NO. 1 UCONN VS. NO 2 SOUTH CAROLINA
Location: Times Union Center, Albany, N.Y. Tip: 7 p.m. (ESPN). Records: South Carolina 29-6; UConn 35-0.
Last game: South Carolina beat Buffalo 79-63 in the regional semifinal round of the NCAA tournament Saturday; UConn beat Duke 72-59 in the regional semifinal round of the NCAA tournament Saturday.
Probable starters: South Carolina, 6-5 Sr. F A'Ja Wilson (22.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 3.3 bpg), 6-2 redshirt Jr. F Alexis Jennings (11.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg), 6-0 Jr. G Doniyah Cliney (7.9 ppg), 5-10 Fr. G Bianca Jackson (7.3 ppg), 5-10 So. G Tyasha Harris (10.7 ppg, 6.2 apg, 2.2 spg).
UConn, 5-5 So. G Crystal Dangerfield (9.2 ppg, 4.0 apg), 6-0 Sr. G Kia Nurse (13.7 ppg), 6-3 Jr. G/F Katie Lou Samuelson (17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), 5-11 Sr. F Gabby Williams (10.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.5 spg), 6-1 Jr. G/F Napheesa Collier (15.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg). Noteworthy: South Carolina returns just two starters from last year's national championship team in Wilson and Harris. The team has also played through a series of injuries to some of its primary players, including Wilson, who missed games with an ankle injury and a bout with vertigo. The Gamecocks had their full complement of players available for just five of their 15 games against ranked opponents. Monday, coach Dawn Staley's team meets 11-time national champion UConn for the first time ever in an NCAA tournament setting. If the Gamecocks hope to knock off the Huskies for the first time in program history, they need to do at least two things: stop UConn from making significant runs in the game (the Huskies shut out Duke for the final 5 minutes, 9 seconds of Saturday's win) and avoid turning the ball over. South Carolina had 26 turnovers in its defeat of Buffalo, eight by Wilson. Said Staley: “UConn makes you pay a lot of different ways. If you turn the ball over, you know, they're going to make you pay. If you miss a shot and it comes off the rim, they are going to rebound and push it and make you pay. If you make a basket and you are slow to get back, they will make you pay. … I think our players are very aware of the style of play and what UConn does best. You have to have the experience of playing them in a lot of different ways, at home, away at their place and then we're playing on a neutral site, something that we haven't done. Hopefully this is the trick.” … South Carolina defeated another unbeaten team this season, topping Mississippi State 62-51 in the Southeastern Conference championship game March 4 in Nashville. … UConn is 6-0 all-time against South Carolina, 5-0 in the Staley era. … Wilson has faced UConn in each of her four years at South Carolina, averaging 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks against the Huskies. UConn most recently defeated the Gamecocks 66-55 Feb. 1 at South Carolina. … UConn last won the regional in Albany in 2015, beating Texas (105-54) and Dayton (91-70). Against Dayton in the regional final, UConn trailed 44-43 at halftime before scoring the first nine points of the second half to take the lead for good. … The game will feature three of the four Naismith Player of the Year finalists in Wilson, as well as UConn's Williams and Samuelson. Louisville's Asia Durr is the fourth.