Tag: South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina’s Dawn Staley raves about Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso pairing in WNBA

Two college rivals are now set to join forces in the WNBA.

Two big-time college rivals are now set to join forces in the WNBA.

The Chicago Sky selected South Carolina center [autotag]Kamilla Cardoso[/autotag] third overall and later took LSU forward [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] with the seventh pick in the 2024 WNBA draft on Monday night. Now, two players who faced head-to-head multiple times in college will unite to create one of the toughest frontcourt groups in the league.

Speaking recently on 670 The Score, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley had high praise for both players and said she was excited to see them play together.

“Kamilla is the ultimate competitor,” Staley said. “Angel Reese — ultimate competitor. We had a lot of battles, last year and this season. We were the top two teams in the SEC, so you know they are enemies by nature because of rivalry. But now they’ve joined hands in hopefully bringing a WNBA championship to Chicago. I’m a fan. I’m gonna get me some season tickets. I know I won’t be there the entire season. But somebody’s gonna be sitting in my seats cheering Kamilla Cardoso on.”

The pair will look to bring the Sky their second championship in franchise history after they won the WNBA in 2021.

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Beyoncé sending Dawn Staley flowers has hoops fans creating magnificent memes

South Carolina is officially in the Bey Hive, and hoops fans created some absolutely hilarious memes

After Beyoncé sent Dawn Staley flowers to congratulate her and South Carolina on their immaculate season, hoops fans realized that Beyoncé had been watching the whole time and responded with magnificent memes.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: WE ARE NOT TALKING ENOUGH ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA’S UNDEFEATED SEASON. Apparently, Beyoncé likely feels the same way and recently sent Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks their proverbial and literal flowers.

Dawn was so pumped that she shared precious videos to X (Formerly Twitter) of her thanking Beyoncé and celebrating the certified stamp of approval that one of the biggest celebrities on the planet gave to South Carolina.

Right on cue, hoops fans immediately made a colossal realization: Beyoncé had seen all the wildly impressive things South Carolina did to win a national championship. They responded with some hysterically creative memes and tweets.

Here’s some of the best we found:

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso being drafted to the Chicago Sky has fans making Tim Duncan and David Robinson memes

The internet is gonna internet, and these memes are glorious.

The Chicago Sky shook up the first round of the WNBA Draft Monday night when they drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. The team’s decision has fans making so many memes, including Tim Duncan and David Robinson comparisons.

After her stellar play in the national championship, there was always a chance that Kamilla Cardoso would get drafted sooner than where she was projected. The Chicago Sky scooped her up at pick No. 3 and then came back and grabbed Angel Reese at Pick No. 7, a pick they didn’t own before April 14.

Truthfully, that’s one heck of a first-round draft haul. Cardoso and Reese will likely do some serious damage on the glass, and the front office should be thrilled after the Sky had a very shaky off-season.

Fans immediately noticed the endless possibilities of what happens when pairing the two players together. Rightfully so, they responded with tons of memes, including several of former Spurs greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Here’s some of the best the internet has to offer:

Highlights from Florida baseball’s Sunday win over South Carolina

Here are the highlights from Sunday’s sweep-preventing win in Gainesville.

Florida baseball snapped its six-game losing streak on Sunday with an 11-9 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks inside Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville.

Every one of the Gators’ starting lineup made it to base safely on hits, except for one: Luke Heyman earned the Golden Sombrero with four strikeouts. This was a typical Sunday game in college baseball where both bullpens are tapped and a bunch of runs scores, except that Kevin O’Sullivan had some of his best arms out and they failed to impress.

Take a look below at highlights from Florida’s series-sweep-saving victory over South Carolina on Sunday.

Deebo Samuel reacts to South Carolina winning national championship over Iowa

After the South Carolina completed the perfect season with a win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa, a member of the 49ers took to Twitter to celebrate his alma mater’s national championship.

On Sunday, the South Carolina Gamecocks completed the perfect season with a win over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the women’s college basketball national championship.

Following their historic win, South Carolina alum and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel took to Twitter to celebrate the national championship.

Along with sharing gifs and praise for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, Samuel also sent a message to his teammate and former Iowa tight end George Kittle.

Via @19problemz on Twitter:

Before the game, Samuel revealed he had a bet with Kittle. According to Samuel, the loser will have to a wear a jersey of the winning team to a game next season, meaning Kittle will have to wear a South Carolina jersey to game.

