Gamecocks' home streak on the line

With Monday night comes the matchup women’s basketball fans have been awaiting all season: the top-ranked Connecticut Huskies will take on the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks in Colonial Life Arena at 7 p.m. The matchup features the only two remaining undefeated teams in the country, and it is a rematch of last year’s one-versus-two matchup in Storrs, Connecticut, where the Huskies prevailed 87-62 on their way to a third consecutive national championship.

Despite being a regular season non-conference game, this game has major implications for both teams. The winner will be the country’s consensus top team, and it will also provide confidence in their ability to defeat premiere competition.

This matchup features five of the 16 players from the midseason watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which is presented to the top women’s basketball player in the country. Connecticut has three players: Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck and Breanna Stewart. Stewart, who is averaging 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season, was showered with accolades last season, winning Associated Press Player of the Year, the Naismith Trophy and many other awards, in addition to being named a unanimous First Team All-American.

The Gamecocks have two players in the hunt for the prestigious award: senior guard Tiffany Mitchell and sophomore forward A’ja Wilson. The duo combines for 31.3 points per game, and they also get significant contributions from junior Alaina Coates, who averages 12.9 points and 10 rebounds per contest, leading the SEC on the boards. Mitchell sat out the entire second half of South Carolina’s Thursday night win over Kentucky with a back injury, but head coach Dawn Staley said her star player was cleared to play, but it was her decision as a coach to keep her the All-American off the court.

Mitchell will be playing, but the Gamecocks will be without senior Asia Dozier, who injured her right hand against Texas A&M on Jan. 31. Dozier has started 11 games for the Gamecocks this season, and despite statistics that don’t exactly jump off the page, the senior provides experience and plays solid defense, which gave her the nod for the starting lineup over senior guard Tina Roy, who is a pure jumpshooter. Roy, who leads the team with 45 made threes this season, is expected to fill in for Dozier in the lineup, as one of the two has started every game this season.

For obvious reasons, this game is drawing a significant amount of media attention, including from Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network. The Paul Finebaum Show will broadcast live from the floor of Colonial Life Arena from 3-7 p.m. leading up to the game, and guests including Staley, men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, head football coach Will Muschamp and former football coach Steve Spurrier will join the show.

The Colonial Life Arena is sold out for the game, and the team is expecting the biggest crowd for any women’s basketball game around the country this season. The Gamecocks lead the country in attendance, averaging 14,557 fans per game. Home court advantage should be in South Carolina’s favor tonight, as the team tries to extend their home winning streak to 47 games.