# 1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA (4-0) vs. # 9/9 OREGON (3-0)
NOVEMBER 21, 2021 | 2:30 p.m. ET | PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS | ATLANTIS RESORT
REMARKABLE GAMECOCK
- South Carolina faces its second top 10 opponent of the season this afternoon. The Gamecocks currently have five such games on their schedule among their total of 11 games against teams that were rated in the AP and / or USA Today Preseason Poll.
- The Gamecocks have not been overtaken in their final 38 games, dating back to the 2019-20 season. This season’s +17.8 rebound margin ranks second in the SEC and in the nation’s top 20. Crashing the Glass has become a team effort, with six Gamecocks averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game, including a pair of guards.
- South Carolina’s .504 field goal percentage leads the SEC and hasn’t slowed the team’s commitment to covering the glass. The Gamecocks are ranked second in the SEC for offensive rebound percentage, collecting 44.4 percent of their own misses.
- The Gamecocks were efficient out of the 3-point range, but they also shoot 62.9 percent in the color at an average of 36.5 points per game in that area (48.3 percent of offense).
- The established South Carolina grid is starting to receive the help everyone has expected from the deep bank, especially the newbies. In yesterday’s Buffalo win, the four Gamecocks added 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks in their first year, led by the team’s first double-double of the season from Kamilla Cardoso (12 points / 10 repetitions) and with seven points from the season debut of Saniya rivers.
- The Gamecock defense continues to shine while the offense is still coming together. No team has scored more than 60 points, including # 5/4 NC State at the season opener.
- Junior Aliyah Boston scored the team’s first 20-point game of the season last night, scoring 23 against Buffalo in a season-best 9-of-15 shootout (0.600).
BY NUMBERS
9.0 – The 9.0 blocks of Gamecocks per game lead the SEC, in time with Aliyah of Boston 2.5 average, that’s the third in the league.
26 – South Carolina’s 26 assists against Buffalo were the second most in the Dawn Staley Epoch.
46.0 – The Gamecocks shoot 46.0 percent from 3-point range in the last three games.
REMARKS
The Oregon series
The Gamecocks are 2-0 against the Ducks, but the programs haven’t met since the 2002/03 season. The two faced each other at the Paradise Jam on November 28, 2002, with South Carolina taking a 67:40 win en route to victory in its division.
Weighted measured values
Against ranked opponents, South Carolina is 86-66 in the Dawn Staley Era (beginning 2008-09), though this brand is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure.
Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Gamecocks have faced 71-27 against the rated teams, including a 23-6 mark since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Schedule strength
South Carolina’s 11 games against teams in the AP or USA Today / WBCA polls are the second highest in the nation, behind Stanford (12) and level with Maryland. The Gamecocks and Stanford each play five games against top 10 opponents. South Carolina has a chance to add another one based on the outcome of the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis Games on Sunday.
Glass roof
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Gamecocks have dominated on the glass, ranking in the NCAA’s top 5 in rebounds per game and rebound margin in each season and sixth in offensive rebounds per game in each of the last two full seasons. In the last 67 games played, South Carolina has rebounded only three times and still wins all three games.
This season, South Carolina is in the nation’s top 20 with a rebound of +17.8. Second year Kamilla Cardoso is 18th in the SEC in rebounds per game (6.3) and five other Gamecocks averaged 4.0 or more rebounds in the season.
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