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SEC Preview: South Carolina, Mississippi State, Tennessee and much more

By Blake DuDonis

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 16: Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Holly Warlick is interviewed by former Lady Vol, now ESPN commentator, Kara Lawson after a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tennessee Lady Volunteers on January 16, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tennessee upset the Irish 71-69. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 16: Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Holly Warlick is interviewed by former Lady Vol, now ESPN commentator, Kara Lawson after a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tennessee Lady Volunteers on January 16, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tennessee upset the Irish 71-69. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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South Carolina Gamecocks 
Predicted finish: 2nd 

Key returners (last season’s stats)
F- A’ja Wilson- 6’5, SR- 17.9 PPG, 59%FG, 7.8 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 28 MPG, First Team All-SEC, All Defensive, SEC Player of the Year, AP First Team All-American
G- Bianca Cuevas-Moore- 5’6, SR- 8.3 PPG, 38%FG, 37% 3pt, 1.6 SPG, 23 MPG
G- Tyasha Harris- 5’10, SO- 5.6 PPG, 43%FG, 33% 3pt, 3.2 APG, 26 MPG, All Freshman

Biggest losses (last season’s stats)
G- Allisha Gray, 6’0- 13.2 PPG, 51%FG, 32% 3pt, 5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 29 MPG
C- Alaina Coates, 6’4- 12.9 PPG, 67%FG, 10.7 RPG, 27 MPG, First Team All-SEC, All Defensive
G- Kaela Davis, 6’2- 12.7 PPG, 38%FG, 35% 3pt, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 28 MPG

Newcomers
G/F- Lele Grissett, 6’0, (Durham, NC), FR- Ranked #23 in 2017 class, #4 wing
F- LaDazhia Williams, 6’1, (Bradenton, FL), FR- Ranked #50 in 2017 class, #12 forward
G- Bianca Jackson, 5’10, (Montgomery, AL), FR- Ranked #45 in 2017 class, #12 shooting guard
F- Alexis Jennings, 6’3, (Kentucky), R-JR- Averaged 8.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG in two seasons at Kentucky, Ranked #66 in 2014 class, #8 center
G- Lindsey Spann, 5’6, (Penn State), R-SR- 10.5 PPG at Penn State, 1,000 point club member, graduate transfer
* Ranked as the #10 recruiting class in the country*

Head Coach- Dawn Staley, 10th season
In 2000, Temple University hired Dawn Staley as their head women’s basketball coach despite no prior coaching experience and despite the fact that Staley was still playing in the WNBA. All Staley has done in the 17 seasons since then (eight at Temple, nine at South Carolina) is compile a 393-160 overall record and lead South Carolina to their first ever National Championship. Wow. Staley, who also was named head coach of Team USA back in March, is just the second African-American woman to lead her team to a title; current Vanderbilt assistant Carolyn Peck with Purdue in 1999 is the other. Staley has transformed South Carolina into one of the elite programs in the country with no signs of slowing down at all. With the ability to walk the line of intense, hyper-focused leader and easy-going, relatable head coach (she can oftentimes be found joking with her players on Twitter) Staley is among the most elite coaches and recruiters in the country. Were you to allow a fantasy draft of coaches for programs around the country, you could very easily make the argument that Staley would, and should, be the first overall pick.

Key non-conference games
Nov. 13- @Maryland
Nov 26- Notre Dame (potentially; Gulf Coast Showcase)
Dec. 3- Duke
Dec. 21- @Temple
Feb. 1- UConn

Outlook
What a season it was for South Carolina. Not only did they win their fourth straight SEC title but they went all the way to the end and hoisted the NCAA championship trophy. A’ja Wilson is a once-in-a-generational type talent and deserves every accolade she has earned. It cannot be argued that Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis will be missed; they both played huge roles in the Final Four and leave a void. That said, anytime you have a player like Wilson, you have a chance. When Alaina Coates went down with an injury towards the end of last season, Staley and her staff changed up their offense to have just one post on the block and the team never looked so good on that end of the floor. I would expect to see something similar this year, with Bianca Cuvas-Moore and Tyasha Harris benefiting from it. A number of newcomers for the Gamecocks will also have a chance to step in and play right away. This projection is taking into account all of the talent South Carolina lost but let’s be clear: a fifth straight SEC title is not only possible, but it would not be surprising in the least.

Best Case Scenario- Wilson improves even more, score 20 PPG and pulling down 10 RPG as she runs away with Player of the Year honors, the free flowing offense continues to look great and South Carolina wins their 5th straight SEC championship and yet another #1 seed in the tournament, this time on the east coast

Worst Case Scenario- The loss of Davis, Gray and Coates is felt by Wilson in particular who fights through double teams and foul trouble all season, the team struggles to find consistent scoring from their guards and come up just short of 1st place, getting a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament and are forced to play far from home yet again

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