No. 1 Gamecocks Welcome Georgia and College Game Day Sunday

No. 1/1 South Carolina hosts ESPN’s College Game Day and the Georgia Lady Bulldogs on Sun., Feb. 18. The pregame show will be live from Colonial Life Arena at noon and will air on ABC ahead of the game’s 1 p.m. tipoff.

Fan Information

• Doors at Colonial Life Arena will open at 11:30 a.m. so fans can come in and be part of the College Game Day atmosphere when the show begins at noon.
• Fans can enjoy a $3 concessions special, which includes a hot dog and small soda, from 11:30-12:30 p.m.
• A fan shuttle has been added for this game. Fans can park for free at the Pendleton Street Garage (1513 Pendleton Street) and ride the shuttle to Colonial Life Arena (11 a.m.-4 p.m.).Fans should enter the garage from Pickens Street with parking available in all metered spaces. The shuttle will pickup and drop off at the corner of Pickens and Pendleton Streets.
• Fans are encouraged to bring personal hygiene items to donate to the University of South Carolina Veterans Alumni Council. Donations will be collected outside the arena.

The Georgia Series
The Gamecocks are 24-33 all-time against the Lady Bulldogs, including a 20-6 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09). South Carolina has won the last 17 meetings between the teams, including sweeping the series last season.

In a pair of wins last season, the Gamecocks won by an average of 13.5 points. In its 68-51 win in Athens (Jan. 2), South Carolina trailed by three at the half before lockdown defense delivered a pair of 21-11 quarters to close out the win. In Columbia, the Gamecocks took control in the first half and cruised to a 73-63 victory (Feb. 26) that included a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double from Kamilla Cardoso in just 17 minutes on the court.

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By the Numbers
4 – Four Gamecocks average at least 10 points per SEC game with one more coming in at 9.1 points per game.

11.7 – Raven Johnson averaged 11.7 rebounds over the last three games, including back-to-back career-high games (12 vs. UConn, 15 at Tenn.).

13 – South Carolina has held its opponent under 60 points 13 times this season, including six SEC games.

Gamecock Notables

• Today’s game is South Carolina’s fourth sellout of the season, doubling the program’s previous single-season high of two (2022-23 and 2019-20).

• South Carolina leads the nation in scoring margin at +33.3. That mark includes an SEC-best +26.0 margin in league play and a +17.8 mark against ranked opponents (6 games). Just three of the Gamecocks’ wins have come by single digits – at #24 North Carolina, vs. #11 Utah, at #9 LSU.

• The Gamecocks are third in the country in shooting percentage at .507. They have shot better than every opponent so far this season and have shot under 40.0 percent just once.

• National Player of the Year candidate Kamilla Cardoso  has scored 16.4 points per game over her last five outings, shooting 56.0 percent from the field.

• Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao leads the SEC and is 26th in the nation in player offensive rating at 129.0, among those who average at least 15.0 minutes. Cardoso comes in third at 125.1 (Her Hoop Stats).

• Sophomore Ashlyn Watkins is intent on closing her SEC Sixth Woman of the Year campaign with authority. With three double-doubles in the last five games, she was the Gamecocks’ top scorer (12.6) and rebounder (10.2) in that stretch while also adding 2.6 blocks and 2.6 steals per game during that time. On the season, she leads the nation with a 63.9 player defensive rating and a 0.13 defensive win shares per 40 minutes (Her Hoop Stats).

• Guard MiLaysia Fulwiley’s 11.5 points per game are fourth among SEC freshmen this season, playing just 18.8 minutes per game. The three freshmen ahead of her are all among the SEC’s overall top eight in minutes played. Fulwiley leads the league’s freshman class in steals per game (1.7). She is second in assists (2.1) and fourth in blocks (0.9).

Home Sweet Home
The Gamecocks are 525-165 (.761) in home games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games). Current head coach Dawn Staley is 213-34 at home with that .862 winning percentage is the best in program history.

South Carolina currently has a program-record 54-game home winning streak that began on Dec. 17, 2020.

Playing in its 22nd season at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina boasts a 276-67 (.805) record in the building, including four undefeated seasons since 2013-14. Staley’s share of that record is 210-34 (.861).

In SEC action, South Carolina is 146-89 (.621) at home with Staley posting a 102-22 (.823) mark.

Closing Out the Close Ones
While South Carolina leads the country in scoring margin (+33.3), the Gamecocks have entered the fourth quarter with the margin in single digits five times, including one game they trailed (by 4 at LSU, Jan. 25) and one that was tied (at Tennessee, Feb. 15).

South Carolina won all five games, out-scoring its opponent by an average of 7.8 points in the final period. The Gamecocks posted a double-digit fourth-quarter edge in the three closest of those games – +13 at Duke, (Dec. 3), +11 at Tennessee (Feb. 15) and +10 at LSU (Jan. 25).

Block Party
South Carolina annually ranks among the best shot blocking teams in the country and leads the way again this season at 8.4 blocks per game – the second-ranked team averages 6.4 (Boise St.). The Gamecocks have blocked 18.5 percent of their opponents’ 2-point attempts this season, which leads the nation.

The Gamecocks have posted the top three shot-blocking games in the nation this season, led by their school record-tying 17 against Presbyterian (Dec. 16).

The SEC’s top two shot blockers – Kamilla Cardoso (2.9) and Ashlyn Watkins (2.7) – are ranked eighth and 11th in the nation, respectively.