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UNC Asheville-South Carolina Preview (Mar 14, 2017)
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley did a lot of complaining when her top-seeded team was placed in the Stockton Regional, meaning a 2,600-mile trip for the Sweet 16 is on the horizon if the Gamecocks aren't upset in the first two rounds.
But the real bad news was delivered on Tuesday.
Gamecocks senior center Alaina Coates has been ruled out for the NCAA Tournament with an ankle injury, and that leaves third-ranked South Carolina without a key cog.
South Carolina (27-4) opens play at home against 16th-seeded UNC Asheville (19-14) on Friday in what shouldn't be much of a test. But advancing deep in the festivities becomes harder without the 6-foot-4 Coates, a two-time All-SEC first-team performer who shot 67 percent from the field while averaging 12.9 points and a team-best 10.7 rebounds.
Coates, who ranks second in school history with 1,230 career rebounds, originally injured the right ankle in a game against Missouri on Feb. 19. She reinjured it in the SEC tourney semifinals against Kentucky on March 4 and her status was kept hush-hush until after the bracket was announced.
South Carolina will look for even more production from its three double-digit scorers. Junior forward A'ja Wilson averages 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, junior guard Allisha Gray averages 12.5 points and junior guard Kaela Davis has drained a team-best 50 3-pointers while averaging 12.2 points.
Meanwhile, Staley was irate at what she perceived as a slight to her program with the location of what would be the team's third and fourth games of the tournament.
Staley felt the Gamecocks should have been sent to Lexington, Ky., or Oklahoma City instead of being shipped out West.
"I'm very disappointed," Staley said. "We're always the team, as a No. 1 seed, having to fly across two or three time zones. I'm not going to say it's not fair, but they have to figure out a different way, especially when we played ourselves into that (third) No. 1 seed."
UNC Asheville isn't offering any complaints, even though it has to play South Carolina on the Gamecocks' home floor.
The Bulldogs will make the 158-mile trip down to Columbia S.C., just happy to be part of the festivities. UNC Asheville won eight of its last nine games and swept through the Big South tournament as a No. 7 seed to reach the NCAA field for the second straight season and third time in school history.
"We're extremely privileged and blessed to be in this situation and I think our confidence will help," Bulldogs coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick said. "I also think our experience last year of having to go to Kentucky (an 85-31 loss), another SEC opponent, will be beneficial."
Senior guard Chatori Major paces Asheville with a 13.9 average and has knocked down 76 3-pointers. Junior guard Khaila Webb (10.7) and senior guard Tianna Knuckles (10.4) also average in double digits.
Senior center KJ Weaver contributes 8.8 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds.
The winner plays either No. 8 Arizona State or No. 9 Michigan State on Sunday.
