South Carolina Shines Without Watkins

The defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks have proven that they are still a force to be reckoned with, even without junior forward Ashlyn Watkins. Watkins, who averaged 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.9 blocks in the 14 games she played this season, suffered a season-ending knee injury on January 5. Since then, the Gamecocks have won four in a row, three against ranked opponents. They punished Texas (67-50) and Oklahoma (101-60), two top-10 teams. And in dismantling the Sooners on January 19, South Carolina reached the century mark for the first time this season and likely played its best overall game of 2024-25. South Carolina remains No. 2 in ESPN's Women's College Basketball Power Rankings and looks strong heading into what could be two of its toughest tests in the SEC. South Carolina hosts LSU on Thursday (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET) and then travels to Tennessee on Monday (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET). Coach Dawn Staley said Watkins brought shot-blocking, defense, rebounding, scoring and an intense competitive presence. But then Staley talked about how the rest of the Gamecocks have made the most of the extra playing time with Watkins out. "Yes, we feel sorry for Ash and her not being with us," Staley said. "But do we have the utmost confidence in the people who are left? Absolutely." Freshman star Joyce Edwards, who leads South Carolina in scoring at 12.1 points per game despite coming off the bench, has been a revelation for the Gamecocks. Edwards is a 6-foot-3 post player who glides up and down the court and is shooting 56.6% from the field. Against the Sooners, she had 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. "Joyce's work ethic is unmatched," Staley said. "It's borderline too much. She's just driven, and she only knows one way. I've wanted her not to be in the gym so much, but that's her makeup." MiLaysia Fulwiley (11.2, 2.9), who had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists against the Sooners, is another reserve guard, but she has been a highlight-reel player since her freshman season in 2023-24. "I like playing good because it motivates me to play even better," Fulwiley said. "As a team, we never pout when we don't play good. I think the love we have for each other is going to get us through these tough games we have this week." The Gamecocks' depth is still championship level even without Watkins. That depth might cost the Gamecocks major individual awards, Staley said, but they accept the trade-off for team success. "We sacrifice SEC player of the week, having a national player of the year candidate, possibly some All-American [honors]," Staley said. "But this team is really just locked into the ultimate goal of winning and doing it for each other. [We're] doing things that promote great basketball. We want to be a great product."