Staley, Gamecocks go back on the road to Arkansas Sunday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – #16/18 South Carolina is back on the road for the fourth time in six games, traveling to Arkansas for a 5 p.m. (ET) tipoff on Super Bowl Sunday. The Gamecocks (15-5, 7-1 SEC) have won 11 of their last 12 games, including three over nationally ranked opponents. Arkansas (16-6,. 5-3 SEC) dropped a tight decision at Georgia Thursday night, snapping a four-game win streak that included a victory at Tennessee.

SOUTH CAROLINA NOTABLES
At the halfway mark of the SEC schedule, the Gamecocks have seven wins for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The previous four times each yielded the SEC regular-season title. Carolina has at least six wins through eight SEC games for the seventh time in as many seasons.

For South Carolina, diversity is the key on both ends of the floor. Defensively, the Gamecocks’ three starting guards apply stifling ball pressure to yield 4.6 steals per SEC game, and forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan minds the paint with an SEC-best 2.8 blocks per league game. On offense, no one Gamecock’s scoring average will strike fear into an opponent, but the collective five Gamecocks averaging at least 9.8 points (including three averaging double figures) make it tough to know who to shut down. Four of the Gamecocks’ five starters have each scored in double figures in at least 11 of the team’s 20 games this season, including at least four of the eight SEC games.

As Tyasha Harris continues to play some of her best basketball of the season, it is also clear that she makes her teammates better just by being on the court. In addition to her 10.4 points and 4.5 assists per game, her 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio has helped her build a +12.25 plus-minus rating on the season. That number jumps to +15.00 in SEC action, during which she ranks third in the league with 4.9 assist per game and averages 9.9 points. Harris has handed out five or more assists in five of the last six games and has not committed multiple turnovers in a game since Jan. 6 (192 minutes).

Senior forward Alexis Jennings has shot up the scoring chart for the Gamecocks, netting double-figure points in five of the last six games, including each of the last three. Over the last three games, including two against ranked teams, she has scored 15.7 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting.

BY THE NUMBERS
2 Blocks needed by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to move into ninth in school history in career blocks

5 Gamecocks shooting over 50.0 percent over the last five games

13 Carolina turnovers at Kentucky, which ranked sixth in the nation at 22.8 turnovers forced per game

76.6 Gamecocks’ scoring average over the last five games

ARKANSAS SERIES NOTES
After winning nine straight and 10 of the last 11 in the series, the Gamecocks have tied the all-time standings with Arkansas 17-17. South Carolina has wins in its last four trips to Bud Walton Arena for a 5-2 record there in the Dawn Staley era.

In last season’s 90-42 victory in Columbia, the Gamecock frontcourt did a bulk of the damage, including a 22-point, 10-rebound outing from Alexis Jennings. Guard Tyasha Harris also reeled in a surprising 13 rebounds as the #9 Gamecocks dominated the glass 62-31 and harassed the Razorbacks into 26.9 percent shooting, including 6-of-33 (.182) accuracy in the first half.

HERE’S A HEALTH, CAROLINA
As the South Carolina alma mater toasts the health of the University, Gamecock fans are certainly toasting the health of their women’s basketball team this season as the Gamecocks have finally been able to show the team Staley envisioned them being at the start of the season.

With seniors Alexis Jennings and Bianca Cuevas-Moore slowed in the offseason preseason by injuries, it took some time for the Gamecocks to find their chemistry. The group finally found its stride in SEC play, especially when Cuevas-Moore was able to join the starting lineup against Florida (Jan. 10).

In two SEC games with her coming off the bench, Carolina scored just 61.0 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting. In the last six games with her starting, the team averaged 75.7 points on 46.8 percent shooting – a stretch that includes three games against top-25 opponents and three road games.

BLOCK PARTY
South Carolina has long been a shot-blocking force centered around dominant, physical post players. This season, the Gamecocks rank sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game at 6.3. Against Clemson (Nov. 15), the Gamecocks tied the school record with 16 blocked shots.

Junior Mikiah Herbert Harrigan leads the way with 2.4 blocks per game to rank second in the SEC and 27th in the nation. All but one Gamecocks has recorded at least one block this season.

With six blocks at #21/21 Texas A&M (Jan. 3) and five against Alabama (Jan. 6), Herbert Harrigan opened league play by becoming the first Gamecock to post back-to-back SEC regular-season games with at least five blocked shots since A’ja Wilson swatted eight each at #9/9 Kentucky and against #15/11 Texas A&M on Jan. 14 and 17, 2016, respectively. The three-time SEC Player of the Year also blocked seven and five shots against Georgia and #20/24 Kentucky on consecutive days at the 2017 SEC Tournament. Herbert Harrigan has blocked at least three shots 10 times through 20 games this season, including four SEC games.

Against Clemson (Nov. 15), Victaria Saxton swatted away five shots, the most by a Gamecock freshman since A’ja Wilsonblocked six at Kentucky on March 1, 2015.

SWEET T
Junior guard Te’a Cooper wasted little time stamping her comeback to the court after 957 days between college games by impacting the Gamecocks’ effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

Following her transfer from Tennessee prior to the 2017-18 season, Cooper, who sat out the 2016-17 season with an injury, returned to the court against Alabama State (Nov. 11) and poured in a game-high 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 night at the free throw line. She added three assists and three steals in her 21 minutes on the court.

Cooper has led the team in scoring a team-high 10 times so far this season, including turning in four of the Gamecocks’ five 20-point games and their only 30-point game this season. Three of those 20-point games came against nationally ranked opponents.

Currently 21st in the SEC, Cooper is scoring 13.1 points per game and ranks seventh in the league in free throw percentage (.789). Cooper’s impact goes beyond scoring, though, as she hands out 2.8 assists per game and adds 1.5 steals per game as well. Her 3.0 assists per SEC game ranks 11th in the league.

H2O
Junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan has become the Gamecocks’ next dominant post player, especially stamping her authority on SEC play.

Herbert Harrigan stormed into SEC play, with a double-double at #21/21 Texas A&M (Jan. 3) that also included six blocks and a near double-double in the second league game of the season against Alabama (Jan. 6 – 18 pts, 9 rebs, 5 blks). Through eight SEC games this season, Herbert Harrigan is 24th in the league in scoring (13.0), 18th in rebounding (6.0), sixth in field goal percentage (.484) and first in blocked shots (2.8).

Overall this season, her 10.2 points per game is fourth on the team. Defensively, she ranks 27th in the nation and second in the SEC with 2.4 blocked shots per contest.

The junior posted her first career double-double at Purdue (Dec. 16), posting 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the double-overtime victory. She added another to her resume with an outstanding second half at #21/21 Texas A&M (Jan. 3) to finish with 11 points and career highs in rebounds (16) and blocks (6).