No. 1 South Carolina overcomes inexperience for another undefeated start to the season

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against Kentucky during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbia, S.C., Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

(AP) — Even Dawn Staley can’t believe she’s watching No. 1 South Carolina, the last undefeated team in women’s basketball.

To hear Staley describe it, the practice sessions of the 17-0 Gamecocks are filled with defensive breakdowns, missed shots and terrible execution.

But come gametime, South Carolina (5-0 Southeastern Conference) turns into a juggernaut, more than ready to take on and dominate the game’s best. The Gamecocks get that chance again Thursday night when they play at No. 9 LSU, the defending national champions and the preseason pick to win the Southeastern Conference.

“For us, I think we’ll rise to whatever we need to rise to,” Staley said Wednesday.

No team has been better overall than the young Gamecocks this season. They lead the country in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense. They’ve beaten four ranked opponents this season by a average margin of 20.8 points.

And they’ve done it with a group in which only one returner from last year’s Final Four team — point guard Raven Johnson — started any games.