Geno Auriemma calls it a mirror; Dawn Staley calls it an edge. As South Carolina and UConn prepare for another high-stakes showdown, one major advantage could decide the outcome. The Gamecocks have dominated this rivalry in recent years—but can Paige Bueckers and the Huskies rewrite the script, or will Staley’s squad prove once again why they’re the team to beat?

According to Matt Dowell on X, Staley spoke about how her team’s veteran presence gives them an upper hand when facing UConn. “Their actions will challenge your defense to be disciplined. If you’ve played them before, you aren’t as amped up to make sure you’re doing the right thing,” she explained.

Auriemma, on the other hand, has been grappling with inconsistency in his roster, something he openly acknowledged. “I have to make a decision a lot of times: is the inconsistency because of inexperience? They just haven’t been in those situations enough times?” he pondered, per The UConn Daily.

UConn’s recent struggles against ranked opponents back up Staley’s claim. The No. 7 Huskies are just 3-3 against top-25 teams this season and have lost their last three matchups against such teams, including Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, South Carolina, the reigning national champion, holds a 61.6% chance of victory against the Huskies according to ESPN’s matchup predictor.

“Familiarity really helps when you’re playing a team in a program like UConn because their actions will challenge your defense to be disciplined,” Staley said in a recent interview. “If you’ve played them before, you know you aren’t as amped up to make sure you’re doing the right thing all the time. You’re comfortable knowing that these types of things will happen out there.” The emphasis on preparation and composure is what has made South Carolina dominant in their last four meetings against UConn, flipping a series that Auriemma’s team once controlled.

Auriemma vs Staley: A rivalry rewritten—Can Bueckers end the Gamecocks’ streak?

Auriemma, who has won 11 national titles, acknowledges that this matchup has shifted over time. “I mean you play these games for a reason, right? You play because they’re high-profile games,” he said, per SNY. “It should be cyclical. The first five, six years that we played them… it didn’t seem like a rivalry. It was totally one-sided. And you knew that wasn’t going to be like that forever. So things do go in cycles, and it should.”

The numbers tell the story of that shift. Since their first meeting in 2007, UConn has dominated the all-time series 9-5, but South Carolina has won the last four, including a victory in the 2022 national championship game. The Gamecocks are 2-3 against UConn at home, but one of those wins came last season. Staley is now 5-8 against Auriemma, and that gap continues to close.

This year, UConn’s biggest weapon is Paige Bueckers, who leads the team with 18.7 points per game. The expected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, she does it all for the Huskies, shooting 53.6% from the field and contributing on both ends. But even Bueckers will be tested against South Carolina’s defense, which forces 17.29 turnovers per game. The Huskies, however, boast a lethal three-point shooting attack, with Azzi Fudd (47.1%), Ashlynn Shade (42.2%), and Bueckers (41.7%) all capable of catching fire from deep.

Adding to the intrigue is the battle between two of the top freshmen in the country: UConn’s Sarah Strong and South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards. Strong, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, is averaging 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds. Edwards, ranked No. 3, leads the Gamecocks with 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Their head-to-head battle could play a crucial role in determining the outcome.

Injuries could also factor in. South Carolina is without forward Ashlyn Watkins, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear. UConn, meanwhile, is missing multiple key players, including Ayanna Patterson and Caroline Ducharme, while Ice Brady remains out with a shoulder injury.

Auriemma doesn’t downplay the difficulty of facing South Carolina, especially on their home court. “I don’t think if South Carolina beats us they’re going to get t-shirts with the score printed on it,” he said. “I think they have bigger fish to fry than beating UConn. But I enjoy the game, I enjoy the competition. And it’s hard as h-ll to win down there.”

For Staley and the Gamecocks, the key is discipline. “We got to communicate. We got to know how we’re guarding certain actions,” she stressed. “When you have a seasoned group like we do, you feel good knowing that maybe you don’t get all their actions, but you’ll know where you need to be and what you need to communicate.”

With both teams heading into Sunday’s game after wins, the stage is set for another intense chapter in their growing rivalry. Experience may favor South Carolina, but Bueckers and UConn are still dangerous. Whether that veteran advantage is enough to extend South Carolina’s streak over UConn remains to be seen, but if history is any indication, Staley’s squad won’t be caught off guard.