CLEVELAND – After a full season on the revenge tour, South Carolina women’s basketball is at the last stop.
With everything on the line against Iowa in the national championship game on Sunday (3 p.m., ABC) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the No. 1 seeded Gamecocks (37-0) are bringing a new level of focus into the matchup against the No. 1 seeded Hawkeyes (34-4) and star guard Caitlin Clark.
Last season, Iowa defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the Final Four.
“They’re pretty motivated,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Saturday. “We just had our film session this morning, and they’re all locked in. It wasn’t daycare this morning.”
Sophomore guard Raven Johnson first called it the revenge tour in September, before the season even started. It’s been a significant motivation for the Gamecocks all season, and now they’re looking for one last piece of revenge.
“I’m so glad we have this opportunity, so glad we’ve taken care of business,” junior guard Bree Hall said. “It’s unfinished business still. We have to go out there and get the win.”
What South Carolina wants to do to slow Caitlin Clark
Staley said the Gamecocks will focus on throwing different looks at Clark so she’s unable to settle in. She also made a point to note what Clark does so well, not just in games but for women’s basketball as a whole.
“It’s a monumental game for our game,” Staley said. “We’re very fortunate to be a part of it. We get to witness firsthand the legacy of Caitlin Clark. You watch her. You prep for her. You can’t help but to really love how she dissects the game.”
Johnson said Clark is hard to defend, especially because of the way her teammates can feed off Clark’s play. Clark is averaging nine assists per game, the best number in the nation.
“This time, don’t be scared,” Johnson said. “I remember last year I was very nervous guarding her, just being who she is. But this time I’m not scared.”
Johnson wouldn’t give share a lot about the preparation for Clark, but there was one piece she said the Gamecocks were focused on.
“The gameplan is to win,” Johnson said.
How South Carolina and Iowa match up differently than last year
Clark is still around for Iowa, but the similarities in the two matchups don’t go much further.
The look that this season’s South Carolina team will serve the Hawkeyes is much different than a year ago. Only Johnson and Kamilla Cardoso, among players on this season’s roster, played significant minutes.
Iowa sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke gives up size to South Carolina’s post players but makes up for it in how she runs the court. Staley emphasized Saturday the need for the Gamecocks to keep up with her rim-running ability.
“It was, you know, I will run for a layup. That’s the mentality,” Staley said. “Then what she’s able to do in the half-court, I mean, she puts you back on your heels. We certainly have to use our length. We’ve got to make her play through us, and she doesn’t mind that at all.”
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The Hawkeyes, however, didn’t have to matchup with South Carolina’s posts like sophomore forwards Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts.
“(Stuelke’s) going to have to guard not one, not two, not three, four – we’ve got four or five legitimate post players that she’s going to see and have to guard, and they all are different,” Staley said. “Iowa’s a challenge. They’re playing their best basketball. They’re playing inspired. They’re playing like they want to win a national championship. So are we.”
Evan Gerike covers South Carolina women’s basketball for the Greenville News. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How South Carolina basketball plans to focus on Caitlin Clark, Iowa
