Who: #3 South Carolina (7-1) vs. Duke (8-1). Columbia, SC

Time/TV: 9:00 on ESPN. C”Mon world wide leader- some of us got to work in the morning. Texas at Notre Dame is the lead-in.

Line: Will update when one is available. Best guess SC -13.5. Total 135.5

History: South Carolina leads 7-2 and 6-1 under Dawn Staley. Carolina leads Duke 3-0 at Colonial Life Arena but the Blue Devils have been a pesky out in prior years, excluding Duke’s last trip to the CLA in 2019 when they lost by 43. Tonight’s game marks the Gamecocks’ second appearance in the ACC/SEC Challenge. In the inaugural event last season, South Carolina had a comeback victory over #24 North Carolina 65-58 in Chapel Hill.

Last Meeting: December 3, 2023. Carolina 77-61. The Gamecocks were coming off a win at UNC and were making their second straight ACC Tobacco Road game. The Gamecocks started slow and the Devils proved to be a out. Duke tied the game at 55-55 with 7:43 to play before a 22-6 USC run ended the upset bid. The Gamecocks dominated the boards to the tune of 45-24. Kamilla Cardoso was unstoppable with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Chloe Kitts also added 14 points.

This looks like the best team of the Kara Lawson era in Durham. Last year’s squad advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to UConn 53-45. Duke’s teams under Lawson have been known for their defense, but this group of Devils can score. Duke is averaging 83.2 points and shooting 48.3% from the floor, including 38.9% from three. The Blue Devil’s have played a strong schedule with ranked wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma. Duke’s only loss was a five-point defeat at Maryland.

The players to know behind the numbers: senior guard Reigan Richardson is Duke’s best player averaging 15 points a game and shooting 43% from three. Richardson dropped 35 on Oklahoma the day before Thanksgiving. Freshman Toby Fournier had an offer from Dawn Staley and her play early in her career shows why. The Canada native is averaging just under 12 points with 4.3 rebounds a game. The Blue Devil’s leading rebounder is 6’0 athletic guard Jadyn Donovan. The sophomore from Maryland is pulling down 7.2 boards a game. Lawson pulled Duke’s second leading scorer, Ashlon Jackson, all the way from China… China, Texas that is. (I didn’t know such a town existed- for those wondering it is a town of 1,260 people that is about 35 miles east of Houston and 10 miles west of Beaumont). Jackson can be a real x-factor when she’s hitting her threes. She was a combined 10-for-15 against K-State and Oklahoma but was also a combined 3-for-12 in Duke’s loss to Maryland and near loss at South Dakota State. She’s connecting on 45.8% of her three-point attempts on the season.

First some fan info: With the late tipoff, the Gamecocks invite fans to dress in their comfy, but appropriate, pajamas.Fans have two options to give this holiday seasonBring a new blanket to donate at the door, and the Gamecocks will get them to local shelters.Bring a new teddy bear (unboxed, no battery packs please!) to toss onto the court at halftime, and the Gamecocks will distribute them to various hospitals and other charities.

South Carolina is playing its fourth ranked opponent of the season, and the Gamecocks’ schedule includes 14 games against teams ranked this week or at the time of the game. Seven of those games are against non-conference foes. The Gamecocks head to play Top 10 TCU on Sunday. Strength of schedule is why South Carolina, despite having a loss, topped the NCAA’s NET rankings when they were released on Monday.

South Carolina rebounded to their first loss since March of 2023 with two resounding wins over Iowa State and Purdue. The Gamecocks two highly ranked freshman were a big reason. Joyce Edwards earned SEC co-Freshman of the Week honors this week after leading the team with 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game at the Fort Myers Tip-Off last weekend. Maddy McDaniel is second in the nation with a 7.00 assist-to-turnover ratio that includes four games of at least four assists and three turnover-free games.