-Fans love a rivalry game and their wish for one is soon going to be heard when Kim Mulkey faces Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks this week. Last year in March, we saw a game that led to an altercation between the two SEC powerhouses. And now that the Gamecocks face a threat to their SEC leadership, all eyes are on their next game. Meanwhile, Kim Mulkey does not seem too keen to talk about the upcoming bout.

After defeating Florida in their home, Kim Mulkey took some questions in the postgame presser. But some questions, the LSU coach chose to turn down. A journalist asked Mulkey if whatever happened last year could affect the upcoming game. Here is how she avoided the question, “let’s talk about Florida game”, she said sternly. “we got bad weather coming to Louisiana I may not even get to practice I don’t know when we’ll get to South Carolina “

The intensity of last year’s SEC championship game continues to send ripples through the sports world and still resonates in 2025. No one can forget the controversial moment when Kamilla Cardoso shoved Flau’jae Johnson on the court, leading to a full-fledged altercation and multiple ejections. Although Mulkey criticized the incident, her agitation still showed when she said, “I wish she would have pushed Angel Reese.”, implying that Cardoso chose to dominate a smaller opponent.

After winning the game against the Gators, Mulkey did not want to talk much about what was waiting for her in South Carolina. However, Mulkey did acknowledge the significance of her upcoming challenge against the Gamecocks. She said, “We know what we face next, and [it’s a] tremendous challenge to play the defending Champions and do it at their place”

Meanwhile, her rival coach has been adding more to her already long list of achievements. Let’s look at Dawn Staley’s latest accomplishment as a coach.

Dawn Staley becomes the highest-paid women’s college basketball coach

The two-time AP National Coach of The Year signed a contract extension with the University of South Carolina. Dawn Staley will now be working with the Gamecocks till the 2029-30 season. She will be compensated with a $4 million annual salary, a $500,00 signing bonus, and a $250,000 escalator every season. The total contract value stands at $25.25 million.

This new contract now makes Staley the highest-paid coach in college basketball. Only a few women’s coaches get a salary above $3 million a year like Kim Mulkey. She said in a statement, “I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and its investment in women’s basketball,”.

The contract value does not come as a surprise if we look at the achievements of Staley as Gamecocks’ head coach. She has been with the Gamecocks for more than 16 years and has led them to SEC championships eight times. Interestingly, she was also the first sportsperson to receive the Naismith Award as a coach as well as a player.

However, Staley faces a threat to her SEC title this week while Mulkey’s all-wins season is also at stake. The question stands- Will the SEC rivalry freshen up old wounds on the court this week?