Everything Dawn Staley said previewing South Carolina’s upcoming game against UConn

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media on Friday to preview the team’s upcoming matchup against No. 7 UConn. Here’s everything she had to say.

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On how South Carolina’s preparations against UConn have been

“Good. (There’s) a lot of energy in the building, a lot of energy in practice. (We got) one more prep day to serve us pretty good.”

On how this year’s UConn team stacks up against those of previous years

“They’re pretty talented, as always. I think they get more of their stuff that they want to get. It’s less reliant on just Paige (Bueckers) to do her thing. I think (Sarah) Strong gives them a lot of options because of her ability to score the ball and pass the ball. Her IQ factors into what they do, so I don’t think it changes anything as to our emphasis, which is to disrupt their flow and the fluidity of their offense.”

On comparing Joyce Edwards and Strong

“I think they’re two incredibly talented individuals. What we ask Joyce (Edwards) to do, her responsibilities are a lot different than Sarah’s. They’re both equally as effective in what the responsibilities are for their respective teams.

“As far as (Strong’s mother) Allison (Feaster), I don’t know how we don’t get Sarah Strong – I don’t. But they did a great job recruiting her. I think she felt comfortable there. (It) seems like a really good fit for her, and her being able to utilize all of her skill set. I haven’t talked to Allison since… No, I’m kidding.”

On how dialed-in South Carolina’s players are to pick up win against high-ranked opponent

“I don’t feel it, like, ‘It’s UConn.’ I feel like they want to win – that’s what it feels like. It feels like the preparation for all the games that we have to play. Is it a little bit extra special because of UConn? Maybe. But it’s very similar to our preparation for all of our big games.”

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On having players who have faced Bueckers in previous matchups

“Familiarity really helps when you’re playing a team and a program like UConn because their actions will challenge your defense to be disciplined. And if you’ve played them before, you aren’t as amped up to make sure you’re doing the right thing all the time. You’re comfortable with knowing that these types of things will happen out there, and it calls for our defense to be disciplined and not have breakdowns. We got to communicate; we got to know how we’re guarding certain actions for them. And when you have a seasoned group like we do, you feel good in knowing that, maybe, you don’t get all your stuff in, as far as all their actions – you’ll get some of them. But you’ll know where you need to be and what you need to communicate.”

On Staley’s connection with UConn assistant coach Tanya Cardoza

“Tanya’s my former teammate. We text message throughout the season just to congratulate each other on things. I mean, I just want to win. Anytime you can win against a former teammate, it lends you the bragging rights, so to speak. But we don’t really do that – it’s more of a silent bragging rights, not a ‘in-your-face’ bragging rights.”

On South Carolina’s strong free-throw shooting turnaround against Florida

“It hasn’t been immediate. If it’s immediate, we might have had one less loss. It’s a difference maker. I think it could create an opportunity for us to win or lose, depending on how efficient we are from the charity stripe. It was good to see those free throws go in – just going into this game, as well. So, hopefully, we can continue the trend.”

On the significance this year’s South Carolina-UConn matchup has on women’s basketball

“I think it’s great for our game, and I think it speaks to where we are in our game – where it seems like if you’re watching the game, every other commercial is us and UConn. It costs money to actually put those promotions on television, and they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t get a return on their investment. And I do think you get a return on your investment when you play games like this in the middle of February where, I think, they’re going to reveal the top 16 seeds. All of that surrounding our game is a buildup towards the biggest and the best part of our season, which is the NCAA Tournament.”

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