While some fans wearing garnet and black are confident after two blowout SEC wins in a row (a 35-9 annihilation of Oklahoma in Norman and a 44-20 home demolition of the then-No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies), grumblings about “the Gamecock letdown” have been commonplace amongst the South Carolina football fanbase this week.

That shouldn’t be the case.

Since Steve Spurrier became the head coach in Columbia in 2005, South Carolina football fans have witnessed their favorite team knock off a ranked opponent 26 times. For some reason, there is a narrative that exists among fans that the Gamecocks immediately follow big wins with ugly losses. To be frank, that’s not true.

In fact, in 20 football seasons since ’05, only five times has South Carolina followed up a ranked win with a loss the next week. Two came during the Will Muschamp era. Three happened under Spurrier’s leadership (the last occurring in 2012). It has never happened with Shane Beamer at the helm. Yet, the narrative persists.

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Perhaps it is because two very famous “letdowns” happened during that time.

The 2010 victory over No. 1 Alabama came just one week before a loss on the road to unranked Kentucky. However, that loss came only after a Marcus Lattimore injury caused an offensive collapse. The Gamecocks still won the SEC East that season.

Two years later in 2012, an undefeated South Carolina squad traveled to Baton Rouge to face the 9th-ranked LSU Tigers at night in Death Valley. Considering the fact that LSU is 110-15 in night home games since 2000, that loss can be forgiven, too.

Even with those prominent “letdowns” (a loose use of the term), fans shouldn’t believe that a loss is inevitable on Saturday. If the Gamecocks lose, it’s because they’re playing a good Vanderbilt team on the road.

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However, South Carolina football fans shouldn’t expect a loss. Instead, they should prepare to see a good performance from Shane Beamer’s team as they lock horns with the 24th-ranked Commodores.

Back in 2022, the Gamecocks backed up their win over No. 13 Kentucky with another big win over Texas A&M in the next game. Later that year, more famously, South Carolina beat 5th-ranked Tennessee and 7th-ranked Clemson in back-to-back contests.

Beamer’s November record with the Gamecocks also is 9-4, including a 3-0 record against ranked opponents. Carolina has allowed over 30 points just twice in those games. In contrast, the Gamecock offense has scored over 30 points seven times in those contests. Six of the nine victories have come with double-digit point margins. The ‘Cocks also are 7-2 (including winning four in a row) in November SEC games since 2021.

As a whole, USC has won 15 games in a row against the ‘Dores. In three Beamer-led games against Vandy, the Gamecocks have outscored the black and gold 106-53.

So, chill out, South Carolina fans. Saturday will be a tough test, but the test is one that your favorite team is prepared to take.

Carolina will look to continue proving the myth wrong Saturday afternoon as the Gamecocks and Commodores kick at 4:15 p.m. The game will be on SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.

Forty-three monkeys,who escaped their facility in South Carolina, were still on the loose Friday morning, the Yemassee Police Department told USA TODAY, though they had been located and efforts were being made to recapture them.

The rhesus macaques primates, described as “very young females weighing approximately 6 – 7 lbs,” escaped from Alpha Genesis, a primate research facility in Yemassee, a small town about 26 miles from Beaufort, around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the Yemassee Police Department said in 5:50 p.m. advisory Thursday. The primates escaped after a caretaker failed to secure the doors, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said, according to the police department. It was initially reported that 40 monkeys escaped but the number has since been confirmed to be 43.

Police said the animals have never been used for testing given their young ages and size and a spokesperson of Alpha Genesis told police that “these animals are too young to carry disease.”

The monkeys are “believed to be in the wooded region surrounding the facility” and officers are assisting the Alpha Genesis staff, who were “attempting to entice the animals back using food,” in corralling the animals.

Residents advised to exercise caution, avoid area

Residents in Yemassee and surrounding areas were “strongly advised” to secure all doors and windows to prevent the animals from entering their homes.

Authorities have also advised residents to “refrain from approaching” or interacting with the monkeys and immediately call 911 if they see any of the escaped animals.

“These animals are highly sensitive and easily startled,” the Yemassee Police Department said. “The public is advised to avoid the area as these animals are described as skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”

This is not the first time that the monkeys escaped the facility. In 2016, 19 monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis and were captured almost six hours later, according to The Post and Courier, while 26 monkeys escaped in December 2014.

Alpha Genesis − which conducts research projects for government, university, and private industry clients, according to their website − did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for a comment on the incident.

How many monkeys does Alpha Genesis have?

Alpha Genesis has approximately 5,000 monkeys across two sites from Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Species include marmosets, cynomolgus and rhesus macaques, African Greens, and several New World species.

While the primates escaped from the site on Castle Hall Road in Beaufort County, Alpha Genesis also has a site in neighboring Hampton County, per the Hampton County Guardian.

What is Alpha Genesis?

Alpha Genesis Inc. describes itself as the “world’s premier provider of the finest nonhuman primate products and services” on its website.

The facility says its “experienced and caring staff” is “dedicated to conducting humane research with nonhuman primates to advance knowledge in primate biology and to address human health concerns.”

Alpha Genesis President and CEO Dr. Greg Westergaard told The Hampton County Guardian during a 2011 interview that the facility is “primarily a breeding facility,” and that they raise the animals for “research purposes.”

