Head coach Dawn Staley isn’t worried about the South Carolina Gamecocks having a chip on their shoulder.
The Gamecocks are preparing for the 2025 NCAA Women’s Tournament, coming off their championship win in the SEC Tournament. Staley discussed why the Gamecocks still didn’t get the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket despite their competitive schedule in an interview on ESPN.
“I’m a little bit surprised because we manufactured our schedule to be the No. 1 overall seed. … It’s hard enough to win a national championship, we don’t need a chip on our shoulder,” Staley said.
“I’m a little bit surprised because we manufactued our schedule to be the No. 1 overall seed. … It’s hard enough to win a national championship, we don’t need a chip on our shoulder.”
—Dawn Staley discussed South Carolina not getting the No. 1 overall seed with @sportsiren pic.twitter.com/ck6WUPf66C
— espnW (@espnW) March 17, 2025
What lies ahead for Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Not getting the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Tournament may be a bummer for Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite that, that shouldn’t stop them from competing for their second straight national championship.
The NCAA Tournament committee named the Gamecocks as the 1-seed in the Birmingham 2 Regional bracket. They will host the first two games at Colonial Life Arena on March 21 and 23.
South Carolina enters the tournament with a 30-3 overall record, going 15-1 in SEC Play. They average 80.5 points on 46.5% shooting from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc. As a result, they blow out opponents by a margin of 22.7 points per game.
Joyce Edwards leads the team in scoring with numbers of 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. MiLaysia Fulwiley comes next with 12 points and three rebounds, Chloe Kitts puts up 10.1 points and 7.9 rebounds, while Te-Hina Paopao provides 9.8 points and three assists.
Rolling with a seven-game win streak, the Gamecocks will prepare for their matchup in the first round. They host the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on March 21 at 4 p.m. ET.
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