Tennessee heads back on the road Sunday for a highly anticipated SEC matchup. The Lady Vols visit South Carolina in a nationally televised afternoon game that could shape the conference title race.
Both teams enter the matchup coming off wins. Tennessee survived an overtime battle against Georgia, while South Carolina rolled past Mississippi State, continuing a stretch of physical, defensive play that has defined the Gamecocks’ season.
One area of improvement for South Carolina has come at the free-throw line, a point of emphasis following a recent overtime loss.
“You just can’t give away points at the line,” David Cloninger of The Post and Courier said.
Cloninger said the Gamecocks responded after going 17-23 from the line against Oklahoma with added work outside of practice.
“They come in before practice. They come in after every practice,” he said. “As Dawn Staley says, ‘Every one of them got a key to the gym. They can come in here anytime they want.’”
That extra work has paid off, particularly for Joyce Edwards, who has emerged as one of the SEC’s most efficient interior scorers.
“She’s only missed maybe three free throws over her past four games,” Cloninger said. “That’s definitely what you want to see when you have a player like her who plays in the inside, is going to draw a lot of fouls, and also a player that you know is going to get her 20 points a game.”
Edwards’ role has expanded significantly this season following injuries in South Carolina’s post rotation.
“South Carolina was obviously losing a lot in the post, and then it got worse before this year,” Cloninger said. “So Edwards had to take over that role… and she’s done that.”
Her production has come quickly. Edwards reached 1,000 career points in just 64 games. It came after a 21 point performance Thursday night against Mississippi State.
“She knows exactly what she wants to do and how she can go do it,” Cloninger said, explaining why Edwards has been able to score so efficiently.
The matchup also features an intriguing guard battle, with Tennessee point guard Mia Pauldo expected to see heavy defensive attention.
“She’ll get a lot,” Cloninger said. “Everybody Tennessee’s got is a quality athlete.”
South Carolina is likely to counter with veteran Raven Johnson.
“Raven Johnson, fifth-year senior, lives for matchups like this,” Cloninger said. “So I’m sure that she will be out there, at least on her to start.”
Johnson’s impact goes well beyond scoring.
“It’s not just the points,” Cloninger said. “She had, I think, six rebounds, seven assists. That’s what you want from a senior point guard.”
Rebounding could prove decisive.
Tennessee grabbed 43 rebounds against Georgia, two better than their season average. However, South Carolina averages 43 per game this season, a figure they’ve not reached in eight games.
That’s Tennessee’s area to win.
“If you eliminate rebounds on the defensive end, then you’re preventing them from taking a second-chance shot,” Cloninger said. “If you can limit them to one shot a possession most possessions at home, you’re going to be just fine.”
Effort and focus, especially after halftime, may ultimately decide the outcome.
“They can go in at halftime, get re-energized, and refocus on the game plan,” Cloninger said. “They want to control that message from the start… and they want to do it in the third quarter.”
With both teams carrying one conference loss, Sunday’s game looms large.
“These are the two one-loss teams in the league,” Cloninger said. “If South Carolina wins this game… they’re sliding right behind the wheel for another SEC regular season title.”
