This week in the SEC: South Carolina looks to regroup in Vancouver after falling out of the AP top 10

No. 11 South Carolina was pushed out of the top 10 in RPI and AP rankings. The Gamecocks had maintained a spot in the AP top 10 for 89 weeks prior to the Maryland Terrapins’ dominant win on Sunday, Nov. 18, which — to the likely dismay of the Gamecocks — earned the Terrapins Big Ten Team of the Week honors.

Following the 85-61 blowout, South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley sounded a bit measured in assessing her team’s goals for the season, but she also promised improvement. “We are going to coach our kids up and try to get back in [the top 10],” Staley said. “Not to say that’s what we’re shooting for. But we are going to get better. We’re going to get more disciplined. We are going to give people a much better game than we gave Maryland tonight.”

Lucky for the Gamecocks, they will have a chance to regroup on Thanksgiving Day at the Vancouver Showcase. Against unranked and 0-4 East Tennessee State, South Carolina will come out swinging and seize on its lesser opponent, with hopes of securing a confidence-restoring win.

Game information

When: Thursday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia

How to watch: Live streaming and Live stats

For complete Vancouver Showcase bracket information, click here.

Elsewhere in the SEC

No. 6 Mississippi State’s Anriel Howard is the Week 2 SEC Player of the Week! Her double-double average for the season is helping the Bulldogs to demolish their opponents. Last time out, Howard scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds against Coppin State, and she scored 11 of those points in the first half — helping the Bulldogs to a 64-point first-half lead and a 110-38 point victory.

On Wednesday, Nov. 21, Mississippi State faces Furman at home, with an 8 p.m. ET tipoff. The game is televised on SEC Network Plus. The Bulldogs also play on Saturday.

The Week 2 SEC Freshman of the Week is Ole Miss Rebel Mimi Reid. Reid averaged an impressive triple-double across two games: 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Congrats, frosh!

SEC in action paradise

A few lucky teams will celebrate Thanksgiving weekend in paradise, specifically, the Kentucky Wildcats and Ole Miss Rebels — the SEC representatives competing in the Paradise Jam. Kentucky is in the Island Tournament and Ole Miss is in the Reed Tournament, with both teams starting their respective tournaments against big opponents.

The Wildcats and Rebels open their Paradise Jam play on Thursday, Nov. 22, in the following games:

Kentucky Wildcats (4-0) vs. No. 17 South Florida Bulls (4-0)

Island Tournament

When: Thursday, Nov. 22, at 2:00 p.m. ET

Where: Sport and Fitness Center, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

How to watch: FloHoops (paid subscription)

Note: Either the Wildcats or Bulls will be handed their first loss of the season on Thanksgiving. With both teams standing atop their respective conferences (the Bulls are in the American Athletic Conference) and looking to make a resurgence of sorts, this game should be competitive. Defense has been key to Kentucky’s wins this season, so the Wildcats will be looking to force a lot of turnovers. Meanwhile, South Florida will be adjusting to life without Kitija Laksa of Latvia, who is done for the season, with a torn ACL and meniscus.

Ole Miss Rebels (3-1) vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies (2-0)

Reef Tournament

When: Thursday, Nov. 22, at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Sport and Fitness Center, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

How to watch: FloHoops (paid subscription)

Note: The Huskies should be fresh-legged and ready to compete entering this one, having played only two games so far this season. But the Rebels are coming off of a strong week in which Mimi Reid was named SEC Freshman of the Week, thanks to a triple-double average. It will be interesting to see if the Rebels can ride this momentum toward a contentious meeting with UConn.

For complete Paradise Jam bracket information, click here.

Roundup of results

Here’s a look at recent wins and losses:

On Sunday, Nov. 18:

• No. 9 Tennessee got its third win of the season to stay perfect, while sending Florida A&M to 0-3.
• Northwestern handed Florida its fourth straight loss to start the season while picking up its fourth consecutive win. The Gators lost by only nine points, however, in overtime. With Funda Nakkasoglu dropping 26 points and this otherwise being a close game, what will it take for the Gators to get a win?
• Georgia is 2-2 on the season following a loss to Georgia Tech.
• LSU improved to 3-1 with a 13-point win over Florida State.
• Mississippi State stayed perfect with a 110-38 win over Coppin State. Star center Teaira McCowan scored 23 points in the win, and Anriel Howard’s double-double average in the second week of play won her the SEC Player of the Week award. The Bulldogs have a light weekend slate of games, free of tournament travel.
• Arizona State handed Arkansas its first loss of the season, dropping the Razorbacks to 2-1. It was a close game, with Arkansas losing by just three points.

On Monday, Nov. 19:

• Mizzou clenched a dominant win against SIU-Edwardsville, with junior guard Sophie Cunningham’s 14-point and 12-rebound double-double integral in the 59-36 victory.
• Alabama improved to 3-1 on the season with a 20-point win over Clemson. Cierra Johnson put up a career-high 24 points, with three other Crimson Tide players scoring in double figures.

On Tuesday, Nov. 20:

• Texas A&M improved to 3-1 with a 61-40 win over Little Rock.

More SEC scoring information can be found here.

Click here for more on SEC women’s basketball.