When high-scoring Arkansas No. 15 Razorbacks (11-4, 2-3 SEC) paved the way for Columbia, SC, to face South Carolina’s No. 4 Gamecocks (9-1, 4-0 SEC), they you will be greeted with a huge bronze statue of A’ja Wilson, the most famous player in the hometown program.
A 3.5-meter statue in honor of Wilson was erected last week outside the Colonial Life Arena and the South Carolina Athletics held an invitation-only opening ceremony earlier in the day. Greatness should inspire Razorbacks, averaging 86.5 points per game this season (against 84.4 for Gamecocks), trying to kick up dust in the fanfare.
And while Wilson, the 2020 WNBA MVP and 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year, is being honored, it is unlikely that this season’s Gamecocks will be overshadowed, even by their queen.
Razorbacks enter this game looking to make a run of two consecutive wins after rectifying consecutive losses in January (in Tennessee, 88-73, and against Texas A&M, 74-73) with a four-point Florida victory on January 14. Still, the Razorbacks lost three of their four fights against ranked opponents after defeating Baylor, then ranked 4th, on December 6th. And while ranked 17th nationally, Arkansas is ninth in the super competitive SEC ranking – behind four nationally ranked teams and four unranked teams in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU.
In favor of the Razorbacks are their high score of 86.5 points per game, led by Chelsea Dungee (21.4 points), Destiny Slocum (15.5 points) and Makayla Daniel (13.3 points).
Ah, but Gamecocks will try to interrupt their flow with videos of tribute to A’ja Wilson, who helped bring the title of the 2017 NCAA tournament to the state of Palmetto! And while Arkansas is aiming for the second straight win, South Carolina is behind the seventh, with the protection of its undefeated conference record at stake.
Although Gamecocks average less points per game than Razorbacks, they are holding their opponents at 57.3 points per game, led by Aliyah Boston’s 10.6 rebounds, Laetitia Amihere’s 6.4 and 6.2 Destanni Henderson and Victaria Saxton each. In addition, Boston hosts a block party at each game, with 2.6 rejections, followed by Saxton’s 2.0 and Amihere’s 1.3 signs.
On the offensive side, Zia Cooke leads the way to South Carolina with 16.6 points per game, followed by Boston and Henderson (tied with 13.1 each) and Saxton (10.8). Now that Boston has a reliable external shot in its arsenal, and Henderson seems to thrive on quick blitzes in the transition, Gamecocks must make it difficult for the Razorbacks to win.
South Carolina have not lost this season since being defeated by NC State on December 3, and they have a slight advantage against Arkansas historically – 21-18 all time, winning 13 of the teams’ last 14 games. If Arkansas snipers get hot, it could be a thriller inside the Colonial Life Arena. More recent history suggests, however, that a Razorback victory would be a turning point because the Gamecocks defeated them by an average of 18.7 points per game in three wins last season.
Game Information
No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-1, 4-0 SEC) vs. No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 2-3 SEC)
When: Monday, January 18th, at 7 pm ET
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
How to watch / listen: ESPN2 / Gamecocks All-Access
Game key: Yeah. It is a game broadcast nationally on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, after the celebration of the biggest star to emerge in the history of the South Carolina program. Can both teams maintain the balance that brought them to this Top-20 contest?
Reason for watching: Aliyah Boston never fails to put on a show. Come to the competition and stay for the possible sightings of A’ja Wilson.