Dawn Staley insists facing Kim Mulkey is 'not about us'

The South Carolina vs. LSU women’s basketball rivalry has turned into arguably the best in the sport. The Gamecocks have won 16 straight against the Tigers, but the recent matchups have been tight and intense.

That includes last year in the SEC Tournament Championship Game when South Carolina earned a 79-72 win in a matchup that featured a brawl late in the game. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley joined the SEC Network Thursday to preview the matchup and discuss the rivalry with LSU.

“It’s a rivalry, it really is, with how many people on the Tigers, their fans, our fans,” Dawn Staley said. “It’s not only a rivalry between the programs on the floor, but it’s a rivalry with the fanbases, because you can’t say one bad thing about LSU without LSU fans hopping on our fans.

“You can’t say nothing about Gamecocks fans, like, nothing that is not positive, or else they’re jawing back and forth.”

South Carolina and LSU are two of the top programs in the country, with the two combining to win the past three national titles.

The Gamecocks won it all in 2024, going undefeated, while LSU won the 2023 national title. South Carolina also won the national championship in 2022. Both programs are contenders again this year, as well. South Carolina is 18-1 and ranked No. 2 nationally heading into the game, while LSU is a perfect 20-0 and ranked No. 5.

“I think it’s so very good for our game that people are very interested in this rivalry. We’re fortunate but unfortunate College GameDay isn’t going to be here, but I’m sure the people that are going to pack Colonial Life Arena at 5 p.m. on Friday are going to get a treat. They’re going to get their money’s worth,” Staley said.

The game was originally scheduled for Thursday night, with ESPN College GameDay set to come to town, but it was pushed back to 5 p.m. Friday due to a snowstorm that impacted LSU’s travel. Staley spoke about the two coaches in the matchup of herself and Kim Mulkey of LSU.

Staley has won three national championships, all with the Gamecocks, while Mulkey has won four national titles across her time at Baylor and LSU. The two coaches have two of the biggest personalities in women’s college basketball.

“I mean, Kim’s Kim, and I’m me,” Dawn Staley said. “We both have strong personalities. We both want to win and are super competitive. But we also know it is not about us. It’s more about the players and their ability to execute out there on Friday at 5 p.m.”