South-Carolina
Dawn Staley addresses ‘ducking’ with South Carolina basketball vs UConn back on schedule
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball won’t play UConn this season, the first time in 11 seasons but will resume the rivalry in 2026 and 2027.
“It’s important,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said Nov. 6 about adding the series back on the schedule. “We’ve been accused of ducking and all that crap. Like, come on, we played UConn for the past 11 seasons, now is time to duck? We could have ducked 7, 8, 9 years ago.”
It was announced on Nov. 5 that the Gamecocks will play the Huskies in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Nov. 24, 2026, at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.
A day later, it was revealed that South Carolina and UConn will play in 2027 in the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Staley confirmed that the reason why the series contract was not renewed for this season was because the Big East shifted to 20 conference games, which made it hard to schedule. UConn already had a non-conference contract to follow through with Tennessee and Notre Dame.
The online discourse that Staley referred to came after it was announced the two teams wouldn’t play this season, just after UConn beat South Carolina twice in 2024-25. The Gamecocks lost at home in February then again in the national championship game, both by more than 20 points.
“It’s a great competition for us and for women’s basketball,” Staley added.
Before the 2025 title game, Staley was undefeated in national championship games and had previously become the first coach to beat UConn’s Geno Auriemma in a championship game.
Staley, who is in her 18th season, didn’t win against Auriemma until 2020. South Carolina won four straight from 2021-24.
What is Dawn Staley’s record vs Geno Auriemma?
Staley is 1-1 against Auriemma in national championship games and 5-10 against him overall, winning four straight from 2021-24.
Overall, the Gamecocks are 5-11 in the series, which is tied 2-2 in neutral site games. South Carolina beat UConn in Columbia in 2024, part of its undefeated season that ended with a national championship win.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
South-Carolina
SC measles outbreak remains stalled with no new cases reported
Watch Spartanburg nurse practitioner Chandler Nash talk about measles
Chandler Hash, a nurse practitioner at Parkside Health Center talks about measles and vaccine
Not long ago, it appeared almost certain that the measles outbreak centered in Spartanburg would surpass 1,000 cases.
Now that case total may be unlikely.
On March 27, DPH reported no new infections. The total number of cases remains at 997, where it has stood since March 17, when DPH reported one new infection.
There is currently one person in quarantine, according to the March 27 DPH update.
The measles outbreak began in October and grew somewhat slowly until the Christmas holidays. In January, the number of cases exploded—from 185 on Jan. 2 to 847 on Jan. 30.
In a March 25 media briefing, state epidemiologist Linda Bell was asked about the declining number of cases.
She credited an uptick in vaccinations in January and February, as well as DPH efforts to identify cases quickly and quarantine people who were infected or exposed.
If no new infections occur, DPH officials said the outbreak could be declared ended on April 26.
DPH officials explained that it takes 42 days with no new infections, “to declare an end to a measles outbreak. This is double the number of days for an incubation period (21 days) and a clear indicator of a broken transmission chain.”
Bell said DPH is asking school nurses and physicians’ offices to report any possible measles symptoms.
She added that health officials are keeping an eye on spring break — April 6-10 for public schools in Spartanburg County — as families might travel for vacation or to visit family members. People lacking immunity could be at risk.
“We remain vigilant,” Bell said, stressing that the two-dose MMR vaccine is the most effective protection against the spread of measles.
South-Carolina
NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina
The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.
Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:
Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina
Projected round 2-3.
Concern level 2/10
While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.
With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.
What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
South-Carolina
Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
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