South Carolina women's basketball: Previewing the SEC - Part 2

We are one week from the start of the season. SEC Tipoff is in the books. Secret scrimmages and exhibitions have taken place. It’s time for a quick refresher on all 16 teams ahead of the season.

The preview is split into two parts. You can read part one HERE.

Missouri Tigers
Last season: 14-18 (3-13)
Key losses: Ashton Judd
Key additions: Jordana Reisma, Shannon Dowell, Sanaiah Tyler
Key returners: Grace Slaughter, Abbey Schreake
Projected finish: 13
Vibe check: 😑
Outlook: Missouri finally moved on from Robin Pingeton after a couple of lame-duck seasons. Needed a spark to rejuvenate the program, the Tigers turned to … Kellie Harper? Yes, the same coach who failed at Tennessee and NC State and doesn’t call timeouts to set her defense with 1.1 seconds left. When the best spin on the hire is, “Now that she isn’t expected to win, maybe she’ll do better,” it’s impossible to get excited. At least Grace Slaughter is fun to watch.

Media Day quote: “I worked at Missouri State. I felt really confident in being able to recruit that region. We want to be able to tackle the state and the region. Thought that was really important. I also felt like because of my history there, I felt like I was going to be able to bring in the perfect staff for Mizzou. I was able to do that. I hit a home run there, for sure. Then the last thing, I’ll be honest with you, this, the SEC. I mean, I want to be part of the best. I embrace the competition. I embrace the challenge. I’m very familiar with what we’re up against. I get it. There’s something to that. This is home for me.” – Harper

#6 Oklahoma Sooners
Last season: 27-8 (11-5), NCAA Sweet 16
Key losses: Skylar Vann
Key additions: Aaliyah Chavez
Key returners: Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst
Projected finish: 5
Vibe check: 🎇
Outlook: The Sooners return all their key players except Vann, and add Chavez, the nation’s top recruit, to one of the country’s best offenses. They are going to light up the scoreboard again, but the question is whether they can cut down on turnovers (322nd out of 353 in the nation last season) and get stops (280th in scoring defense).

Media Day quote: “You mean like take care of the ball? That would probably be number one. Honestly, I think that you can see we’re getting better and we play together as a team. That comes out in the assist column. I think we do a good job of being able to share the ball. (…) Then obviously defensively, we have to be able to guard better in terms of one-on-one defense because this league is so elite. There are some elite players in this league. That’s something that we’ve really worked a lot on.” – Jennie Baranczyk on what she wants the Sooners to improve

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#12 Ole Miss Rebels
Last season: 22-11 (10-6), NCAA Sweet 16
Key losses: Madison Scott
Key additions: Cotie McMahon, Debreasha Powe
Key returners: Sira Thienu
Projected finish: 6
Vibe check: 🎲
Outlook: After a few years of coming close to joining the upper class, Ole Miss went all in last offseason, hiring disgraced former Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman as an assistant. This offseason the Rebels doubled down and added McMahon and Powe. Will it be enough to finally break through?

Media Day quote: “The league is so full of talent. People were up in arms that the media picked us six. Then I looked at who they had ahead of us, and that is how good our league is. We had a team that finished ninth that lost in the Sweet 16 last year. You know what I’m saying? The league is just so talented, you pretty much have to be ready for a fight every single night.” Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who won best dressed at the two-day event with her three-piece suit.

#2 South Carolina Gamecocks
Last season: 35-4 (15-1), National runner-up
Key losses: Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts (injured)
Key additions: Ta’Niya Latson, Madina Okot, Agot Makeer
Key returners: Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, Raven Johnson
Projected finish: 1
Vibe check: 🏆
Outlook: Dawn Staley has set the bar so high that a national runner-up finish is considered a disappointment. South Carolina reached the title game without a dominant post or go-to scorer, so Staley added the best scorer in the country last season in Latson and the best big in the portal in Okot. Losing Kitts to a preseason knee injury hurts, but it’s still a championship or bust season.

