In a women’s college basketball season that’s so highly anticipated, it’s easy to get carried away. The season isn’t quite two weeks old, and most teams have played two or three games. But assessments are constantly being made.
Can South Carolina repeat? Are Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins the player of the year front-runners? How have stars Olivia Miles and Rori Harmon looked in their returns from injuries?
When do those evaluations become declarations? Are trends already forming that will shape the rest of the season?
Teams and players evolve, and what we are seeing now shouldn’t necessarily cause long-term worry (or excitement).
So what’s real and what’s an overreaction? What are we seeing today that might still hold true in February and March? We look at the young season.
Too much 3-point shooting will cost South Carolina
Even some of Dawn Staley’s best teams had one flaw: outside shooting. The 2022 national championship team went 35-2 and dominated around the rim on both ends of the floor. But those Gamecocks made 30.6% of their 3-point attempts. That remained a drawback in 2023 when Iowa dared South Carolina to shoot in the Final Four — and the result…
