Will South Carolina still be undefeated after playing Duke, Texas or UCLA? Our prediction

COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball will have its second ranked matchup of the season and first top 5 game.

The No. 2 Gamecocks (6-0) are participating in the Players Era Championship tournament in Las Vegas, which begins with a game against Duke on Nov. 26 (4:30 p.m. ET, TruTV). The Blue Devils (3-3) were No. 8 in preseason rankings but have since fallen out of the Top 25.

No. 3 UCLA plays Nov. 4 Texas in the first game at 2 p.m. ET (TruTV).

The winners of those games play Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET and the losers play at 10:30 p.m. Dawn Staley's Gamecocks lost to only three teams last year: UConn, UCLA and Texas.

Here's what to know about the teams South Carolina will face.

Duke's Toby Fournier, defense still strong for Blue Devils

Despite the .500 start, Toby Fournier is still thriving for the Blue Devils, as she did last year. The 6-2 forward is averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks.

In the NCAA tournament, Fournier scored 18 points and had six rebounds in the Elite Eight loss to South Carolina. She was a large reason why the Gamecocks only won by four points. It'll be critical to minimize her production especially for Staley's reserves when Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot aren't on the floor.

The Blue Devils struggles are mostly on the offensive side. They are No. 39 in the nation in field goal percentage defense, with teams shooting just 33.9% against them. South Carolina is second, with opponents shooting 27.9%.

The Gamecocks' offense is efficient, scoring 89.6 points so they can't let Duke alter the quality of shots they take.

South Carolina guard defense key vs UCLA's Lauren Betts

In the 2024 loss to UCLA, South Carolina did a fine job guarding 6-7 center Lauren Betts but couldn't also stop the perimeter guard offense. Both Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez are averaging 14 points, and Gianna Kneepkens adds a new layer.

Kneepkens came from Utah out of the portal after she shot 50.4% from the floor, 44.8% from the field and 89% from the free throw line. She's averaging 12.7 points, and two made 3-pointers a game for the Bruins (6-0).

Betts is potentially the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. She's averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. Last year Staley had nobody close to Betts' height but now she has Okot, a 6-6 center averaging 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Staley will need foul-free defense and dominance in the paint from Okot.

Will South Carolina beat Texas for 4th time in calendar year?

Texas played South Carolina four times in 2025, two in the regular season and twice in the postseason. Texas won 66-62 in Austin on Feb. 9, the second of the home-and-home.

In the SEC tournament championship and Final Four, South Carolina won by 19 and 17, eliminating the production of star forward and reigning SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker.

Booker is a dynamic player who creates her own offense with ease, now averaging 17 points for the Longhorns (5-0). Bree Hall's defense caused Booker's lack of success against the Gamecocks but now it might be Tessa Johnson's turn.

Raven Johnson is Staley's best defender but she might start on point guard Rori Harmon. Either way, taking away the options Booker has around her and forcing her into off-balance, uncomfortable shots is key.

South Carolina prediction for Players Era Championship

South Carolina will beat Duke and UCLA will beat Texas, setting up a rematch from the 2024 game. With a more dominant offense and Okot's height, things will go the Gamecocks' way this year

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley, South Carolina in Players Era Championship predictions