Behind double-figure scoring numbers from four different players, including Kamila Cardoso and freshman Tessa Johnson, the Gamecocks were able to hold off Caitlin Clark on the way to an 87-75 win in the national championship on Sunday afternoon.

With a win in the national championship, South Carolina completed the perfect season at 38-0.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Iowa-South Carolina sets viewership record that peaked at 24M viewers

They just keep raising the bar.

Women’s college basketball just keeps re-writing history in terms of people watching the games this postseason. Last year’s title game drew over 12 million viewers. A lot of fans tuned in to watch Kim Mulkey win yet another championship and the first with the LSU Tigers.

LSU was able to fend off the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark, who became a cultural phenomenon at a time when the women’s game was treated the same as the men’s. You could argue that Clark helped elevate the women’s game beyond the men’s over the last two tournaments. On Sunday afternoon, they did it again with another record-breaking game.

According to Front Office Sports, the game averaged 18.7 million viewers and peaked at 24 million.

The game will miss players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Rickea Jackson, and Aaliyah Edwards who helped make the past few seasons so electric. However, the future is also bright with the superstars to come. Let’s also not forget that UConn star Paige Bueckers has already announced that she will return for at least one more season.

Final coaches poll released after South Carolina survived March Madness

Final women’s coaches poll revealed with South Carolina and Iowa in the top 2 spots.

The NCAA women’s basketball has come to an end with several matchups setting the record as the most-watched game only to be outdone by the next one. Those games featured Iowa Hawkeyes’ star Caitlin Clark.

One of the most polarizing players was a vital reason why. After the national championship game ended, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley made sure to pay her respects to Clark.

“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” the coach said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport and it just is not gonna stop here on the collegiate tour. But when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s gonna lift that league up as well. So Caitlin Clark if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you.”

After a historic season, we have the final coaches poll for women’s basketball.

Final USA TODAY Sports women’s coaches poll

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 South Carolina 38-0 750 (30) –
2 Iowa 34-5 720 –
3 UConn 33-6 678 +4
4 North Carolina State 31-7 645 +7
5 Texas 33-5 593 -1
6 USC 29-6 590 -3
7 LSU 31-6 572 -1
8 Stanford 30-6 518 -3
9 UCLA 27-7 513 -1
10 Oregon State 27-8 470 +5
11 Notre Dame 28-7 452 -1
12 Indiana 26-6 385 +2
13 Gonzaga 32-4 352 –
14 Ohio State 26-6 343 -5
15 Baylor 26-8 310 +3
16 Colorado 24-10 295 +1
17 Virginia Tech 25-8 262 -5
18 Kansas State 26-8 210 -2
19 Creighton 26-6 170 +1
20 Oklahoma 23-10 166 +1
21 Duke 22-12 149 –
22 Utah 23-11 121 –
23 Syracuse 24-8 115 –
24 UNLV 30-3 100 -5
25 West Virginia 25-8 75 +1

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 Princeton; No. 25 Louisville

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa State 52; Louisville 29; Tennessee 27; Middle Tennessee 25; Nebraska 17; Princeton 15; Ole Miss 15; Fairfield 5; Richmond 3; Alabama 3; North Carolina 2; South Dakota State 1; Kansas 1; Jackson State 1

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Angel Reese congratulates South Carolina on national title win

The Gamecocks won their second national title in three years on Sunday.

The [autotag]South Carolina Gamecocks[/autotag] Women’s basketball team took on [autotag]Caitlin Clark[/autotag] and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the National Championship and the Gamecocks came out on top 87-75.

The magical run of Clark and the Hawkeyes ended after beating the Tigers to advance to the Final Four. Meanwhile, South Carolina finished the season 38-0. The Indiana Hoosiers were the only team to keep the game close against the Gamecocks during the tournament. Indiana lost 79-75 in the Sweet 16 and gave Carolina a scare. Other than that, the Gamecocks won every game by double digits.

If it were not for Iowa beating Carolina last season, the Gamecocks would likely have gone 38-0 two years in a row. After the win this year, LSU star player [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] sent out a tweet congratulating [autotag]Dawn Staley[/autotag] and the Gamecocks on their terrific achievement.

