The Gamecocks have won four consecutive games since their December 3 defeat against NC State took them out of first place in the AP vote. His most recent victory was 77-60 over Alabama on Monday.
South Carolina will have to find a way to stop Rhyne Howard. She led the Wildcats’ attack with a double-double in victories against then No. 10 Arkansas and No. 12 Mississippi State. These efforts earned Howard the National Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week honors.
Howard is coming out of a 22-point performance against No. 8 Texas A&M in his team’s 77-60 loss. Kentucky fought on 3 points, making only four of its 17 attempts.
The Gamecocks defeated Kentucky the two times these two teams met in the 2019-20 season.
The focus will be on painting in this confrontation. South Carolina receives 52.2 rebounds per game, compared to Kentucky’s 39.4 rebounds. We should see an internal battle with Aliyah Boston facing second year striker Dre’una Edwards, who leads the Wildcats in rebounds with eight rebounds per game.
Four Gamecocks averaged two digits in points. Sophomore Zia Cooke leads South Carolina in scoring with 18.8 points per game. She is leaving an 18-point performance against Alabama.
Overall, Gamecocks have won victories against the top 25 opponents Gonzaga and Iowa State. Will South Carolina achieve a victory this time against another top 10 opponent?