| The Tuscaloosa News
The Alabama women’s basketball team (8-0, 1-0 SEC) will face South Carolina’s No. 5 (6-1, 1-0) on Monday at 6 pm at the Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide will put your perfect record at stake in your biggest challenge yet.
Here are three things you should know:
Welcome to 2021
Alabama managed to start well in 2020, but now the schedule is getting more difficult.
Alabama will face 5th place in South Carolina twice in January, with games against No. 12 in the State of Mississippi and No. 13 in Kentucky in the middle.
The SEC has five teams in the AP’s last vote. Three others, including Alabama, received votes.
Alabama’s ‘Big 3’ for Conference Success
Alabama’s success against Missouri looked a little different from previous games. Jasmine Walker fought early, forcing Crimson Tide to shift the offensive focus to Jordan Lewis.
While Lewis scored the best of his career with 27 points in his most efficient game since the return of an undisclosed absence, Ariyah Copeland continued to dominate the low block with 25 points.
Walker got hot in the second half, knocking down his last five shooting attempts on his way to a 14-point exit.
Coach Kristy Curry emphasized the importance of depth, but Alabama is destined for success when this trio manage to beat their opponent by seven points.
Know your opponent
South Carolina entered the season as the best team in the country, ranking first in the AP pre-season vote for the first time.
Gamecocks are led by the All-American Aliyah Boston preseason, which averages 13.9 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Zia Cooke is South Carolina’s top scorer, averaging 18.9 points.