South-Carolina
South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Auburn: Prediction, injury updates for A’ja Wilson day
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball got a night off from its usual routine of playing on Thursdays.
The No. 2 Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 SEC) beat No. 18 Tennessee on Monday in Knoxville and now turn to host Auburn on Sunday (noon, SEC Network) in Colonial Life Arena.
The Tigers (11-10, 2-6) also had Thursday night off, with their last game a 74-51 win over Florida on Jan. 26.
These two SEC teams have played 51 times, and South Carolina leads the all-time series 30-21.
Here’s what to know about Auburn ahead of Sunday’s game:
South Carolina will retire A’ja Wilson’s jersey
Former star A’ja Wilson will be honored in a jersey retirement jersey before tipoff on Sunday. Wilson played for coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina from 2014-18.
She is the school’s all-time leader in career points with 2,389 and is No. 1 in free throws made in a career (597) and No. 1 in blocked shots in a career (363). Wilson was also the program’s first four-time All-American and National Player of the Year in 2018. She was named Naismith College Player of the Year (2017-18) and won the John R. Wooden Award the same year.
Staley and Wilson won the program’s first national title in 2017.
South Carolina defense will focus on Auburn’s DeYona Gaston
Forward DeYona Gaston leads the Tigers in scoring and is third in the SEC at 21.5 points per game.
Taliah Scott was averaging 20.3 but she hasn’t played since Nov. 22 with a wrist injury. The next leading scorer, Yuting Deng, is only averaging 9.7.
It’s apparent the offense flows mainly through Gaston, who will be the main area of focus for South Carolina’s defense. Gaston is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game as well.
Audia Young has taken the most 3-point attempts and has hit 24-of-69 shots from behind the arc (34.8%).
Auburn’s Mar’shaun Bostic is among SEC assist leaders
Senior guard Mar’shaun Bostic is one of the best passers in the conference this season, as she ranks No. 4 in the SEC with 5.2 assists per game.
To compare, the assist leader for South Carolina is Raven Johnson, averaging 2.6 per game.
South Carolina win vs Auburn would set an SEC record
With a win, South Carolina would pick up its 56th consecutive regular-season SEC win, adding to its conference record, and win No. 70 in a row at home, which would set a conference record. Tennessee won 69 consecutive home games from 1990-96.
The Gamecocks are also 10-0 at home this season and the only SEC team yet to lose a conference game. South Carolina comes into Sunday riding a 15-game win streak against Auburn, as it hasn’t lost to the Tigers since Jan. 19, 2012.
Who has beaten South Carolina women’s basketball?
The Gamecocks fell to UCLA, 77-62, on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles for their only loss of the season. The Bruins are the only undefeated basketball team in the country and have been No. 1 in the polls since beating South Carolina.
South Carolina vs Auburn injury updates
The SEC injury report will be released on Saturday night. South Carolina will be without Ashlyn Watkins, as she is out for the season after tearing her ACL. Auburn has been without Scott (wrist) since Nov. 22.
South Carolina score prediction vs Auburn
South Carolina 86, Auburn 61: South Carolina’s depth is just too much for Auburn to handle with its unbalanced scoring attack. Tessa Johnson and Sania Feagin combine for 20 plus points.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
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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