The South Carolina women’s basketball program suffers another setback in its national title defense.
South Carolina, the No. 2 ranked team in the country, announced that reserve forward Ashlynn Watkins is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. In their announcement, South Carolina said that Watkins will have surgery to repair the ligament in her left knee in the coming weeks.
“Not often that we’ve had injuries like this one, and unfortunately, Ashlyn’s out for the rest of the season,” USC coach Dawn Staley said Tuesday night on her Carolina Calls call-in show. “I know her sisters will rally around her injury and know she’ll be sorely missed. But I know Ashlyn would want us to go on and compete and try to win another national championship.”
Watkins, a 2023-24 all-SEC second-team selection, suffered the injury in the second quarter of South Carolina’s 95-68 win over Mississippi State on Sunday. According to Lulu Kessin of the Greenville News, Watkins was going for a layup and appeared to injure her leg when she landed awkwardly and fell to the ground. Kressin added that Watkins needed assistance from the Gamecock training staff and couldn’t put weight on her leg as she headed to the locker room.
How No. 2 Ranked South Carolina Replaces Injured All-SEC Performer and Plus, Gamecocks Receive Good News On Previously Injured Player
Watkins is the third Gamecock player to miss significant time this season. She joins senior Sakima Walker and freshman guard Maddy McDaniel on the sidelines. However, Watkins is easily the most impactful and talented player of the trio. How do the Gamecocks replace the athletic 6-3 junior’s production and defense?
Watkins has been a force in the paint and glass department for South Carolina, which enters its home game on Thursday against Texas A&M on a nine-game winning streak. But she struggled a little bit on and off the court this year, being suspended for the season opener.
Still, Watkins was the Gamecocks top defensive player and one of the top shot-blockers in the SEC at 1.9 a game. Watkins finishes the season with 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds (2.3 offensive), and 1.3 steals in only 18.9 minutes a game. She registered two double-doubles and scored in double-figures four times.
USC Depth and Experience
While the loss of Watkins hurts the Gamecocks, USC remains the favorite to win the SEC and a viable NCAA title contender. A big reason is due to the Gamecock’s depth and experience. The Gamecocks have 10 players averaging at least 16 minutes a game, and they have returned over 80% of their scoring from last year’s national title squad. 2024 WNBA No. 3 overall pick Kamilla Cardoso and Sahnya Jah, who transferred to Arizona, were the players who didn’t return.
South Carolina is one of the top teams in the nation, ranking in the top 25 in scoring (82.5) and scoring defense (55.3). Moreover, USC is the ninth most efficient offensive team, as the Gamecocks don’t turn the ball over. They are also 28th in defensive rating, limiting their opponents to 35.3% from the field, including just on two-point attempts.
Fifth-year guard Te-Hina Paopao, named to the NCAA Mid-Season Wooden Award Top-25, leads 10 players in double-figures at 11.6 points a game. She averages 1.9 threes with a shooting slash line of 49/42.6/62.5. She has scored in double-figures 10 times.
Options For Staley To Fill Watkins 18 Minutes a Game
Bree Hall, Raven Johnson, and Paopao comprise the Gamecocks’ starting backcourt. Meanwhile, Sania Feagin and Chloe Fitts start in the frontcourt. However, the USC frontcourt duo combines to play just 35 minutes a game.
That left Watkins and freshman Joyce Edwards to fill most of the remaining frontcourt minutes with a sprinkle of Arkansas transfer Maryam Dauda. So, Stahley has some decisions to make. She can shorten her rotation by giving her starters more minutes, which seems the likeliest scenario, given that all her starters play low minutes.
If Staley does replace Watkins’ minutes by tightening her rotation, Kitts and Edwards seem the most likely to see an uptick in minutes. Kitts is the team’s leading rebounder and is immensely talented. She has recorded four double-doubles while averaging 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.
However, Edwards arguably has more upside, particularly on the defensive end. Edwards, the National Player of the Year Award winner in 2024, has scored in double figures nine times and posted one double-double. She averages 10.8 points, 4.7 boards, and 1.5 steals.
In USC’s season-opening win over Michigan with Watkins out, Kitts played 31 minutes, and Edwards saw 29 minutes of action. Feagin has also hit the 30-minute mark once this year. The 6-3 forward has also gone over 20 minutes on two other occasions, though she seems at her best in short spurts.
Other Options
Perhaps the likeliest player to see an increase in playing time is Raven Johnson. Johnson, who has struggled a bit this season, is a tough-nosed 5-8 guard who is not afraid to mix things up inside or hit the glass. She has reached the 30-minute mark three times and led the program in minutes a season ago.
If Staley decides to use Raven Johnson at the four while keeping her other starters’ minutes relatively the same, USC would have a relatively small lineup. Kitts or Edwards figure to play the five in this scenario.
If that is the case, 5-10 sophomore guard Milaysia Fulwiley and 6-1 sophomore Tessa Johnson would figure to see more court time. Johnson seems like a logical choice of the two, as she would give the Gamecocks another shooter on the floor. However, in going with Johnson over Fulwiley, Staley would be sacrificing a little offense at the expense of rebounding and defense.
The last option would be for Staley to give Dauda more run. Dauda has seen sparse action, with most of her time coming against Coppin State (16) and Wofford (10).
However, the 6-4 junior forward had a pretty good season with the Razorbacks in 2023-24. She compiled 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 45.5/31.9/75.6.
Injury and Standing Updates
Six SEC teams have one or fewer losses on the season, and five are unbeaten in conference play. LSU leads the way at 17-0. Meanwhile, Alabama, Texas, and Kentucky join South Carolina as teams undefeated in conference play and once lost overall.
After hosting Texas A&M on Thursday, the Gamecocks face five straight ranked squads. USC faces No. 5 Texas, No. 18 Alabama, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 6 LSU, and No. 16 Tennessee.
According to Wednesday’s SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report, Walker will be available versus Texas A&M tomorrow evening. However, McDaniel remains out.
McDaniel has been out since December 20 with a concussion. She averages 5.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals with shooting splits of 50/100/50 in 17 minutes of action.
Walker, the daughter of former NBA player Samaki Walker, has been dealing with an ankle injury since November 29. The 6-4 center, who played less than eight minutes in 31 appearances a year ago, has been out of the medical boot and practicing for a week. She has played a total of 31 minutes in six appearances this year.
