South Carolina hosts Georgia on Sunday in its annual We Back Pat game. Here are five things to watch for.



1. Availability



South Carolina’s availability report will be released on Saturday night, and could change for the first time in 2026.



After missing the last three-and-a-half games with a sprained left ankle, Ta’Niya Latson is nearing her return. She participated in the portion of practice open to the media on Friday.



“We’re going to see how she feels (Saturday). Every day is just, we’re ramping her up,” Dawn Staley said. “If that lower leg doesn’t feel good (Saturday), then we’ll have to pull back. If it does, then we’ll continue to push through.”



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Alicia Tournebize was not at practice on Friday because she was attending freshman orientation. Staley did not say whether Tournebize would make her debut on Sunday.



2. Heavy minutes



There were times in South Carolina’s 74-63 win at Florida last Sunday where the Gamecocks looked tired. It would make sense. With only nine active players, the starters have logged heavy minutes.



Joyce Edwards, Raven Johnson, and Tessa Johsnon each played over 31 minutes against Alabama. Maddy McDaniel played a career-high 26 minutes. Against Florida, the Johnsons each played 35 minutes, and McDaniel played 33. 



Latson was averaging just under 30 minutes per game before her injury. Replacing those minutes and her production has put a burden on the remaining players. Against Florida, Staley even resorted to using her timeouts for rest, something she doesn’t normally do.



“We’ve been playing our starters 35, 36 minutes,” Staley said. “We’d like for that to be around 30, not even 30. 28 is where I think we can have peak performance with everybody. Everybody doesn’t have to conserve because they’re trying to make it throught he game.”



The blowout of Arkansas helped Staley reduce her key players’ playing time. Edwards played 25 minutes, and Madina Okot and the Johnsons played 21 minutes. McDaniel played 26 minutes, and only freshman Agot Makeer played over 30 minutes.



3. What Tournebize brings



Getting Latson back would be the biggest assist to evening out the playing time, especially in the backcourt. But getting Tournebize to a point where she could play, even for just a few minutes a game, would help lighten Edwards’ load.



South Carolina thinks Tournebize can bring things the Gamecocks don’t currently have. She is taller than Edwards, but more mobile and a better shooter than Okot (despite Okot swishing another three against Arkansas). 



‘Staley hopes Tournebize can bring back the high-low game that has been a staple of South Carolina’s offense since the days of A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates.



“It’s needed,” Staley said. “Her ability to shoot from the outside, her ability just to kind of see over defenses. Our high-low game has been nonexistent. We’ve been really good at high-low game for a long time, and maybe we get one a game, maybe. But I think bringing Ali into the fold, we’ll get a lot more opportunities. And sometimes when players see other players doing it, it becomes contagious, so she’ll be a threat out there for high-low passes, for scoring on the outside, whether it’s outside the three or mid-range.”



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4. We Back Pat



Sunday is South Carolina’s annual We Back Pat game in honor of the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. 



“Champion coach, champion individual, champions for women’s basketball,” Staley said. “Always has looked out for women’s basketball, has set the example of how we she be by being inclusive. Yes, she had dynasty teams throughout her tenure as the Tennessee coach, but it never felt like it was all about Tennessee. It always felt like it was about all of us. She made us believe there was a little bit of Tennessee in all pf us, meaning a little bit of dominance, a little bit of success.”



South Carolina will also hold its annual Play4Kay game later in the season, on February 5 against Mississippi State. That game honors the late NC State coach Kay Yow.



Maddy McDaniel is one of 65 players across all divisions of college basketball honored with the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award. The award recognizes players who exemplify leadership, selflessness, and service in the fight against all cancers affecting women. 



McDaniel is wearing a patch on her jersey as part of the program. McDaniel’s mother is a cancer survivor who had ovarian cancer.



“It means a lot,” McDaniel said. “Just to be able to honor my mom and what she went through, it means a lot to be able to go on the floor and play for her every game.”



5. Scouting the Lady Dawgs



Georgia went undefeated in non-conference play, but has started SEC play just 1-2, with a win over Texas A&M sandwiched between losses to Ole Miss and LSU.



Dani Carnegie has been a do-it-all star for Georgia, averaging 18.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. Georgia always plays tough defense, but Carnegie has provided a scoring punch that has led to more wins.



Carnegie has scored at least 23 points in each SEC game, but her efficiency is down. She shot 33% against Texas A&M and LSU, and she is hitting just 24% from three. 



Trinity Turner, Mia Woolfolk, and Rylie Theuerkauf are also averaging double figures in scoring, but with Georgia everything always starts with defense. 



The Lady Dawgs are allowing jsut 55.2 points per game on 35.1% shooting. If they have a weakness, it is on the boards. Georgia grabs just 39.6 rebounds per game, a margin of plus-6.4. They are undersized at most positions, and the big players aren’t great rebounders.



The Ws



Who: #3 South Carolina (16-1, 3-0) vs Georgia (15-2, 1-2) When: 2:00 ET, Sunday, January 11 Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC Watch: SEC Network



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