What to know about tonight’s South Carolina vs. Memphis WBB exhibition game

For the first time in 191 days, South Carolina women’s basketball has a game this week.

The reigning national champion Gamecocks travel to Tennessee, where they’ll take on the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum Tuesday night in a preseason exhibition.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup, including USC’s confirmed starting five, where to stream the game and which other players will be available to play:

Testing out a new(ish) starting five, different lineups

Staley confirmed the Gamecocks’ starting lineup for Tuesday night’s exhibition game.

Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin will take the court together to kick off the preseason, USC’s coach told reporters Monday in a post-practice interview.

Staley said the starting lineup could change between now and South Carolina’s season opener Nov. 4 versus Michigan and from game to game thereafter. But Tuesday provides a welcome opportunity for Staley and her team to test out different combinations of last season’s stalwarts and this season’s newcomers.

Johnson, Paopao, Hall and Kitts started nearly every game together for USC in 2023-24. Feagin, now a senior, takes over 2024 WNBA first-round draft pick Kamilla Cardoso’s role. Feagin won gold and MVP at the 2024 U23 3x3 World Cup in Mongolia last month.

After them, Staley will have to figure out where to slide in All-Final Four Team member Tessa Johnson and SEC Tournament Player of the Year MiLaysia Fulwiley along with freshman Joyce Edwards (ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2024), 6-foot-5 Sakima Walker and Arkansas transfer Maryam Dauda.

The Gamecocks will be without freshman Maddy McDaniel, Staley said Monday, though she will “be ready to rock and roll, hopefully, by the time we play Clayton State” for an exhibition game at Colonial Life Arena on Oct. 28. McDaniel had surgery to remove scar tissue from her knee, a source familiar with the situation told The State, and should be able to return to practice in two to three weeks.

Redshirt freshman Adhel Tac, who enrolled at South Carolina in January after sustaining a season-ending knee injury last fall, has been “full go” Staley said. But, Staley added, “don’t know how many minutes she’ll play in Memphis, if she even will play.”

Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins has been suspended from team activities since her Aug. 31 arrest on charges of assault and kidnapping. Staley said Watkins’ suspension was still in place when practice for the 2024-25 season began late last month, adding that “we’re not gonna move until her situation’s settled down a little bit. It’s out of her control. It’s out of our control.” Staley did not otherwise provide a potential timeline for Watkins’ return.

Assessing South Carolina’s potential in the post

Since the A’ja Wilson era (2014-18), the Gamecocks have always had a go-to post player. First it was the homegrown Naismith Player of the Year, then four-year starter Aliyah Boston, then — most recently — the 6-foot-7 Cardoso.

This year, though, that player has yet to make themselves known.

“They’re working towards it,” Staley said of her current group. “But until we get somebody that’s going to come out and be that focal point, we’re going to have to do it as a as a unit.”

When reviewing the personnel she has at the four and the five spots, Staley mentioned Walker, Feagin, Kitts, Dauda and Tac. Edwards (ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2024) could also play the four and is listed as a forward on USC’s roster. But Edwards is so versatile that she could also serve as a point-forward for the Gamecocks. It’s all still to be determined.

Regardless, Staley said Walker (who averaged 7.5 minutes per game off the bench in 2023-24) looks “much better,” as does Feagin. Dauda, who shot 31.9% from three last season and averaged just under one triple per game, “brings a different dimension to our team,” Staley said. Kitts looks to be “in midseason form.”

Tuesday will be their first test against competition outside of their own practice players, whom Staley refers to as “the Highlighters” because of their neon yellow shirts.

Good game, great cause

Tuesday’s exhibition is part of the inaugural Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic. USC-Memphis is the second game of a double-header also featuring Memphis-North Carolina men’s basketball in an effort to raise money for the children’s research hospital.

One-hundred percent of proceeds from ticket sales will go toward St. Jude, while fans can also support by donating directly to St. Jude through Oct. 19 at this link.

How to watch South Carolina vs. Memphis exhibition

Who: South Carolina vs. Memphis

When: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.

Where: FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee

TV/Stream: ESPN+ (log-in required)