Dawn Staley previews South Carolina's 2nd Round clash with UNC at 2024 Women's NCAA Tournament

South Carolina’s road to a national title began on Friday against Presbyterian, or at least that’s what Dawn Staley and Gamecocks fans are hoping.

Against the No. 16 seed in their first game of the 2024 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, Staley’s team came out firing, leading to a 91-39 victory. The morning after, the Gamecocks leader joined SportsCenter, where she elaborated on her feelings following the win.

“I mean, what I learned is what I’ve known all season long, which is we got depth,” Staley said, regarding what she learned from the win. “They don’t care whether they start. They know when they get in the game, they can make an impact.

“Every single one of our players that got in the game yesterday, they we’re a little winded, because we only had an eight woman rotation, but when they got in, they really made an impact on both sides of the basketball.”

Next up for the Gamecocks is a matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels. It’s a team Staley’s squad knows well, as they faced off back on Nov. 30, a South Carolina seven-point win, so Staley and company aren’t taking the Tar Heels lightly entering Sunday’s game.

“Obviously, I know what they were trying to do, what they did well. They transition well. They changed sides of the floor extremely well,” Staley said, regarding the Tar Heels and what they do well. “[Alyssa] Ustby is a nightmare matchup for us, because she just does so many great things. She’s a multiple effort type of player. Deja Kelly is a big time scorer. Like she can give you a bucket at any time. That’s been who they’ve been, God dang. I mean, they have great pieces, and they use utilize them well. So yes, we could take some things from it. We’ve grown from that that moment, as well.

“We have to do a better job at making layups. We have to do a better job at rebounding the basketball against them, and giving them multiple effort. We’re playing at home, so we’ve got to use that to our advantage. So hopefully our fans will pack Colonial Life Arena, like they have all season long, and create that home court advantage for us.”

Time will tell if South Carolina can beat their in-state rivals once again, but the Gamecocks haven’t had trouble with anyone else all season long. We’ll see if Dawn Staley’s team is able to keep getting the job done throughout the 2024 NCAA Tournament.