This is a look at the characters in Cockpit during the second-half of South Carolina vs Ole Miss action on Thursday, January 27, 2022 in Colonial Life Arena.
Ole Miss head women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuinWas disappointed by how the Rebels, newly ranked No. 24 within the AP Top 25 played in their 29 point loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Wednesday
McPhee McCuin mentioned that the Gamecocks’ on-court dominance was not the only reason for their success. He also highlighted the importance of the Colonial Life Arena atmosphere.
McPhee McCuin stated that she was curious about how her players would react to the Gamecocks home court atmosphere, where women’s basketball attendance has been at its highest for seven years straight.
She realized after the game that the Rebels were not ready.
McPhee McCuin stated after the game that she believed the atmosphere had completely shell-shocked some players. We hadn’t seen an atmosphere like South Carolina Dawn (Staley), Dawn (Staley) and her team had created.
South Carolina is currently leading the nation in attendance, with a record-breaking attendance on Thursday. The Ole Miss game at Colonial Life Arena was attended by 13,973 people, even though it wasn’t intended to be a matchup against the Rebels.
Up until Sunday night, a ticket was assigned for South Carolina women’s basketball Thursday for a matchup against UConn. USC announced Sunday that UConn would be replaced by the makeup game for an Ole Miss matchup postponed Jan. 2.
McPhee McCuin praised Colonial Life Arena’s environment after the Rebels defeat. McPhee MacCuin said she hoped to create an Ole Miss home-court advantage similar as that of her program.
McPhee McCuin stated that even though she wasn’t sure how Rebels would respond to hostile road conditions, she was still shocked at how poorly Ole Miss performed.
McPhee McCuin stated that she didn’t expect us to lay an egg, as it was a white-out. It was exactly what happened.
South Carolina’s next game is at Florida on Sunday, at noon. SEC Network will televise the game. The next home game for USC is against Alabama on Thursday, February 3.
This story was originally published in January 27, 2022, 9:40 PM
Augusta Stone is a South Carolina Gamecocks woman’s basketball, football, and other college sports reporter for The State. Stone was awarded the Society of Professional Journalists’ Green Eyeshade Award. Her work has been published in Sports Illustrated and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Stone graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree as a journalist.