“Our overall goal is monkey health and monkey reproduction,” Westergaard told the Hampton County Guardian. “We mostly raise animals for research purposes. We do some behavioral research here, and we do studies that are fairly low impact, like drawing blood.”

“None of the animals here are infected with any diseases, and the studies don’t represent any danger to the monkeys or the people here,” the CEO had said.

Alpha Genesis was established in 1964 to provide animals for polio vaccine research, per the Hampton County Guardian.

Animals raised in Yemassee are sold only to USDA-licensed research facilities, Alpha Genesis told the Hampton County Guardian, where they are used in compliance with current legal and ethical practices to further vaccine development and cures for a wide range of diseases: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and more.

“I fully support alternatives to using animals for research… but I don’t see any way around it at this time,” Westergaard had said. “But I also support medical advancements that can help large numbers of people. Our goal is to keep the animals as healthy as possible and use as few as possible.”

Monkey Island

In March of 2023, Alpha Genesis also took over the management of South Carolina’s Morgan Island, also known as “Monkey Island,” home to about 3,500 rhesus monkeys, The Post and Courier reported.

Located off the coast of Beaufort, Morgan Island covers an area of more than 2,000 acres and is off-limits to humans, according to Travel and Leisure.

Morgan Island was previously owned and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, while the monkey colony was owned by the National Institute of Allergy + Infectious Diseases.

Contributing: Michael M. DeWitt, Jr., Bluffton Today

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

Caitlin Clark is gone to the WNBA where she continues to shatter records, so where does that leave women’s college basketball? 

As it turns out, with a whole lot of star power — much of it in unfamiliar uniforms this season. 

The first weekend of the women’s college basketball season is packed with must-see TV, including a couple top 25 matchups where we’ll get a glimpse at teams that could make a Final Four push. Teams like South Carolina, which entered the season favored to win the 2025 title, and North Carolina State are back with lots of familiar faces, while programs like Duke and Maryland have new players that should bring plenty of eyeballs. 

And yes, even though they’re not currently ranked in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll, the Iowa Hawkeyes will indeed be worthy of your attention. First-year coach Jan Jensen, who took over after 24 years as Lisa Bluder’s assistant, is expected to keep the Hawkeyes as one of the highest-scoring teams in the country even without Clark. 

Here are the five best women’s basketball games to watch tonight and this weekend. 

(Note: All stats referenced are from the 2023-24 season)

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 8 North Carolina State 

Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN

The defending national champs got welcome news earlier this week when the assault charges against forward Ashlyn Watkins were dismissed, allowing here to rejoin the Gamecocks. She hasn’t practiced with the team in two months, so we’re not sure how much we’ll see her against the Wolfpack in the first game of the Ally Tipoff — and a rematch of the 2024 national semifinal won by South Carolina on its way to the title. If the Gamecocks need some rebounding Sunday, they can surely count on Watkins, who averaged 9.0 boards per game and 2.3 blocks during their tournament run. To pull off a preseason upset NC State will need big play from its backcourt featuring Aziaha James (16.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Saniya Rivers (12.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg). 

No. 11 Duke at No. 18 Maryland

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on FS1

The best freshman from Duke that you haven’t heard of is Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-2 Canadian forward. She’s enough of a reason to tune in, though we’re also excited to see transfer Saylor Poffenbarger (10.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg) in her first year with the Terps. Poffenbarger originally committed to Connecticut before transferring to Arkansas, where she was a standout player for two years in the SEC. This matchup used to be must-see TV when it happened annually in the ACC, and we consider it that this year, too. 

No. 20 Creighton at South Dakota State

Friday, 7 p.m. ET on Summit League Network

Don’t be fooled into thinking this will be any sort of cakewalk for the ranked Blue Jays. South Dakota State is an NCAA tournament regular, and returns Summit League player of the year Brooklyn Meyer (18.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Meanwhile Paige Meyer (no relation) is the reigning Summit League tournament MVP. Creighton returns seven of its top eight scorers from last season, including All-Big East players Lauren Jensen (17.4 ppg) and Morgan Maly (15.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg). 

Virginia Tech vs. Iowa

Sunday, 5:30 ET on ESPN2

The second game of the Ally Tipoff will be the nation’s first glimpse at Iowa post-Clark. And while the Hawkeyes lost the leading career scorer in college basketball, they replaced her with another sharpshooter in transfer Lucy Olsen, who averaged 23.3 points per game at Villanova. They also return Hannah Stuelke (14.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg), a junior forward who had a breakout season last year and proved herself more than capable of controlling the paint on both ends. Virginia Tech is undergoing a transition with coach Kenny Brooks and star point guard Georgia Amoore leaving for Kentucky and Elizabeth Kitley finishing her eligibility. More production will be needed from from senior forward Matilda Ekh (10.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Carleigh Wenzel (4.2 ppg). 

No. 12 Baylor at Oregon

Sunday, 10 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

The Ducks are in complete rebuilding mode after losing numerous players to the transfer portal, but if you’re going to start over, it’s nice to have Deja Kelly (16.3 ppg) as the foundation. The North Carolina transfer will face her first major test against the Bears, which feature their own big transfer in senior center Aaronette Vonleh, who averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds last year at Colorado. With Vonleh inside and both Sarah Andrews (11.4 ppg, 3.9 apg) and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (10.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg) outside, Baylor will have one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the nation this season.

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell