No. 1 South Carolina battles No. 2 UConn: What to watch for in Atlantis finals

No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball’s annual meeting with No. 2 UConn moved up two months.

With both teams advancing to the inaugural Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis championship game Monday, the nation’s top two programs will face off at a neutral site in Paradise Island, Bahamas — they’ll still play their already-scheduled matchup Jan. 27 at Colonial Life Arena.

The first South Carolina-UConn game of the 2021-22 season tips off noon Monday on ESPN, having been previously scheduled for an ESPN2 broadcast.

Head coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks advanced to the championship with a win over Buffalo on Saturday and No. 9 Oregon on Sunday. UConn defeated Minnesota and No. 23 South Florida on its way to the finale.

South Carolina is guaranteed to face Geno Auriemma’s Huskies twice in the regular season for the first time in the series’ history. The two have met annually since the 2014-15 season and clashed in the 2018 NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight round.

The Gamecocks lost an overtime thriller to UConn last season, when star Huskies guard Paige Bueckers scored all of her team’s 9 overtime points in a 63-59 UConn victory. South Carolina and UConn entered that game ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, the same as this year.

Here’s what you need to know before this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis championship.

Staley’s keys to Gamecocks win vs. UConn

Dawn Staley said her main focus points ahead of Monday’s game will be limiting turnovers, executing adjustments and committing to defense.

South Carolina averages 17.8 turnovers through its first five games of the 2021-22 season, and it’s a mark Staley has been monitoring since the Gamecocks turned the ball over 34 times in their first two games.

USC committed 22 turnovers in its tournament-opening win over Buffalo on Saturday, with Staley saying after the game that number made her “cringe.” The Gamecocks turned it over 16 times against Oregon on Sunday.

The Gamecocks are averaging 76.4 points a game and holding opponents to 53.2. UConn has averaged 81 points through its first three games, allowing opponents 63.7.

Staley is optimistic about the Gamecocks’ offensive progress, saying she believes they’re better now than they were the last time South Carolina defeated UConn in 2020.

“If there’s anything that we’re bringing, it’s probably a better defensive team,” Staley said. “We’ve got to stay committed to that. I think from an offensive standpoint, we are far much further along than we have ever been when we’ve played them.”

Power in the post

South Carolina’s road to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship ran through its post players. Gamecock center Kamilla Cardoso and forwards Aliyah Boston and Laeticia Amihere contributed valuable minutes in USC’s first two wins against Buffalo and Oregon.

Boston dominated in South Carolina’s 88-60 win over Buffalo behind a season-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Cardoso earned her first double-double as a Gamecock with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulls.

Amihere played a key role off the bench in the Gamecocks’ 80-63 rout of Oregon, scoring a career-high 18 points. She also tallied two steals against the Ducks.

“We’re at a place where (Amihere) knows we count on her,” Staley said. “She plays with grit. She plays with toughness. She doesn’t back down from anybody. She’s one that will go to war, and you’re just seeing the statistics come behind all of that play.”

USC vs. UConn in NCAA women’s basketball landscape

Staley knew the type of competition that would be in store in the Bahamas.

The Battle 4 Atlantis field included four AP top-25 teams, three of which landed within the top 10. Staley said she believed the Gamecocks, which played Buffalo and No. 9 Oregon on their way to the championship, had the most challenging road to the finale, but she liked having the chance to gauge her team before facing UConn.

“I think all the teams that committed to coming here knew what we were signing up for,” Staley said. “(We) knew that we were going to get an opportunity to measure ourselves and grow the game.”

The Bahamas games weren’t the only ranked contests happening in the NCAA women’s basketball landscape in the weekend before Thanksgiving.

On Sunday alone, No. 3 Maryland etched out a close win over No. 6 Baylor. No. 16 Tennessee defeated No. 12 Texas, which had just upset reigning champion No. 7 Stanford.

“There are a lot of great matchups in women’s basketball in the non-conference, and these are the stories that should be written,” Staley said. “There’s a lot that’s going on in our game, and we just gotta push it.”

How to watch South Carolina vs. UConn

Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (5-0) vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies (3-0)

When: Noon Monday

Where: Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas

Watch: ESPN