South Carolina is the SEC favorite, but Texas, Vandy and LSU hope to crash the party
(AP)– South Carolina coach Dawn Staley doesn’t think her team needs to change much from a physical standpoint this season after getting blown out the last two years in the national championship game.
She knows the Gamecocks, who enter the season ranked No. 1 in the country, have more than enough talent to win a fourth national title.
The mental side, well, that’s a work in progress.
“I think mentally is where we need to be stronger because obviously I think there’s been a breakdown in our mental strength,” Staley said.
The Gamecocks remain the class of the SEC and have reached the national championship game in four of the last five seasons. They won it all in 2022 and 2024 under Staley, but the results the last two years have been baffling.
In 2024, the Gamecocks lost by 23 to rival UConn; last year they got drubbed by 28 by UCLA. Those losses still haunt Staley.
In both seasons, the Gamecocks came up with big wins against hot teams in the semifinals to reach the final, but Staley felt those victories left her team emotionally drained. She said figuring out how to have the mental toughness to “get over the top” in the final is her next task.
“We probably go a little bit longer in practice just to get them — to stretch them out a little bit, to dig in,” Staley said. “When physically they’re probably exhausted, something else has to kick in. We’re creating better mental habits.”
Staley’s juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down.
The Gamecocks return second team All-American forward Joyce Edwards along with veteran guard Tessa Johnson. Ashlyn Watkins is back, along with emotional spark plug Chloe Kitts, the SEC Tournament MVP in 2025 who missed all of last season with a torn ACL.
The Gamecocks also landed a huge transfer in Jordan Lee from Texas, who averaged 13.2 points per game last season. She is battled-tested having played in two Final Fours.
Alice Tournebize, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward who transferred in from France midway through last season, also figures to see big minutes. She’s the daughter of WNBA/FIBA Hall of Famer Isabelle Fijalkowski and made history as the first French woman to dunk in a game.
The high school recruiting class includes top prospects Jerzy Robinson and Oliviyah Edwards. They also have the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in 2027, per Rivals, led by Jazelle “GG” Banks and Jordyn Palmer.
The SEC is loaded with ranked teams once again
South Carolina is one of seven teams ranked in the AP Top 25 to open the season. The Gamecocks are predicted to win the conference followed by No. 6 Texas. No. 8 Vanderbilt and No. 9 LSU tied for the third most votes, followed by No. 14 Kentucky, No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 19 Ole Miss.
