On Thanksgiving Day, we’ll be blessed one of the tastiest treats in women’s college basketball: a motivated South Carolina team.
Stung by now-No. 1 UCLA on Sunday, the No. 4 Gamecocks (5-1) should arrive for the Fort Myers Tip Off eager to remind the nation that they’re still the defending champs. South Carolina, participating in the Island Division, will have two opportunities to reclaim their dominance, first against No. 15 Iowa State (5-1) on Thursday, Nov. 28 and then against Purdue (4-1) on Saturday, Nov. 30. MTSU (4-1) is the fourth team participating in the Island Division.
The four teams competing in the Shell Division, with games on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30, are Michigan (5-1), Belmont (2-3), Virginia Tech (5-1) and Davidson (3-3). All games will be held at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, FL.
South Carolina scrutiny
When you’ve lost for the first time in 44 games and 604 days, that loss feels like a crisis. That sense of crisis also is reflective of the standard set by South Carolina and head coach Dawn Staley. Excellence is so expected that anything less is cause for alarm.
But most likely, South Carolina’s loss to UCLA on Sunday was the wake up call the Gamecocks needed. The trip to Fort Myers can be a re-set for South…