Media Day quote: “It puts more pressure on the team. She contributes something that everybody will have to contribute individually. So as a team, you have to come together collectively and fill the gap that she normally fills. So, yeah, not to replace Chloe Kitts as a whole, but just little pieces for the whole team to contribute.” – Edwards on replacing Kitts

#8 Tennessee Lady Vols
Last season: 24-10 (8-8), NCAA Sweet 16
Key losses: Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer, Jillian Hollingshed
Key additions: Janiah Barker, Jersey Wolfenbarger, Deniya Prawl
Key returners: Talaysia Cooper
Projected finish: 4
Vibe check: 💨
Outlook: Kim Caldwell’s run-and-gun system took the country by storm last season, and had Lady Vol fans saying, just wait until she gets her players. Caldwell has her players now, and Tennessee is one of the deepest teams in the country. But has she fixed Tennessee’s two biggest issues from last season: half-court execution and a go-to scorer? 

Media Day quote: “I just yell ‘-iah, bad’ and the whole team gets better.” – Caldwell on having six players whose names end with “-iah.”

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#4 Texas Longhorns
Last season: 35-4 (15-1), NCAA Final Four
Key losses: Taylor Jones, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Laila Phelia, Aaliyah Moore (injured)
Key additions: Breya Cunningham, Ashton Judd, Aaliyah Crump
Key returners: Madison Booker, Rori Harmon
Projected finish: 2
Vibe check: 3️⃣
Outlook: The Longhorns were great against everyone except the Gamecocks, losing the season series 3-1 and getting blown out in the SEC Championship game and Final Four. Their refusal to even attempt, let alone make, three-pointers was their undoing: the Gamecocks kept ten feet in the lane and ignored the three-point line. Other teams are going to follow that blueprint, and until Texas shows it can shoot the three, it’s hard to consider them a title contender.

Media Day quote: “I think you probably know. It’s a game, the (Players Era) event, where we’re going to be able to make some money for NIL for our players. Look, I’ll play the Boston Celtics best out of seven for $1 million. Probably only be four games, but that would be all right. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity for our kids to play on a national stage against four of the top-seven teams in the pre-season polls. It will get your attention in a hurry. You got to be ready early.” – Schaefer on playing in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.

Texas A&M Aggies
Last season: 10-19 (3-13)
Key losses: Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones
Key additions: Fats Jenneh
Key returners: Lauren Ware
Projected finish: 14
Vibe check: 🤝
Outlook: It’s been one step forward, two steps back for Joni Taylor. Every time it looks like she might have the Aggies ready to turn the corner, there’s a transfer or injury that undoes the progress. Taylor brought in 12 new players this offseason to try to reverse the trend. Texas A&M should get better over the course of the season as the players get to know each other, but that kind of roster turnover is often a sign of desperation. 

Media Day quote: Ware and Janneh crashed Taylor’s press conference to ask a critical question.
FATMATA JANNEH: Hi. Lauren Ware and Fats Janneh from Texas A&M women’s basketball. So, Joni, why do you wear your shorts so high?
JONI TAYLOR: My players, and staff, ride me every single day because we have to be tucked in. I know there’s no rule this year that says we don’t have to tuck in our jerseys. We will be tucked in, in case you’re wondering. I believe that your shorts fit on your belly button. That’s where your waist is. My shorts are at my belly button because that’s where my waist is. Our motto last year was burn the boats. They told me I had to burn wearing my shorts on my waistline. Last year I did tuck them one time. I’ve gone back to wearing them where I’m comfortable. My pants right now are sitting right here because that’s your waist. It’s what’s comfortable for me, and it’s what’s appropriate.
LAUREN WARE: The decision is purely based off of anatomy.
JONI TAYLOR: Yes, yes.
LAUREN WARE: Thank you for the clarification.

#19 Vanderbilt Commodores
Last season: 22-11 (8-8), NCAA First round
Key losses: Khamil Pierre, Sacha Washington, Madison Greene
Key additions: Aaliyah Del Rosario, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda
Key returners: Mikayla Blakes
Projected finish: 7
Vibe check: 🕳️
Outlook: After last season, Vanderbilt had the look of a dark-horse top-four SEC team. Then Pierre left the program in the middle of the summer. It’s hard enough to replace a 20-and-10 forward, let alone after the portal has been picked over. The Commodores still have Freshman of the Year Blakes, but whatever they do this season, we’ll be wondering what would have happened without that hole in the middle.

Media Day quote: “You do not look at her when you’re interviewing her as the monster that she presents on the basketball court. (…) There’s a lot of talent in the country, players with skill. Mikayla has the intangible qualities that I have been fortunate enough to witness as a basketball coach and a player, and some of the best players I’ve ever seen play the game.” – Shea Ralph on Blakes

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