Kentucky women's basketball lost a heartbreaker to South Carolina on Sunday, and now 5 days later, they will have their chance to serve some revenge. There is just one catch: Kentucky has already played 2 days in 2 days. South Carolina has been watching from the stands.
You better believe Dawn Staley and company will be at their best with Kentucky holding the Gamecocks to a season-low 60 points in their only meeting of the season. Let's jump into the numbers to see how Kentucky can pull an upset.
Kentucky women's basketball vs. South Carolina deep dive
Kentucky plays at a much slower tempo and will want to drag this game into the 60's and 70's if possible. South Carolina averages nearly 90 a game.
The Gamecocks are led by Joyce Edwards, but are as balanced a team as you can find. They have 5 players in double figures, and it was Madina Okot who did the most damage in the last meeting. Dawn Staley calls her Big Momma, and Big Momma ate against the Cats. 21 points, 13 rebounds, and a 3-pointer.
Counting that will be the inside duo of Clara Strack and Teonni Key. Key struggled mightily against the Gamecocks, going 3 of 13 from the floor with 6 points and 7 rebounds. Strack, though, excelled, finishing with 24 points and 9 rebounds.
But the big factor was that Kentucky's 3-point shooting was muted by South Carolina. The Gamecocks average 6.1 3's a night; they had 5 against the Cats. Kentucky, meanwhile, hits 8.5 a night, but only had 5 against South Carolina Sunday.
If they Cats are going to win, they are going to need to hit closer to 10 3's.
South Carolina averages 42.6 rebounds per game, Kentucky grabs 40.9. In Lexington, it was the Cats coming out on top 40-34. They'll need to duplicate that effort on the glass to pull off an upset.
Fatigue will be a factor
Kentucky will be playing in their 3rd game in 3 days, and playing one of the best teams in the country. They are doing all this with a short rotation, playing 7 players and really only 6 heavy minutes.
The legs will be heavy, but the Cats have a lot to play for. Tonie Morgan and Clara Strack just want to "hoop."
If they can pull off the upset, they will be in a perfect spot to host the opening 2 rounds at home. It will be a battle of tempo today in Greenville, and the winner of that will probably win the game.