In a season full of unpredictability, there’s been one constant: the utter dominance of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
After losing five players to the WNBA from last season’s team, which was undefeated before being upset by Iowa in the Final Four, national expectations were mixed regarding what South Carolina would look like in 2023-24. In the preseason Associated Press poll, they came in at No. 6, behind LSU, UConn, Iowa, UCLA and Utah.
But the program dispelled any notion this would be a “rebuilding” year for Dawn Staley & Co., beginning with the season opener, where the Gamecocks thrashed Notre Dame 100-71 in Paris. They haven’t skipped a beat since, holding steady at the No. 1 spot in the polls since the second week of the season and completing their second consecutive undefeated regular season. Just two of their SEC games have been decided by single digits, the rest mostly by 20 or 30. Even Staley has said her team’s resounding success has surprised her in some ways.
With three more wins in the SEC tournament and six in the Big Dance, the Gamecocks would become the fifth Division I program (and 10th team overall) to achieve an undefeated season. But even more important in Columbia is the chance to bring home another championship — the program’s third…
 and the clear favorite to cut down the nets (again). Why will it end differently this season?){kind=link}