC play on Thursday at Missouri (11-4).
Mizzou Arena is one of only two SEC arenas where Staley has a losing record since she's been at USC (3-4, the other being Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena (5-6), with Texas and Oklahoma debuting as SEC members this year). It's also the site of the last SEC regular-season loss South Carolina had, on Dec. 30, 2021, when a Missouri team missing five players, including its leading scorer, stunned the then-No. 1 Gamecocks in overtime, 70-69.
Since, USC has won 47 straight SEC regular-season games, and while the Gamecocks lost to Kentucky in the 2022 SEC Tournament Championship Game, USC responded to win the next two SEC Tournament crowns ... not to mention the 2022 and 2024 national championships. Surely that dominance didn't play into any scheduling for this year.
Surely.
But, the Gamecocks were going to have to play at Mizzou sometime (they did last year, eking out an 81-57 win). Yet, this time could be interesting.
The Tigers have beaten no one of note this season and lost to the only team of substance it played (Syracuse), plus a few others. The Gamecocks responded to their only loss of the season by winning their last seven, the closest by 11 points.
It's just that USC has gotten into a habit of starting slow, then waking up; of its offense taking a while during games to find itself; of not controlling games tip to buzzer, despite the final scores. It certainly does not help that the Gamecocks were missing backup post Sakima Walker and Maddy McDaniel in the last game, McDaniel not a starter but someone who has seen her minutes creep upward as she continues to provide strong play at point guard.
Starting with two straight games on the road, then coming home to face Top-10 opponents Texas, Oklahoma and LSU within a span of five games, and traveling to No. 15 Tennessee after them?
Staley wants her team to be confident, fluid and have its tendencies in place. The past few games have not provided that.
"We've gotten off to some not-so-appealing starts and hopefully that is not indicative of how we're going to continue," she said after the Gamecocks' win over Wofford. "As a team and a program, we're creatures of habit. We got to get into habits that work for us. We've got to play to our standard. We can't play less than who we are."
The 16-game jaunt through the SEC will illustrate just what kind of team Staley has as they attempt to add another crown to the treasure chest.
McDaniel, Walker out
Maddy McDaniel and Sakima Walker are out for the game, as listed by the SEC's first availability report released on Wednesday night. McDaniel (concussion) and Walker (unspecified, but on crutches) each missed the last game as well.