Dawn Staley Reacts as South Carolina Misses Out on No. 1 Overall Seed
South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley was confident her team would earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, on Selection Sunday, the committee handed that honor to UCLA, making the Gamecocks the No. 2 overall seed. This marks the first time in history that the Bruins have secured the top overall spot.
Despite the slight, South Carolina still claimed a No. 1 seed for the fifth straight year and will compete in the Birmingham 2 Region as they chase their third national title in four seasons.
Dawn Staley Calls Out Selection Committee
Even with their top seeding, Staley didn’t hold back on her frustration with the decision.
“My reaction? I mean, I’m not in the room,” she said. “But obviously, I think we did much more than probably any other overall No. 1 seed. We outdid ourselves, even compared to last year, with the number of quality wins we had. But I guess the committee was looking at something else.”
Staley also hinted at adjusting South Carolina’s future scheduling based on the selection process.
“I will say this. We’re gonna make adjustments to our schedule in the future if the standard is the standard. If that’s the standard, then we can play any schedule and still get a No. 1 seed.”
“My gut was the No. 1 overall seed because we put the work in,” she added. “That’s what my gut tells me. But man says otherwise, and I don’t really put my faith in man. So we’ll play with it. We’ll play the cards we’ve been dealt.”
What’s Next for South Carolina?
The Gamecocks will begin their March Madness run at home in Columbia, opening the tournament Friday against No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech (26-5). The official game time is yet to be announced.
Joining South Carolina in the Birmingham 2 Region are No. 8 seed Utah and No. 9 seed Indiana, who will also play in Columbia. If the Gamecocks take care of business against Tennessee Tech, they will face the winner of Utah vs. Indiana in the second round.
With a point to prove, Dawn Staley and her squad will be on a mission to turn their No. 2 overall seeding into another national championship run.
