How to watch No. 4 seed South Carolina (21-9) vs. No. 13 seed Belmont (26-6)
March 22, 2019
CHARLOTTE, NC: First round of the NCAA tournament
Who: No. 4 seed South Carolina (21-9) vs. No. 13 seed Belmont (26-6)
When: 1:45 p.m., Friday, March 22
Where: Halton Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
At stake: Winner plays the winner of No. 5 seed Florida State and No. 12 seed Bucknell on Sunday, with the time to be determined.
Projected South Carolina starters: Junior guard Tyasha Harris, junior guard Te’a Cooper, senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore, junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, senior forward Alexis Jennings
Projected Belmont starters: Senior guard Darby Maggard, senior guard Jenny Roy, junior guard Maura Muensterman, junior forward Maddie Wright, junior forward Ellie Harmeyer
Key player: Freshman forward Victaria Saxton missed South Carolina’s SEC tournament loss because of to a death in her family, and she “could have been a difference-maker,” coach Dawn Staley said. It’s easy to see why — Saxton’s role has increased throughout the season as she provides a positive spark off the bench.
Against a smaller Belmont team, Saxton and her fellow forwards will have plenty of opportunities to score in the paint on offense. On defense, Saxton has length and energy and will likely be tasked with ranging out to the perimeter to deny 3-point shots and stop dribble drives off the pick-and-roll.
Key stat: Belmont takes lost of 3-pointers — only three teams in the country attempt or make more shots from long distance than the Bruins, and the Gamecocks rank 147th in the NCAA in 3-point defense.
When opponents have shot 33 percent or better from 3-point range this season, the Gamecocks are 6-8, and Belmont averages 35.9 percent on the season. Senior guard Darby Maggard leads the way and is in the top 15 nationally in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers attempted and 3-pointers per game.
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