On the very first possession of final season’s Remaining 4 matchup between Iowa and South Carolina, the Hawkeyes arrange in a triangle-and-two to pack the paint towards the larger, extra athletic Gamecocks. They continued in that vein all evening lengthy, daring the Gamecocks to make open 3-pointers. 

At one level, Caitlin Clark merely gave Raven Johnson a dismissive wave from 10 ft away as a substitute of guarding her on the prime of the important thing. Johnson refused to shoot and the possession finally resulted in a turnover. The Gamecocks completed the sport 4-of-20 from behind the arc in a four-point loss. 

When the 2 groups meet once more within the nationwide championship recreation Sunday in Cleveland, you may anticipate extra of the identical from the Hawkeyes. 6-foot-2 Hannah Stuelke is the lone starter over six ft, and seldom-used Addison O’Grady (6-foot-4) is the one taller choice that sees any minutes. They merely do not have the dimensions to protect Kamilla Cardoso one-on-one and can subsequently must play in depth stretches of zone. 

The onus will once more be on the Gamecocks to make them pay, and Johnson and Co. have been making ready all yr for this state of affairs. 

“I believe final yr was one of the best factor that ever occurred to me,” Johnson mentioned throughout her press convention Saturday. “Lots of people most likely could not deal with what occurred to me. I believe it made me higher, it bought me within the fitness center to work on my weak point, which is 3-point capturing. I believe I am exhibiting that I can shoot the ball.” 

After capturing 24.1% from downtown final season, Johnson improved to 36.8% on this marketing campaign, and the Gamecocks adopted swimsuit. This is a take a look at their general per-game 3-point capturing splits over the previous two seasons. 

2022-23 (Rank)	4.4 (305th)	14.2 (332nd)	31.0 (173rd)
2023-24 (Rank)	6.6 (one hundred and twentieth)	16.8 (260th)	39.5 (third)

Whereas the Gamecocks nonetheless choose to function inside-out, they’re much extra ready to make you pay if you happen to depart them open this season. Nothing makes that extra clear than their splits on unguarded 3-point makes an attempt. After capturing 32.8% on such seems to be final season, they made 41.1% of them this time round. 

Inner enchancment from the likes of Johnson and Bree Corridor has helped, however the Gamecocks’ new recruits have made the most important affect. Switch Te-Hina Paopao leads the workforce at 46.2% on 5.1 makes an attempt per recreation, and freshman Tessa Johnson (42.7%) and MiLaysia Fulwiley (34.3%) have added much-needed capturing depth. Of the Gamecocks’ top-eight rotation gamers, 5 of them take a minimum of two 3s per recreation, and Fulwiley’s 34.3% mark is the worst of that group. 

We noticed an ideal instance of the Gamecocks’ enhanced offense Friday through the Remaining 4, when NC State switched to a zone late within the third quarter in a determined try to stem an enormous run. The Gamecocks promptly knocked down a couple of 3s to extend their lead and successfully finish the sport. 

Like all workforce, the Gamecocks can go chilly, as we noticed within the Elite Eight once they shot 4-of-20 from the surface towards Oregon State. Typically, although, they’ve dealt with the strain of the match nicely and are 34-of-79 (43.0%) from 3 within the different 4 video games. 

They will must preserve that up Sunday as a result of the zone protection will probably be coming from Iowa. The Hawkeyes have spent 38.3% of their defensive possessions in zone through the match, and that quantity might be even larger within the nationwide championship recreation. Whereas the Hawkeyes will certainly have extra respect for the Gamecocks’ shooters this time, they’re going to give up some 3s to assist on Cardoso and shield the paint. 

If the Gamecocks could make them pay, there is a good likelihood they will win the third nationwide title at school historical past and second in three years. If not, Clark and Co. can have an opportunity to tug off one other upset and elevate the trophy for the primary time.