On March 31, 2023, the South Carolina Gamecocks took on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four round of the 2023 NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes won the game 77-73 and handed the Gamecocks their first loss of the season.
On April 7, 2024, the Gamecocks and Hawkeyes went head-to-head once again. Only this time, it was in the national championship game. South Carolina got their revenge and won the game 87-75 to become the 2024 National Champions.
This is the third title in the program’s history, and they are the 10th Division I women’s basketball team to
How did Dawn Staley do it?
Dawn Staley lost her entire starting lineup from last season due to them declaring for the WNBA draft. South Carolina was in rebuild mode.
They added two transfers to the roster, Te-Hina Paopao and Sakima Walker. They also added first-year students MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson.
Kamila Cardoso became the team’s starting center after coming off the bench the last two seasons. She emerged as one of the best players in the nation as South Carolina dominated their opponents for the majority of the season.
Staley won her 600th game as a head coach on February 22, 2024, after defeating Alabama 72-44. They also clinched the SEC regular season title for the third straight year.
Not only did they win the regular but they also won the SEC tournament. They entered the NCAA tournament as the number one seed.
South Carolina was the only Division I basketball team for both men and women to finish the regular season undefeated.
One of the reasons why South Carolina has been so dangerous all season is because of their depth. Most college coaches stick to a certain number of players, but not Dawn Staley.
She uses her bench heavily to the point where the bench has more points than the starters. There have been times when South Carolina’s bench has outscored their opponents by themselves.
NCAA Tournament
After defeating their first two opponents with ease, the Gamecocks were tested the rest of the way. They found themselves having to play close games against the likes of Indiana and Oregon State.
They managed to pull out the wins because Dawn Staley does not allow her players to panic when the moment is tough. All she has to do is look at her players and they receive the message loud and clear.
The same message applied in the championship game when they faced a double-digit deficit early in the game against the Hawkeyes. But they settled down, crashed the glass for second-chance opportunities, and capitalized on turnovers to take the lead going into halftime.
The third quarter was the Gamecocks style of basketball. They began the quarter on a 10-0 run (15-2 going back to the end of the second quarter). Iowa answered back with a run of their own before South Carolina went on another to go up double digits.
Iowa did not go away that easily, but the Gamecocks were able to pull away and win. They are the first team ever to win a national championship by 10+ points after being down by 10+ points.
Dawn Staley is now the fifth coach in college women’s basketball to win at least three championships, and the first African American coach ever to accomplish this feat.
Photo Courtesy: @GamecockWBB/X
