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The standard for South Carolina women’s basketball is almost impossibly high. Dawn Staley has turned the Gamecocks into a perennial powerhouse where anything short of a national title leaves fans wondering what went wrong.
This year’s team had the unenviable task of trying to follow up an undefeated season in 2023-24, and while they went 27-3 in the regular season and won the SEC Tournament with relative ease to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, it was clear this year’s Gamecocks were not quite the same dominant force. That showed at times in their tournament run to the national title game, as Indiana, Maryland and Duke all provided stiff tests that threatened to knock the Gamecocks off their perch.
However, the Gamecocks’ resiliency carried them through all the way until Sunday’s championship game in Tampa, when they were simply no match for an overwhelming offensive onslaught from the UConn Huskies. South Carolina now faces some questions after their 82-59 loss, as UConn appears to be the ascendent team in college hoops once again with freshman phenom Sarah Strong and a returning Azzi Fudd.
A go-to scorer must emerge
The most critical absence from South Carolina’s tournament run was the lack of a go-to option offensively. After years of being able to turn to the likes of A’ja Wilson, Zia Cooke, Aliyah Boston or Kamilla Cardoso in key moments, South Carolina didn’t have that player it could consistently rely on to steady the ship offensively. That stood in glaring opposition to a UConn team that seemed to be overflowing with potential leading ladies, with Fudd, Strong and Paige Bueckers all outscoring the leading scorer for the Gamecocks on Sunday.
This year’s South Carolina team was built with the idea that the sum of its parts was greater than the whole, and its balance was truly remarkable. Six players averaged more than eight points per game this season, but none averaged more than 12.7 (Joyce Edwards). They had 10 players averaging over one assist per game but none averaging more than 2.9 (Te-Hina Paopao). However, that egalitarian approach also means they lacked the type of offensive engine that is often so vital in March and April.
A year ago, the Gamecocks similarly leaned on the group dynamic without a singular dominant scorer, but they also had Cardoso to feed in the post when they absolutely had to have a bucket (or get someone to the foul line). This year’s team lacked that go-to post scorer that has been the calling card of Staley’s South Carolina teams, and they were clearly never comfortable consistently putting the ball in the hands of their most dynamic guard, MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Can Fulwiley or Edwards spearhead the offense?
As they go into the 2025-26 season, it feels like the Gamecocks will need to identify who that player can be that they trust in key moments. Staley leans on her veterans and has built South Carolina into a powerhouse through their defensive identity, but this year they just couldn’t match the offensive gear of UConn. Since it certainly doesn’t appear the Huskies will be going anywhere, the Gamecocks will need to raise their offensive floor one way or another.
Fulwiley has a gear few can reach, but it’s also understandable why Staley (who appears physically pained on the sideline by any mental mistake made by her players) would be wary of giving her the keys and turning her loose. Fulwiley developing into a more consistent impact player with a higher floor would be huge for this South Carolina team. If not Fulwiley as the engine, perhaps Edwards will be the choice.
Edwards has games where she looks like she could be one of the next great Gamecocks, but in the tournament she was not consistently featured on offense. That’s not atypical for a freshman, but as the team’s leading scorer, South Carolina will need to be able to lean on her more (or run more offense through her). And perhaps it will be someone else on the roster who steps into that role, or a combination of players who become capable of taking control of a game offensively. Whatever the case, finding that player is imperative.
The sky is not falling in Columbia, to be clear. Dawn Staley is still prowling the sidelines, there’s some serious talent returning even with a few key departures, and the Gamecocks will be among the best teams in the country again next season. That said, there is clearly work to be done and as the long offseason begins, the Gamecocks know where they need to see improvement. We have seen in recent years that South Carolina has been better as the hunters, winning two of the last four national titles but never repeating as champs.
After Sunday’s blowout loss, the Gamecocks know exactly who they’re hunting next year, and the work will begin to reclaim their throne in 2026.
