Even after securing a key SEC victory, perfection remains the standard for and her .
Unprompted during Wednesday’s media availability, Staley revisited her team’s defensive performance against the —and her tone made it clear she believes there is plenty of room for improvement.
“Our defense was not…was not good at all,” Staley said candidly. “Just our off-ball defense was not good. I mean, we are hanging on the players, and they didn’t shoot it well from three, but we surely played them, we were playing them like they were shooting the lights out from three. No. Just unaware.”
While the box score suggests a solid defensive outing—LSU shot just 40% from the field and a cold 16.7% from beyond the arc—Staley’s concerns go deeper than percentages. For her, it wasn’t about the makes or misses. It was about discipline, awareness, and defensive identity.
She pointed to moments where her players appeared overly attached to individual matchups instead of trusting the team’s structured half-court principles.
“We were so unaware, and in a game like that, you seem to get a little bit tighter to your player and less about what your normal discipline and routines are,” she explained. “So, hopefully we’ve taken a look at it and hopefully we get back to just playing our half-court defense the way we need to, and hopefully get another win on the road.”
Despite LSU’s poor three-point shooting, the Tigers only turned the ball over nine times—a number that likely frustrated Staley more than the shooting splits. South Carolina thrives when it forces chaos, converting turnovers into transition opportunities. Against LSU, that disruptive edge wasn’t as sharp.
Additionally, LSU left points on the floor, going 14-for-23 at the free-throw line and missing several open looks. In Staley’s eyes, a more efficient opponent could have capitalized on those defensive lapses.
It’s classic Staley: praise the win publicly, but dissect the flaws internally. Even in victory, the margin between “good” and “championship level” is razor-thin. Her critique underscores the expectations inside the program—dominance isn’t just about winning; it’s about controlling every possession.
With another road challenge ahead, the message is clear. For South Carolina to maintain its edge in the SEC race, defensive awareness—not just defensive numbers—must return to its usual standard.
