Nation’s number one sets course for season
For most teams, seeing South Carolina on the schedule is met with either a sigh of anticipation or ignites a fire of competition. The number one preseason team recently released their non-conference schedule, and it is full of intriguing matchups.
The gamecocks will begin the season at home against in-state foe College of Charleston one day after Thanksgiving.
The next slate of games will be a tournament whose schedule has yet to be announced. They will then take part in the SEC/Big 12 challenge when they travel to take on Iowa State.
Their other non-conference home games will be against NC State and Temple. The wolfpack was ranked 8th in the NCAA’s preseason poll and will be an early test for a Carolina team with a lot to prove after key players graduated.
The biggest non-conference game of the entire season will go down in Storrs on February 8th, when Dawn Staley’s squad will face off against UConn in the annually most anticipated contest of the year. The respected rivals may be the top two teams in the nation when they eventually meet, possibly coming into the matchup without a loss.
Many of the players on these two teams will be showcasing for the WNBA scouts who will inevitably be watching. Some teams will be more invested than others, however; as the Connecticut Sun do not even have a first round pick.
The Sun dealt their 2021 pick to the Phoenix Mercury in the deal that allowed them to sign DeWanna Bonner to a long term deal. Bonner is one of only four players Connecticut has under contract for next season.
All-star Jonquel Jones is another key piece who is guaranteed to return, along with last year’s second-rounder Kaila Charles.
It should not be too difficult to resign bench contributors Bria Holmes, Brionna Jones, and Natisha Hiedeman. The problems arise with the rest of the roster construction, and after some number crunching, it is hard to believe they will be able to keep all of the franchise players.
After the season Alyssa Thomas had, she will command max money, but you have to think the Sun will offer it to the heart and soul of their team. This is bad news for point guard Jasmine Jones. The veteran defensive stud is one of the longest tenured players for Connecticut, but it would take a surprise move from the front office to be able to bring her back next season.
While the Sun will wish to keep their squad together after back-to-back deep postseason runs, they may have to make some tough choices this offseason.