South Carolina women's basketball projected as Final Four team once again
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to five Final Four appearances in a row. Had it not been for the Covid-shortened 2019-2020 campaign not having an NCAA Tournament, it likely would be six years in a row.
According to On3’s Talia Goodman, the streak will continue through at least the 2025-2026 season.
In a story on Monday, Goodman revealed her early picks for the Final Four, and the Gamecocks made the cut. Joining USC in her projected national semifinals are the Texas Longhorns, UConn Huskies, and UCLA Bruins. Below is what the On3 national analyst had to say about South Carolina.
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“While the loss of MiLaysia Fulwiley stings, they’ll return several key contributors, including Joyce Edwards, Ashlyn Watkins, and Chloe Kitts. Additionally, they made one of the best portal additions in the country with Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson. The Gamecocks also added Madina Okot, a 6-6 post player, and two 5-star freshmen.”
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South Carolina will look a little different this season than last year. Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin graduated, and MiLaysia Fulwiley left for LSU. All of those players are losses in their own ways, but the additions of Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot fill the two biggest holes left on the roster. Latson gives the team a go-to scorer who can get a bucket at all three levels. Okot, at 6-6, provides size, rebounding, and post defense that the team just didn’t have in last year’s rotation.
Back in May, Goodman also picked South Carolina as the No. 1 preseason team in women’s college basketball. That is familiar territory for the Gamecocks. For four of the past five years, USC was the AP’s preseason No. 1 team. The one year they weren’t, Dawn Staley and company occupied the top spot after just one week and then went on to go undefeated en route to a third title.
