South-Carolina
Arkansas basketball vs South Carolina in SEC Tournament: Scouting report, prediction
There’s no time to savor a dramatic victory. About 18 hours after surviving against Vanderbilt in overtime, Arkansas basketball will return to the floor with another do-or-die game.
The No. 12 Razorbacks (16-16) face No. 5 South Carolina (25-6) Thursday (2:30 p.m., SEC Network) in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Arkansas had to erase a 15-point deficit against the Commodores to clinch a matchup with the Gamecocks.
More: Arkansas basketball rallies, survives in overtime to beat Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament
More: Arkansas basketball senior Khalif Battle hints he could return to Razorbacks next season
South Carolina won the teams’ only meeting during the regular season, leaving Fayetteville with a 77-64 victory. The Gamecocks have arguably been the league’s biggest surprise, while Arkansas represents one of the SEC’s major disappointments.
Here are two things to watch and a prediction for the Arkansas-South Carolina rematch in the SEC Tournament.
How does Arkansas basketball contain BJ Mack?
The Hogs have struggled with versatile bigs all season. In the first round, Vanderbilt’s Ven-Allen Lubin scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Mack had a game-high 18 points to go with nine rebounds in the Gamecocks’ win over Arkansas earlier this season.
Limiting Mack will be a key factor if the Razorbacks are to pull off an upset and extend their season. The biggest question is who draws the assignment, whether it’s Trevon Brazile or one of the Arkansas centers.
Can Tramon Mark carry over hot finish from first round?
Mark registered all 18 of his points against Vanderbilt in the second half, and the Commodores were able to build a 14-point lead through the first 20 minutes with Mark scoreless.
Khalif Battle has become the focal point of the offense with his scorching-hot play, but Mark is still a key cog. Arkansas needs to get him going from the start against South Carolina. He was the only Razorback to score more than nine points during their loss to the Gamecocks in January
Prediction: Arkansas 77, South Carolina 73
The Hogs found something in the second half against Vanderbilt, while Davonte Davis and Trevon Brazile also discovered their 3-point shots. The Razorbacks will get revenge on another opponent and advance to face No. 4 Auburn in the quarterfinals Friday.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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