Is South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts playing tonight vs CSU? More on Dawn Staley-led Gamecocks’ projected starting lineup

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley declared forward Chloe Kitts will be available to play for its college basketball home opener against the Coppin State Eagles on Thursday.

Staley said everyone, including Kitts, would suit up for the No. 1 Gamecocks against the Eagles. She sat out of South Carolina's win over North Carolina State in Charlotte last Sunday due to an academic policy issue.

The three-time champion coach defended the forward, saying she is proud of her athletic and academic performance. The 6-foot-2 Oviedo, Florida native had a great season opener against Michigan on Nov. 4, tallying a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Without Kitts, Staley designated Joyce Edwards, the No. 2 high school prospect in the Class of 2024, to the starting five. She finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals but had eight turnovers and shot 33.3% from the field.

South Carolina relied on the big games of Te-Hina Paopao and MiLaysia Fulwiley to secure a win over NC State. Paopao led the Gamecocks' offense with 23 points, on 10-of-16 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fulwiley tallied 18 points, three rebounds and one block in 18 minutes of action off the bench. She shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-pointers.

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Projected South Carolina starting five vs. Coppin State with Chloe Kitts coming back from suspension

With Chloe Kitts back after a one-game academic suspension, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley would likely use the starting lineup she arranged for the Hall of Fame Series game against Michigan.

On Thursday, Chloe Kitts would play alongside Sania Feagin, Bree Hall, Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao in the starting five against Coppin State.

There's also a chance that Staley could stick to Edwards or designate Ashlyn Watkins at the starting spot and play Kitts off the bench to team up with MiLaysia Fulwiley and lead the bench mob for the Gamecocks.

With South Carolina's deep lineup, Dawn Staley has the flexibility to adjust her starting five depending on the matchup. Having Edwards in the starting lineup against NC State in place of Chloe Kitts meant she had the opportunity to use Sakima Walker and bring back Ashlyn Watkins off the bench.

Coppin State is 2-1 and is coming off a 74-38 win over St. Francis (PA). Forward Laila Lawrence leads the Eagles' offense with averages of 18.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Lawrence is backed by guards Angel Jones and Tiffany Hammond, who have produced double-figure averages for Coppin State. Jones averaged 13.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.3 spg, while Hammond has 10.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 1.3 spg.

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Will South Carolina use a different starting five against Coppin State despite Chloe Kitts coming back from a one-game suspension? Let us know your views in the comments section.