Top 5 Key Things to Watch in South Carolina Women’s Basketball vs. Arkansas

South Carolina Women’s Basketball Aims to Rebound Against Arkansas Tonight

The South Carolina women’s basketball team looks to restart its home winning streak tonight as they face Arkansas at Colonial Life Arena. Here’s a quick look at what to expect and how to catch all the action.

1. Getting Back on Track After suffering a tough loss to UCLA, South Carolina bounced back in impressive fashion, dismantling Iowa State 76-36. Following a loss to Texas, they crushed Florida by 38 points. Now, it’s Arkansas’s turn to feel the Gamecocks’ wrath.

“We had two good days of practice. We just need a game to get back to playing our style, focusing, and executing Gamecock women’s basketball,” Coach Dawn Staley shared. “It’s simple, we just have to apply it.”

Tonight’s matchup may not reveal too much, given Arkansas’s struggles this season, but it’s a chance for South Carolina to lay the foundation for a strong finish and a potential deep tournament run.

2. “It’s Not Just About Basketball” Staley’s comments after the UConn loss raised some eyebrows when she said, “When you lose like this, there’s something else going on that isn’t just about basketball.” Many wondered what exactly she meant – locker room tension? A lack of focus?

On Wednesday, Staley addressed the comment. “I think some things may not be about basketball… the team that took the floor against UConn wasn’t our team. So as a coach, you start thinking about what else could it be. We had a come-to-Jesus meeting, apologized for our performances, and moved on. Players and coaches both have to step up if we want to achieve our goals. It’s a collective effort.”

3. Three-Point Defense Concerns South Carolina’s three-point defense was noticeably weak against UConn, with the Huskies shooting 13-28 from beyond the arc, often in transition. Arkansas will provide another test of whether South Carolina has corrected that defensive flaw, but the Razorbacks haven’t been very effective from long range, shooting just 30.3%.

“The issue against UConn was our transition defense,” Staley said. “Bad shots led to an imbalance defensively, but when we were locked into our game plan, we were pretty good. We can handle the threes in the half-court, but it’s those easy transition buckets and rebounding that hurt us.”

4. Availability Report Ashlyn Watkins will be out for South Carolina tonight. Kiki Smith of Arkansas has been dealing with an ankle injury but is listed as probable, as is Carly Keats.
5. Scouting the Razorbacks Arkansas, coached by Mike Neighbors, relies on a run-and-gun offense, but when the shots aren’t falling, things can go south quickly. They’re giving up an average of 77.5 points per game while scoring just 68.4 and shooting under 40% as a team.

Izzy Higginbottom has been the standout for the Razorbacks, averaging 24.1 points per game, ranking fifth in the nation. She excels at drawing fouls and is third in the country for free-throw attempts. But Arkansas’s struggles are clear – Higginbottom accounts for over a third of their points. Kiki Smith, the only other Razorback averaging double figures (10.5 points), has been sidelined since January 26 with an ankle injury.

Game Info

• Who: No. 6 South Carolina (23-3, 11-1) vs. Arkansas (9-18, 2-10)
• When: 7 p.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 20
• Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C.
• Watch: SEC Network

Stay tuned as South Carolina looks to make a statement and get back on track tonight!