South Carolina is back in the NCAA women’s basketball final—again—with Dawn Staley doing what she does best: sporting that good old LV and standing by her girls at all costs. The Gamecocks had lost three games going into the Final Four—all to the other Final Four teams: Texas, UCLA, and UConn—but they ended the season with a fourth loss. However, the scores are in — and in that Carolina-UConn showdown, UConn came out on top, defeating South Carolina in the national championship game. The Gamecocks were aiming for their third national title under Staley, but fell short as UConn claimed the championship — though the ‘Sandstorm’ spirit and towel-waving traditions were alive and well throughout the run.

“Sandstorm” and the Gamecocks swaying fans

Imagine thousands of fans waving towels like helicopter blades while a Finnish techno beat from 1999 pounds through the speakers—and yes, you know the one. NA NA NA NA NA NA. And if you didn’t get it then, you might now…

NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA

Anyway, you’ll know it soon enough, because this has been the sacred beat of the South Carolina Gamecocks for the past 15, going on 16, years!

The whole thing started in 2009 during a home game against Ole Miss. The Gamecocks were facing the No. 4 team in the country. The defense needed to stop. The DJ pressed play on “Sandstorm.” And suddenly, the stadium wasn’t cheering but raving. South Carolina stopped Ole Miss on third down. Played it again on fourth. Another stop. And just like that, a dance track from the millennium era became canon.

It’s been pure chaos ever since. Towels were introduced the following season, presumably so no one would throw actual limbs into the air. There’s a light show now, too. And yes, in what might be the most 2020s sentence you’ll read today, “Sandstorm” has officially been added to the upcoming EA Sports College Football 25 game. Meaning, even your PlayStation knows the South Carolina Sandstorm is leaving its footprints in the sands of time.

“Louie, Louie” and the Gamecock’s Swaying Stands

But the Gamecock’s theatrics didn’t begin with a YouTube remix. No, South Carolina has long loved a bangin’ rhythm, and once upon a time, it was the infamous “Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen that got South Carolina going. Back in the ’80s, it was the East Upper Deck of Williams-Brice that did the swaying — and we mean literally. Fans would stomp so hard to the beat that the stands visibly bounced. Cue the engineers. Cue the concern. Cue the ban.

It’s hard to know what’s more endearing: the fact that the university had to call in consultants because their stadium was grooving too hard or that someone actually wrote, “If It Ain’t Swayin’, We Ain’t Playin’” on a bumper sticker. Either way, “Louie, Louie” got the axe, with South Carolina’s marching band last having played the song in a game against Nebraska in 1986!

That championship game was South Carolina’s shot at a third title under Staley — and would have marked their second championship win over UConn — but instead, it was UConn who took the crown, and potentially a big win for women’s NCAA basketball on the whole. You might get a little bit of both. Picture it: ‘Sandstorm’ during the run, ‘Louie, Louie’ in the lore, and the stands, as always, rocking with pride — even in defeat.