“No team has deserved to lose more based on a single play.”
South Carolina’s top-ranked women’s ba,sketball narrowly team kept its perfect season alive in the SEC Tournament semifinal against Tennessee. Kamilla Cardoso hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Gamecocks a 74-73 win.
Following the game, a common question popped up. Where was the defense? And it’s a fair question. Trailing 73-71, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson inbounded the ball from midcourt. Tennessee seemed more concerned about the Gamecocks possibly getting a game-tying two, as two Volunteers were lined up in the and under the hoop.
Cardoso, meanwhile, lined up at the free-throw line, without anyone close to her. Johnson inbounded the ball to Cardoso, who caught it just inside of the three-point line. Without any Tennessee defenders even running toward her, she stepped back and made a wide-open three, banking it off of the glass.
While Cardoso made a great shot, it’s also hard to ignore that the Volunteers made it as easy as possible for her. And on that note, Tennessee’s defensive strategy was widely panned.
It’s worth mentioning, of course, that Cardoso is not known as a shooter. She’s a 6-foot-7 center, had never had only tried one and had made three throughout her time at college. It’s not quite the same as giving Caitlin Clark the runaround. Nevertheless, place someone on Cardoso even if you don’t put your best defender on her. It’s not enough to simply leave someone unguarded for a routine three-point shot. Put some pressure on her and force her to rush her shot, at the very least. She isn’t a gunman. Why wait for her to settle in?
When a team is leading by four points, their defense should be what you would expect to see, even if they give up a three-pointer that could result in a foul and a four-point play. It’s difficult to figure out up two.
