Fresh off its First Four win over Samford, Southern understands the challenge that awaits it against South Carolina.
“I’m excited to continue to show how much heart we put into the season,” Tate said on Friday. “Me and my teammates, we worked for it. Like you said, a couple of us do have some experience with playing these games inside the tournament so we’re looking forward to going out tomorrow and having fun and showing how much work we put in.”
That work has already been translated into a rare company. Southern’s back-to-back First Four victories have put the Jaguars in a position that eludes plenty of programs, a point not lost on Tate as she reflected on what consecutive NCAA Tournament wins say about the standard inside the program.
“ think it shows how great Southern is, from the coaching staff and the people they recruit, my teammates, everybody,” she said. “We work hard. We worked for this. It just goes to show how much hard work we put in and that we want this bad. And like you said, it’s hard to win a championship as it is so I think that to go back-to-back is really special and it shows how special of a group we are.”
Southern’s approach isn’t changing against South Carolina
Now comes the tallest task yet: Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks. Southern will again enter as a 16 seed facing the sport’s gold standard, a matchup that on paper fits the familiar David-versus-Goliath script when the teams meet at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. Inside the Jaguars’ locker room, though, the focus is less on South Carolina’s ranking and more on playing to a standard Southern has carried all season.
“I think we do understand what kind of game we are going into,” Tate said. “We prepare for it like any other game. We scout like we usually do. Watch film. But I think the biggest thing is just to go hard. Go out there and play like it’s our last game. Play as hard as we can. Most importantly, have fun. Have fun with my teammates and be coachable, continue to be coachable and just do what we do in every other game.”
D’Shantae Edwards echoed that approach, refusing to concede anything simply because the Gamecocks’ front line towers over most opponents.
“You’re going to go into this game like any other game, learning how to scout, listen to what our coaches have to say, what their game plan is and try to execute that game plan and like Joce said, playing hard,” Edwards said. “Because this is like no other game. They tie their shoes the same way we tie our shoes.”
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Matching up with South Carolina’s length will require adjustments, particularly around the rim and on the glass. Edwards said that means understanding where opportunities actually are, not where they usually might be.
For Tate, the answer is leaning into what has carried Southern this far. The Jaguars’ guards can pressure, they can run, and they believe they can still force the game to be played on their terms.
Southern forced 19 turnovers that led to 20 points on the extra possessions against Samford.
“I think we should work to our strengths. Do what we do well. We’re here for a reason. Yeah, continue to play how we play and I think we have some advantages, so just use them to our strengths.”
Jaguars will be prepared against the mighty Gamecocks
Head coach Carlos Funchess, who has now steered Southern to multiple NCAA trips and postseason wins, said the message to his team does not change simply because the name on the other jersey is South Carolina.
“We just formulate a game plan,” Funchess said. “We work extremely hard trying to make sure they’re prepped for these games. You go out and try to execute your game plan. Regardless of who the opponent is, we prepare for each and every game, whether it’s an NCAA Tournament game or a regular season game, we prepare the same way each and every day.”
