2017 Women’s NCAA Tournament: South Carolina vs. Mississippi State preview, prediction, TV schedule
Keys To The Game
Mississippi State and South Carolina are very similar teams. Both teams like to get out and run and are strong defensively.
South Carolina holds the advantage in experience, while Mississippi State is the taller team. The Gamecocks were the top SEC scoring team, and the Bulldogs were the conference’s top defensive team.
South Carolina
5. Don’t get slow start. The Gamecocks trailed at halftime in three of their four losses. In addition, they trailed at halftime in two of their of three NCAA Tournament games that were decided by less than double-figures. Against Mississippi State, South Carolina trailed at halftime in its three-point win and led at the half in its 10-point victory.
4. Limit turnovers. South Carolina does a pretty good job at taking care of the ball, committing 12.7 turnovers a game. The Gamecocks have turned the ball over 31 times in their two games against Miss State.
3. Kaela Davis. Davis is the catalyst for the Gamecocks. The team’s second leading scorer was named the Stockton Region’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 20 points in three of the four regional games. She has scored 83 points on 50% shooting for the Tournament. Davis, who has taken the most shots on the team, has sank a team-high 59 triples.
2. Crash the boards. Rebounding is the major area they miss Alaina Coates. Coates led the team with 10.7 rebounds a game. South Carolina has given up 38 offensive rebounds over the last two games.
1. Get A’ja Wilson the ball. Wilson is perhaps the best big in the women’s game. She is so talented and skilled. She is hard to stop in the low post. Wilson has been dominant against Miss State, tallying 41 points on 15 of 25 shooting to go along with 18 rebounds, five steals, and seven blocks this season.
Mississippi State
5. Depth. Miss State is deeper than South Carolina, particularly in the front court. This is important for two reasons, as both teams like to push the pace and the Bulldogs have a habit of getting into foul trouble. The Bulldogs commit 21.4 fouls a game and have had 12 players foul out. Victoria Vivians, Teira McCowan, Chinwe Okorie, Breanna Richardson, and Dominique Dillingham have fouled out multiple times this season.
4. Forcing turnovers. The Bulldogs rely heavily on forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. Miss State forces 19.3 turnovers a contest with 8.4 coming on steals. William and Vivian each have over 50 thefts this year.
3. Rebounding. The Bulldogs are a very good rebounding team, especially on the offensive end. Miss State is outrebounding its opoponents by an average of 6.9 boards a game, although the Bulldogs have nearly 200 more offensive rebounds then their opponents. McCowan and Okorie each have collected 100 offensive caroms this season.
2. Three-point shooting. The Bulldogs don’t take an overabundance of three-point shots, taking 25% of their shots from behind the arc. Miss State makes nearly six treys a game and shoot 35% overall from long distance. Vivians leads the team with 63 trifectas though she is only making 28.3% of her shots from long distance. Blair Schaefer and Roshunda Johnson have each drained over three-pointers this season. Miss State has made just 6 of 31 shots from beyond the arc against South Carolina this season.
1. Morgan William. The pint-size point guard has been terrific during the NCAA tournament. William’s game winner against UConn came a game after she poured in a career-high 41 points in the Bulldogs Elite Eight upset victory over Baylor. William is a playmaker plain and simple. She can create for herself as well as others. She is also a very good shooter and pesky defender.
Prediction: South Carolina 64, Mississippi State 60
Expect a close defensive battle with A’ja Wilson ultimately being the difference maker for the Gamecocks.