The standard for South Carolina women’s basketball is almost impossibly high. Dawn Staley has turned the Gamecocks into a perennial powerhouse where anything short of a national title leaves fans wondering what went wrong.
This year’s team had the unenviable task of trying to follow up an undefeated season in 2023-24, and while they went 27-3 in the regular season and won the SEC Tournament with relative ease to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, it was clear this year’s Gamecocks were not quite the same dominant force. That showed at times in their tournament run to the national title game, as Indiana, Maryland and Duke all provided stiff tests that threatened to knock the Gamecocks off their perch.
However, the Gamecocks’ resiliency carried them through all the way until Sunday’s championship game in Tampa, when they were simply no match for an overwhelming offensive onslaught from the UConn Huskies. South Carolina now faces some questions after their 82-59 loss, as UConn appears to be the ascendent team in college hoops once again with freshman phenom Sarah Strong and a returning Azzi Fudd.
Azzi Fudd wins Final Four Most Outstanding…
