South Carolina coach Dawn Staley firmly believes her team rightfully deserves the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. This assertion follows a commanding performance in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, where the Gamecocks showcased their prowess by defeating No. 1 Texas 64-45 in the championship match.
The Gamecocks, with a record of 30 wins and 3 losses, are the reigning national champions and entered the SEC Tournament ranked fifth in the nation, initially projected as a No. 2 seed.
However, after decisively defeating three conference opponents by margins of 18, 21, and 19 points, the case for a No. 1 seed has become increasingly compelling.
Staley stated, “When you win this tournament and play the schedule that we play, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed. We manufactured our schedule to put ourselves in this situation. So I hope the committee doesn’t discount our entire resume. There isn’t anybody in the country that has played the schedule that we have played, that had a share of the regular season title, won this tournament, and beat the No. 1 team in the country. … there is no one.”
She emphasized that the Gamecocks’ 2024-25 record, which features 12 victories against Top 25 teams, including two against Texas, should carry significant weight. South Carolina’s performance against Top 10 teams stands out with a 7-3 record, with losses solely to No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Connecticut, and No. 4 UCLA.
Staley expressed her surprise at the team being labeled a No. 2 seed heading into the tournament.
“If you get so much credit for beating us, and yet when we have had some of the toughest stretches in the country and came out of it unscathed, you can’t discount that,” Staley said. “You can’t discredit that. I’m going to speak up about it because you have to hear the voice of the other side. If you don’t think our body of work deserves it, then you need to speak out on it.”
She concluded with determination, stating, “I’m going to go down fighting for what our team earned.”
