South-Carolina

Michigan basketball set to open season vs. No. 1 South Carolina in Vegas

Published

10 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Michigan basketball set to open season vs. No. 1 South Carolina in Vegas

ANN ARBOR — Michigan, with a revamped roster that could include three freshmen starters, faces the ultimate test to open the season.

The Wolverines play No. 1 South Carolina, the defending national champions, on Monday night in Las Vegas (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

“At the end of last (season) I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we agreed to this,’” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said recently. “And then I called (freshmen) Syla (Swords) and Olivia (Olson) and they’re like, ‘Let’s go, Coach. This is awesome.’ We want to play against the best and test ourselves against the best that there is.”

South Carolina certainly qualifies. The Gamecocks went 38-0 last season, outscoring opponents by an average of 29 points per game. That included a 12-point win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship, their second title in three years.

South Carolina lost star center Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA but returns 87 percent of its minutes and 84 percent of its scoring from last season. In the preseason AP poll, South Carolina garnered 27 of 30 first-place votes.

“It will be great competition for sure,” Barnes Arico said, “and a great measuring stick early in the season.”

Michigan has faced No. 1 just once before, losing 89-54 to Iowa on Feb. 7, 1988.

See also: Michigan basketball’s elite freshmen ready to make ‘loud, immediate impact’

On her radio show last week, Barnes Arico highlighted South Carolina’s size, toughness, and athleticism. MiLaysia Fulwiley (a sophomore who plays like Russell Westbrook in his prime) and Te-Hina Papao form one of the country’s best backcourts.

Frontcourt starters Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin are among the seven Gamecocks who stand at least 6-foot-2 (including two who are 6-5). Freshman Joyce Edwards is the No. 3 recruit in the country, per ESPN, one of three five-star prospects to join the program this season.

Barnes Arico knows South Carolina coach Dawn Staley well. They’re the same age; Staley was in Philadelphia at Temple while Barnes Arico was at St. John’s in New York. Barnes Arico was an assistant on Staley’s staff with USA basketball in 2014 and 2015, as the United States won a pair of gold medals at FIBA youth events.

After chaotic offseason, Jordan Hobbs is still here for Michigan basketball

“She’s one of the best coaches in the business,” Barnes Arico said. “But I’m even more impressed with how she has used her platform and voice to fight for opportunities for women in this game. I think she’s really made a difference.” Barnes Arico’s daughter, Cece Arico, a top-20 player in the 2027 class, holds a scholarship offer from South Carolina.

Michigan traveled west on Saturday to get acclimated to the three-hour time difference, with the plan to practice at the Aces’ practice facility on Saturday and T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. Monday’s game is part of the Hall of Fame series, a doubleheader that includes a men’s game between Ohio State and Texas at 10 p.m. ET.

BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina football vs. Missouri set for 4:15 on SEC Network

Published

2 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina football vs. Missouri set for 4:15 on SEC Network

For the second week in a row, South Carolina football has found its familiar time slot.

The Gamecocks will host Missouri on Nov. 16 in a 4:15 p.m. ET kick-off on SEC Network, the exact same start time and channel designation as their trip to Vanderbilt this Saturday. It will also be the middle of three straight gmes in a similar window, with the week 13 game against Wofford already set for a 4:00 p.m. ET kick-off on ESPN+.

South Carolina is attempting to snap a five-gam losing streak in the series, with its last victory over Missouri coming back in 2018. The Tigers won last year’s game 34-12, and won their last trip to South Carolina by a 23-10 count in 2022.

Missouri is currently 6-2 (2-2 SEC) on the season, and will host Oklahoma this weekend before taking on South Carolina the following Saturday.

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South-Carolina

SEC fines S. Carolina $250K for field storming

Published

17 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Press Room

SEC fines S. Carolina 0K for field storming

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina was fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference for fans rushing the field after the Gamecocks’ 44-20 win over then No. 10 Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night.

The school was fined by the league for its second violation under its policy, which was last amended in 2023. The Gamecocks were fined $100,000 in January when the men’s basketball team defeated No. 6 Kentucky 79-62.

The latest fine, per SEC policy, will go to Texas A&M.

The SEC’s policy says institutions must limit access to competition areas to the athletes taking part, along with coaches, officials and authorized support personnel “for the safety of participants and spectators alike.”

A subsequent offense would cost South Carolina $500,000.

As the clock ran out, fans climbed out of the stands and through hedges between the student section and the field to celebrate with the team.

The victory was South Carolina’s first over a top 10 opponent since defeating Tennessee and Clemson in consecutive weeks to end the 2022 regular season.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina left out of AP Top 25 after massive upset win

Published

1 day ago

November 3, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina left out of AP Top 25 after massive upset win

Even after a night in which South Carolina dominated No. 10 Texas A&M, it wasn’t enough to garner a ranking. Not yet at least.

The Gamecocks, who beat the Aggies in a 44-20 upset win on Saturday, were on the outside of this week’s AP Top 25. They received 58 votes, which were the second most amongst unranked teams. Missouri was the only team to have more with 81 votes.

Heading into next weekend, South Carolina will face another ranked team, this time against Vanderbilt, who jumped into the top 25 and is ranked No. 24 after a 17-7 win over Auburn. The Commodores are now 6-3 on the season and bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.

[See the Gamecock discussion on The Insiders Forum!]

If the Gamecocks want to be ranked, they will have to beat Vanderbilt in Nashville at the very least. They’d still need another good chunk of votes to get inside the top 25 considering Louisville, who beat Clemson and ranks 25th now, earned 115 votes.

South Carolina will face one another ranked team this season when it travels to Death Valley to face No. 19 Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 30.

There is a chance the Gamecocks could be ranked when the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

[GamecockCentral FLASH SALE: $1 for the first week, then half-price for a year]

Here’s a look at the full AP Poll.

No. 1 Oregon (9-0)

No. 2 Georgia (7-1)

No. 3 Ohio State (7-1)

No. 4 Miami (9-0)

No. 5 Texas (7-1)

No. 6 Penn State (7-1)

No. 7 Tennessee (7-1)

No. 8 Indiana (9-0)

No. 9 BYU (8-0)

No. 10 Notre Dame (7-1)