Going With an Undefeated 29–0 Streak, Can the Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks Repeat Their Heroics From 2022 Season?

South Carolina have an undefeated 29-0 stat in the regular season and a 16-0 record in the conference season. Naturally, they occupy the first place in the SEC. And therefore, Lady Gamecocks are one of the favorites to bag the championship title this year.

But Dawn Staley’s brilliant bunch lacks stars like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese. This has many times been a cause of trouble for the 2022 champions. Now at the cusp of the March Madness, here’s the method behind Gamecocks’ gameplay.

Glory to Gamecocks 

Gamecocks had finished with a spectacular run in the 2021-22 season. They had a 35-2 tally in the regular season with a 15-1 stat. They were the NCAA Champions that year. One of the rising players that year who currently plays with Gamecocks is Kamilla Cardoso. She had averaged only 5.4 points per match but she was a star in the making. 

Gamecocks defeated Huskies in the Finals by a 64-49 margin that helped them get their second NCAA tournament title. Other players to make a return that season include guard Raven Johnson and forward Sania Feagin.

Next year, the reigning champions again had a brilliant run of 36-1 in the regular season and an undefeated 16-0 record in the conference. But destiny had other plans for the program since they lost to Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four by a close margin of 73-77. Hawkeyes advanced to the Finals and were upended by the National Champions – the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers.

A Loss In Aliyah Boston

The Dawn Staley coached team had a big loss when their star player Aliyah Boston was drafted into the WNBA. Boston had averaged 16.8 points per game with 12.5 rebounds per match during their championship season. After that, she came back for her senior year with 13 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Similarly, Gamecocks had four other senior players opting for the WNBA. They were Zia Cooke, Victaria Saxton, Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere. These were the players who played supporting roles to Boston and helped her be the player she was.

The team was once again formed with Te-Hina Paopao transferring to Gamecocks. Similarly, they had one incoming major player in MiLaysia Fulwiley. The other two recruits this season Tessa Johnson and Sahnya Jah haven’t played a central role for the team yet. 

Game On for Gamecocks

The team this year looks to be balanced on the tactics of their coach. The best player and the alpha for Gamecocks has been Cardoso who has slammed 14.1 points per game with 10 rebounds per match. Therefore she averages a double-double.

Comparing it to other teams like Iowa Hawkeyes or Lady Tigers, Gamecocks have a low ceiling. Their alpha hasn’t scored as many points as the alpha of other teams score. But that’s the beauty of Gamecocks. They’ve relied on a comprehensive and collective team effort to win matches and thankfully for the fans, that has been working for them till now.

Another important point to note is that since they don’t have a high ceiling, they also don’t have much difference in points between their players. Their sixth player is Chloe Kitts and the seventh player on the points list is Raven Johnson. Both Kitts and Johnson have a decent 9.4 and 8.1 points average. This has helped them immensely since these two can step up when the team is not going great.

Read More: How Far Is Caitlin Clark From Becoming NCAA’s Queen?

Another noteworthy player to mention has been Fulwiley. Though in her freshman year, Fulwiley has played the second fiddle to Cardoso, basketing 11.6 points per game. Her contribution has been such that she grabbed eyeballs ever since her first game. And if she continues her on-court exploits then there is no stopping Gamecocks.

Can Gamecocks win it?

Staley’s squad has shown considerable consistency but will have to continue it from here onwards since the single-elimination tournament is about to begin. The major concern for this team is to avoid the nightmarish time when the head coach’s tactics stop working because the team barely has single performance dominators who can turn the tides of the game.

It will be interesting to see how this team performs in the upcoming tournaments since they mostly rely on teamwork. And going forward they would need players like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese who can save their day with their brilliance.

The low ceiling is an issue for the team. Even during their high-scoring games, the points scored by singular players do not cross 30. And hence how this team copes on the match day if they are screened by the opponents is yet to be unknown.

If Gamecocks continue their rampage like they’ve been doing, then there is no stopping them from lifting another title. But if they’re intimidated and screened by their opponents, then it remains to be seen what next step this team will take.

Read More: 2024 All-Star Game: Caitlin Clark Set to Embark on NCAA’s Last Dance Alongside Angel Reese