What can be said about Staley that has not already been said? She has gone on a Geno Auriemma-esk run in the past two seasons and she is showing no signs of slowing down.

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LSU’s Angel Reese takes a shot at officiating during women’s national championship

Angel Reese didn’t seem too happy with some calls in the first half of Sunday’s game between South Carolina and Iowa.

South Carolina capped off its perfect 38-0 season on Sunday afternoon with an 87-75 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

While the Gamecocks ultimately pulled away to a decisive win, it was tight for much of the game, and they even found themselves in an early hole. The officiating in the early minutes of the game seemed to favor Iowa, and for LSU star [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], it was a familiar sight.

Reese seemed to take a shot at the refs during the first half in a post on social media.

“I see how this game is about to go smh,” she said in the post.

She later said she had typed up several posts but ultimately deleted them.

Whether the officiating favored the Hawkeyes in the first half, South Carolina ultimately prevailed as coach Dawn Staley won her third national championship and the second in the last three years.

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March Madness: Championship Game strategy for the $2.5K USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool

Win $2.5K in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool: National Championship Game pick and prediction.

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The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament wraps up Sunday at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Only 53 entries in USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest remain out of the 3,754 who signed up.

The tournament favorite South Carolina Gamecocks (37-0) meet the Iowa Hawkeyes (34-4) for all the marbles in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Championship Game Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN).

On Friday, No. 1 overall seed South Carolina took care of NC State 78-59 with C Kamilla Cardoso going for 22 points with 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. The superstar center was a very efficient 10-for-12 from the field, and she was one of three South Carolina players to go for double-digit points.

Gamecocks G Raven Johnson added 13 points, with most of her damage coming on 3 triples, while G Te-Hina Paopao was good for 10 points, 6 assists and a steal, while knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

South Carolina shot 50.0% (30-for-60) from the field, including 42.1% (8-for-19) from behind the 3-point line. It managed to get to the free-throw line just 4 times, but it converted 4 shots.

Iowa advanced to the title game for the 2nd consecutive season, easing by UConn 71-69. With 10 seconds to go, the Huskies trailed 70-69 and had the ball, but a controversial offensive foul on F Aaliyah Edwards against G Gabbie Marshall gave the Hawkeyes the ball back with 3.9 seconds to go. G Caitlin Clark was fouled with 3.5 seconds left, hit the 1st free throw and missed the 2nd, but G Sydney Affolter came down with the offensive board and Iowa hung on for the 2-point win.

The Hawkeyes were just 45.8% (27-for-59) from the floor, while going 28.0% (7-for-25) from behind the 3-point line and 71.4% (10-for-14) from the charity stripe. Clark didn’t have her best game but finished with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while going 3-for-11 from downtown. F Hannah Stuelke actually led the Hawkeyes with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting performance.

South Carolina is No. 1 and Iowa is No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

As for the USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest, I had 3 correct picks in the opening round for 12 points but stumbled in the 2nd round and was eliminated when 4th-seeded Kansas State lost to 5th-seeded Colorado. Another 4-seed, Indiana, won for me that round, but the KSU pick did me in.

Despite the loss, I still offered picks in an attempt to help you in your chase for the $2.5K 1st-place prize. Only having to make 1 pick the remaining rounds, rebounded with LSU (3 points) in the Sweet 16 upsetting UCLA in a 78-69 thriller. In the Elite 8, I won with UConn (3 points) against USC. And I won with Iowa (1 point) in the Friday’s semifinal.

As an employee, I wasn’t eligible to win this contest, but there was no rule against me helping you.

A rules reminder: Remaining entries are required to pick the National Championship Game winner — if you still have an eligible team to select.

Points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds.

Here is my strategy of which team to pick for Sunday’s championship.

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National Championship Game pick

PICK: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

I intentionally held off from selecting South Carolina in the earlier rounds in the event it managed to avoid the upset and get to the title game. The strategy worked — excluding my darn K-State pick in the 2nd round.

After selecting Iowa in the Final Four, I didn’t have any other choice for the this round anyway.

Clark and the Hawkeyes are back in the National Championship Game for the 2nd consecutive season.

Unfortunately for them, coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are on a mission, will finish 38-0 and grab the title as Iowa will once again be the bridesmaid — the Hawkeyes lost to LSU in last year’s title game.

Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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