The college basketball season tips off on Tuesday and there will be few higher profile matchups than the one in Raleigh as top ranked South Carolina squares off with #5–NC State. The Gamecocks are coming off a dominating 98-41 victory over Benedict in their exhibition on November 1st. Meantime, NC State defeated UNC-Pembroke 92-36 in its exhibition matchup last Wednesday. A year ago, NC State beat USC 54-46 in Columbia, as the Gamecocks shot just 27% from the floor and missed seven of eleven free throw attempts.
On Monday, USC head coach Dawn Staley met with the media to preview the matchup with the Wolfpack at 5pm on ESPN television. Staley says her team is fairly healthy with the exception of LeLe Grissett, who is still recovering from a lower leg injury she suffered during last year’s SEC tournament. The veteran head coach also discussed how big of a challenge NC State will be in the season opener.
