South-Carolina

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #19 Alabama

Published

1 year ago

January 16, 2025

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #19 Alabama

South Carolina women’s basketball hits the road for a Top-25 matchup against Alabama. Find out how to watch and what to watch for.

1. Keep grinding

With all due respect, Alabama is the least glamorous opponent in South Carolina’s stretch of five consecutive ranked opponents. That doesn’t make the Crimson Tide any less dangerous, and that’s why the SEC is so challenging.

Part of the challenge is the different styles. Texas only took five three-pointers in the entire game Sunday. Alabama might take that many by the first media timeout.

This is where depth, and the versatility it provides, is an asset.

Against Texas, Dawn Staley leaned heavily on her more experienced players. Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac played just nine total minutes, and Sakima Walker and Maddy McDaniel didn’t play at all.

Against Alabama’s four-out lineup, it would be surprising if McDaniel sits again. Plus, Staley would probably rather not play Raven Johnson and Sania Feagin over 30 minutes again.

“We use it to our advantage, obviously, by playing a lot of players,” Staley said. “They all deserve to be on the floor. Some of them that don’t play probably deserve a little bit more. It helps in the whole longevity of a season.”

WIN TICKETS: Kim Mulkey and undefeated LSU are coming to Columbia on Jan. 23

2. Feagin

Speaking of Feagin, she was outstanding last week. Arguably, nobody did more last week to step up in Ashlyn Watkins’ absence. But that was just one week. There are eight more to go (plus the postseason).

Will Feagin continue to play that well? South Carolina’s national championship aspirations might depend on it.

3. Streaks

Something’s got to give. Alabama is riding a 14-game home winning streak and hasn’t lost in Tuscaloosa in over a year. With all due respect, South Carolina’s streak is more impressive.

Staley is 22-0 against Alabama. The Crimson Tide is the only SEC team (not counting newbies Texas and Oklahoma) that has never beaten Staley.

The series hasn’t been particularly close, either. The average score of those 22 games is 75.4 to 54.0, an average margin of victory of more than 21 points. Alabama only came within single digits once, a 62-59 loss in 2019 in Columbia. Ten wins have been by 20 or more, including three by at least 40.

Since you asked, South Carolina was 10-15 against Alabama before Staley’s arrival.

WIN TICKETS: Help introduce No. 13 Oklahoma to the SEC and South Carolina women’s basketball

4. Availability Report

South Carolina’s availability report Wednesday night was as clean as it will be for the rest of the season. Only Ashlyn Watkins (OUT) was listed.

The only Alabama player listed was guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who was Questionable. Barker was also listed as Questionable on Sunday against Ole Miss but didn’t play. She has been out since suffering a leg injury against Florida on Jan. 2, and Alabama coach Kristi Curry recently described Barker as “day-to-day.”

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5. Scouting the Crimson Tide

Alabama has managed a 3-1 league record without Barker thanks to the play of Zaay Green and Aaliyah Nye. Green averages 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Nye averages 14.8 points and is coming off a career-high 32 points against Ole Miss.

Nye is one of the top three-point shooters in the country. She went 7-11 against Ole Miss, her third game this season with at least seven threes. Nye leads the country in that category and is third in threes per game (3.6) while hitting 44.8% from behind the arc.

As a team, Alabama hits 38% from three. Sophomore Essence Cody holds down the paint, averaging 10.3 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds. Without Barker, though, Alabama doesn’t have much help for Cody on the boards.

“They’re well-coached; they always have great guard play,” Staley said. “They can shoot the ball. If they’re allowed to make what they’re comfortably taking each game, we’re in trouble. (It’s a) hard place to play, so for us it’s just our habits. It’s just packing our habits and, hopefully, guard the three-point line and guard the paint.”

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The Ws
Who: #2 South Carolina (16-1, 4-0) at #19 Alabama (16-2, 3-1)
When: 7 p.m. ET, Thursday, January 16
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Watch: SEC Network+

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South-Carolina

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

Published

11 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

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

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South-Carolina

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

Published

23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

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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South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Alyssia Hamilton
| Special to USA TODAY

COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.

That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.

For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.

Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.

“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”

The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.

“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”

The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.

“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”

Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.

“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”

Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.

“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”

As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.

“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.

She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.

“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.

She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.

Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.

“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”

Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.

“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”

She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.

“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”

On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.

It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.

With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.

Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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