The buzzer sounded on April 2 in San Antonio and Stanford headed to the championship game. It happened with a last second win over South Carolina. South Carolina obviously devastated with the loss, only losing by 1-point in a 66-65 semi-final game. Now the rematch is upon us, but not even in post-season play. This time, it’s the regular season. No. 2 Stanford (8-2) will play No. 1 South Carolina (11-0) in Columbia, SC in what is certain to be a thrilling game for viewers. Will the undefeated Gamecocks get their revenge win or will the reigning national champions pull it off? Here is the South Carolina vs Stanford Prediction.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks have had a phenomenal start to the season. South Carolina is 11-0 and already having five Top 25 wins under their belt. Tuesday’s game is their second 1 vs 2 matchup of the season; with the Gamecocks beating then No. 2 UConn 73-57 on November 22.
South Carolina has one of the best benches in the country on top of a strong starting five. From Aliyah Boston to Zia Cooke, South Carolina has some talented players. One key that is still unclear for this team is starting point guard Destanni Henderson. Henderson’s status for the game is up in the air, as she deals with a leg injury.
You can definitely expect both Boston and Cooke to be a huge part of the game as they are both facilitators for the team. Boston especially will want to put her best foot forward, but Stanford definitely will want to limit her as she is averaging 21.25 PTS, 15.25 REB, and 4.5 BLK (per Bleacher Report) from her last four games.
Coming off of the bench the Gamecocks have 6’7 Kamilla Cardoso and potentially 6’4 Laeticia Amihere. Amihere should start if Henderson is unavailable. The Gamecocks must score through both Boston and Cooke in order to win this game. Using their bench to their advantage will be crucial in a close matchup like this one.
Stanford
The reigning champions have also had success this season, but have picked up two early losses against ranked opponents. The Cardinals have been all over the Top 10 rankings, but have landed at number 2 after beating no. 7 Tennessee right before this matchup.
The Cardinals have a wide range of players, but two stand out in particular. Sophomore Cameron Brinke and junior Haley Jones. But other players like Lexie and Lacie Hull can step up to the plate in big-game situations. Stanford is a huge challenge for defenders as they have such a range of talented players similar to South Carolina which will make this game a great matchup.
The Stanford Cardinals always put up a good fight even in their losses which makes them tough opponents. The Cardinals have a really strong starting group and strong players that often come out and play their best against ranked teams. Hannah Jump and Fran Belibi are two players that can make Stanford even more phenomenal than they already are. The Gamecocks are a strong defensive team and if they shut down certain players you should expect players like Jump, Belibi, and the Hull sisters to step up to the challenge. Brink is currently leading the team in points averaging 14.2 PPG and second in rebounds with 7.7 per game. There is no doubt the Cardinals will play their best tomorrow against the Gamecocks.
Prediction
Although this game will be neck and neck, that the Gamecocks will pull out the win. With five Top 25 wins, including a no. 1 vs. no. 2 win under their belts, they are prepared for the mental, emotional, and physical challenges that come with highly competitive games.
The Gamecocks have an additional advantage being at their home arena with the highest fan attendance numbers out of all of the women’s college basketball. It will definitely be a close game similar to that of the Final Four game and this is only a regular-season game.
Make sure to tune in at 7 pm EST on ESPN2 to watch South Carolina vs Stanford.
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