The ripple effect of South Carolina going undefeated and winning a national championship is already stretching into next season. Dawn Staley recently shared that she believes teams are afraid to add the Gamecocks to their schedule.
South Carolina stunned the women’s basketball community when it opened and closed the season the same way — with an ultra-impressive win. From the opening tip in Paris with a new starting unit to the final minutes of the national championship in Cleveland, Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks owned the 2023-2024 season.
But apparently, it hasn’t come without consequences. Staley recently told a local radio station that teams don’t seem too enthusiastic about playing South Carolina.
Per Payton Titus of The State, this is what Staley told the station Wednesday:
“It’s really hard because people don’t want to play us,” Staley said of the challenges that come with putting together a schedule. “And, I mean, really good teams don’t want to play. And I just…I don’t get it.”
The 🐐 @dawnstaley is LIVE chatting with @TylerHead18, @WesMitchellGC and @GCChrisClark now on the @GamecockCentral Takeover Hour!
Watch here on The Game TV📺 https://t.co/KEaaPii38u
— 107.5 The Game (@1075thegame) May 1, 2024
BREAKING
Dawn Staley just said on @1075thegame that South Carolina will open next season in Las Vegas against an opponent to be determined.
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) May 1, 2024
Staley went on to share that the team already has some matchups on its 2024-2025 schedule, including UConn at South Carolina, South Carolina at UCLA, and a must-see matchup with Kara Lawson and Duke.
The Gamecocks will also participate in the ACC-SEC challenge again as well.