“A Coin Flip for No. 1? Dawn Staley Sounds Off on SEC’s Controversial Tiebreaker Rule”
The SEC women’s basketball championship came down to a rare—and controversial—solution this season.
With Texas and South Carolina finishing with identical 15-1 records in conference play, the league had a tough decision to make. Both teams handed each other their only loss, making win percentage and head-to-head results a deadlock. With no clear tiebreaker, the SEC resorted to a coin flip to determine the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Dawn Staley Slams the Coin Flip Rule
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley didn’t hold back when discussing the league’s unusual method of breaking the tie.
“I think we should’ve thought ahead a little more… That’s just me though. I would say imagine if it was football and it’s a coin flip, not for who gets the ball first, but who gets the first seeding in the national championship.”
She was quick to clarify she wasn’t taking direct aim at SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, but she didn’t hide her frustration.
“Now, I’m not trying to throw the commissioner under the bus by any means. It has been a part of the tiebreakers since as long as I’ve been in the SEC, and that’s what it is. It’s unfortunate it’s coming down to that.”
How the SEC’s Tiebreaker System Works
Unlike SEC football, which has six tiebreaker steps before a random draw, basketball has only two—making a coin flip much more likely.
Interestingly, this rule has been in place for Staley’s entire tenure at South Carolina, but it’s only now being tested at such a high level. SEC football adjusted its tiebreakers amid conference realignment, while basketball remains stuck with the outdated rule.
A Call for Change?
Staley believes the seeding should be decided on the court, not by chance. Football, for instance, uses a “capped relative scoring margin” to factor in performance rather than leaving things up to luck.
“There’s no reason a similar statistic couldn’t be utilized in basketball.”
She’s got a point—if football can find ways to avoid a coin toss for major decisions, why can’t basketball?
The Final Decision: Luck Favors South Carolina
In the end, the coin landed in South Carolina’s favor, giving the Gamecocks the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. While things worked out for Staley’s squad this time, the controversy surrounding this outdated tiebreaker rule might spark a long-overdue discussion in SEC basketball.
