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Dawn Staley makes 1 big claim ahead of March Madness
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- Dawn Staley makes 1 big claim ahead of March Madness
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South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley said the Gamecocks have not yet played their best basketball as the Gamecocks prepare to begin another NCAA Tournament run as a No. 1 seed.
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Speaking ahead of the tournament, Staley expressed confidence in her team despite acknowledging the Gamecocks did not have their best showing in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, ultimately losing to Texas in the title game.
"From not having the best results in the tournament … We have a lot of basketball left in us … Our players have been working extremely hard," Staley said on Selection Sunday in a video shared by Lulu Kesin of the Greenville News. "We just put in three days and a really good practice and trying to try to connect, trying to continue to connect and play our best basketball, which we haven't yet played yet, but we're hoping we're saving it for the tournament."
South Carolina earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season and the 10th time in program history, the program said in a press release . The Gamecocks (31-3), who won the SEC regular-season championship, are the top seed in the Sacramento 4 Regional and will host the first and second rounds at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks will face the winner of Thursday's First Four matchup between Southern (19-13) and Samford (16-18) in Saturday's opening-round game. No. 8 seed Clemson (21-11) will play No. 9 seed Southern Cal (17-13) in the other first-round contest in Columbia, with the winners meeting Monday, March 23. Game times and television information will be announced later.
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The Gamecocks secured the fourth overall No. 1 seed after spending the entire season ranked in the top five of both major national polls and the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings. The Gamecocks finished 15-1 in SEC play to capture their 10th conference regular-season title and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game for the seventh straight year.
The team's 12 Quad 1 victories rank among the best in the nation, as do its 12 wins against ranked opponents. All five South Carolina starters earned All-SEC honors, tying a conference record.
This will be the Gamecocks' 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance . The program has won three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024) and reached the Final Four seven times in the last 10 tournaments under Staley.
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