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Is South Carolina for Real?

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Barring a major and early upset in the SEC conference tournament, top-ranked South Carolina appears poised to host the Greenville, South Carolina regional, potentially as the highest overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The 2017 national champions have bowed out of March Madness before the Final Four the last two seasons, but are viewed as a near-lock to reach that stage again.

But is South Carolina, with three freshmen starters, really that good? Multiple factors go into answering that question.

 

1. Strength of schedule

Admittedly, the SEC is not at the pinnacle of women’s basketball. The average RPI rating of the 14 teams, including South Carolina’s No. 1 contribution, is 80.

Of course, South Carolina dominated this competition to the tune of a perfect conference record, the first in program history. Their lone loss of the season came against a ranked Indiana team, and South Carolina responded two games later with a commanding win over reigning the national champions, No. 2 Baylor.

For any talk that South Carolina’s schedule has been light, the Gamecocks did beat two of the three other teams in line for a one-seed according to the latest Top 16 Committee ranking (Baylor and Maryland). The Gamecocks also put on a show against UConn, currently slotted as a two-seed by the committee.

The only top four team South Carolina has not seen, Oregon, provides an apt comparison for strength of schedule. Not only did both teams rout UConn, but their respective schedules look nearly identical. South Carolina’s average opponent ranked 87.6 in RPI, Oregon’s 89.7. The strength of schedule metric puts South Carolina at six and Oregon at eight.

South Carolina had to work harder in its non-conference scheduling to make this happen, as the average RPI rating of Oregon’s Pac-12 opponents was 62. The relative parity in the Pac-12 meant that the conference’s lowest ranked team, Cal, could upset one of its top teams, Arizona, on the road. On the other end, in the SEC, Ole Miss went winless in 16 conference games. This would be more of a conversation if South Carolina ever stumbled, but it didn’t. Instead, Dawn Staley’s squad took care of business in its own league while also knocking off some of the best competition in the country.

 

2. The Gamecock’s youth

It’s no secret that South Carolina trends young. After bringing in the nation’s top recruiting class, it shouldn’t be surprising that two of their top three scorers are freshmen. Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke, the 3rd and 4th ranked 2019 recruits by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, are 2nd and 3rd on the team with 12.9 and 12.4 points per game, respectively.

Neither, however, are just scorers. Not only does Boston rank seventh in the nation in field goal percentage, she also stands 18th in blocks per game and 57th in rebounds per game. Her 267 rebounds on the season are 97 more than her next closest teammate. Boston isn’t just good for a freshman. She’s good, period. And she’s been widely recognized as such. Her trophy cabinet now includes SEC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year, and spots on the All-SEC First Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team.

Cooke, who joined Boston on the SEC All-Freshman Team, has also impressed. She has led or tied for the team lead in scoring a team-best 11 times, her five 20-point games are a team high, and she is averaging the second most minutes of anyone on the team. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t shown some signs of youth. Her nearly one-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t great, especially for a point guard. Nevertheless, Cooke hasn’t let her inexperience affect her confidence — she has taken the most 3-pointers on the team and is connecting on 38% of them.

 

3. Their unsung leaders

While South Carolina’s freshmen have been the story of the season, the reason to believe the Gamecocks have a real chance at winning it all is the strength of their seniors. Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan have been absolute pillars for the team, starting all 29 games alongside Boston, Cooke, and fellow freshman phenom Brea Beal.

Harris was named to the All-SEC First Team for the first time in her career while leading her young running mates to the top spot in the AP poll. Her importance to the team is underscored by her position as the primary playmaker in the most challenging games. On the season, she’s accounted for 30.1% of the team’s offense, but in South Carolina’s 12 games against ranked opposition, that number increased to 34.9%.

Not only is she scoring while dishing out the 17th-most assists per game in the country, but Harris is also taking care of the ball, which is crucial for such a young team. Her 2.78 assist-to-turnover ratio is the nation’s eighth-best. She’s also capitalizing on opponent’s errors, with 46 steals of her own, including this one against UConn, which ended with a coast-to-coast layup.

Herbert Harrigan has also had a standout season while playing her best basketball when it mattered most. Against ranked opponents, her rebounding average is 7.2 per game, 1.5 more than her season average. An All-SEC second-teamer, she’s also scoring a team-high 13.0 points per game as a hyper-efficient 50.5% shooter.

 

In conclusion: yes, South Carolina is really that good

On paper, there’s no question that the Gamecocks are true contenders. They rank first or second in every major statistic in the SEC and have the fourth-best scoring margin in the nation. Their eighth-overall scoring offense and 19th-ranked scoring defense are both elite, further proof that they can get it done on both ends of the court.

South Carolina is primed for success because of, not in spite of, its freshmen contingent. Having seniors who are ready to take over in big games should calm any freshman-syndrome jumpiness as the Gamecocks advance through the tournament. And let’s not forget — Staley knows how to coach. Add it all together, and South Carolina might just be the favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with the team. 

Angel City coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL. Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on. Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league. WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

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