Top-Ranked Gamecocks Head West for Top-Five Matchup

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 1/1 South Carolina is in Los Angeles for the second of its 13 games against ranked opponents, taking on No. 5/6 UCLA on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina is ranked seventh in the nation in offensive rebounding, reeling in 18.8 per game and scoring 19.0 points per game off them. The Gamecocks are corralling 45.6 percent of their own missed shots to rank sixth in the nation, according to HerHoopStats.

• The Gamecock bench continues to be one of the program’s greatest assets, ranking 11th in the country in scoring at 38.2 points per game. South Carolina’s reserves have out-scored their counterparts by 26.0 points per game.

• South Carolina 45.6 points in the paint per game make up 56.6 percent of the offense, but that work isn’t coming just from post players. The Gamecock guards have added 20.4 paint points so far this season, including two games of out-scoring the forwards in that space.

• The Gamecocks’ 13 games against teams ranked in this week’s top 25 are three more than any other ranked team. Eight of those 13 games are against top-10 opponents, which is also three more than the next closest team. South Carolina’s six non-conference games against ranked opponents is tied for the most in the country as well.

• Even without a dominant big guarding the paint, South Carolina is 14th in the country with 6.2 blocks per game.

• Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao has the most experience of any Gamecock against UCLA, playing the Bruins six times in her three season at Oregon, averaging 12.2 points on 41.2 percent shooting, including 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, and adding 3.0 assists per game. For the Gamecocks this season, she is second on the team with 13.4 points per game on 51.8 percent shooting

• Junior Chloe Kitts continues to lead the Gamecocks in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg) and ranks 25th in the NCAA with two double-doubles this season.

• Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson’s shooting has picked up right where she left off in the 2024 National Championship game that saw her lead the team with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. She is the Gamecocks most accurate 3-point shooter this season at 55.6 percent to help her average 7.7 points per game.

By the Numbers
5 – Five Gamecocks are shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field so this season.

7 – Seven Gamecocks have scored in double figures at least once this season with three hitting the mark three times.

47.4 – South Carolina’s bench accounts for 47.4 percent of the Gamecocks’ total offense.

The UCLA Series
The Gamecocks have a 4-1 overall record against the Bruins and have won all four meetings in the modern history of the series – two in Columbia, one in Los Angeles and the most recent in Greenville, S.C., in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. All three regular-season meetings were decided by single digits. The last four meetings have been top-15 matchups.

In the last meeting, top-ranked South Carolina topped #14 UCLA 59-43 in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Mar. 25, 2023, in Greenville, S.C. The early defensive battle when the Gamecocks’ way with a 25-15 halftime lead. The offense picked up in the third when both teams matched their first half scores. Of the current Gamecocks, the most impactful in that game was Bree Hall, who netted 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including five points in the third period as the Gamecocks doubled their lead.

Serious Scheduling
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has never been afraid to challenge her team to prepare it for the rigors of March and April. This season is no different.

The Gamecocks’ 30-game regular-season schedule includes 13 games against teams in the national rankings this week, including four against teams in the top five and three others against top-10 foes. Six of those 13 games are against non-conference opponents.

Over the last 10 seasons, South Carolina has played an average of 9.6 regular-season games against ranked foes.

If this season’s 13 games remain, it would be the most  regular-season ranked matchups in program history. The six non-conference opponents would match the 2021-22 schedule.

So far this season, South Carolina is 1-0 against ranked foes – vs #9/8 NC State (W, 71-57; 11/10).

Pao-erful Impact
Fifth-year senior guard Te-Hina Paopao is a four-time all-conference selection across two conferences, but added two first-time accolades to her resume last season – All-American and NCAA Div. I 3-point percentage leader. This season she has leveled up again, appearing on both the Naismith and Wooden Award watch lists and posting her Gamecock career-high 23 points in a commanding win over #9/8 NC State (Nov. 10).

Paopao is second on the team with 13.4 points per game this season, shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range. Her 3.6 assists per game are 15thin the SEC, and her 3.60 assist-to-turnover ratio is 30th in the nation (2nd in the SEC).

After choosing to transfer to South Carolina because of her belief in head coach Dawn Staley’s ability to develop the skills she would need to succeed at the next level, Paopao chose to return for her fifth season of college basketball because of the significant strides she made in her overall game in just a few months in Columbia. This season, Staley has challenged her again to raise her defensive skills, and Paopao is delivering.