Dawn Staley Cites ‘South Carolina Fatigue’ as a Factor in Women’s Basketball Setback to Texas

Dawn Staley made an intriguing comment on Tuesday that may have hinted at her frustration with South Carolina’s recent drop in the AP rankings.

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team suffered their second loss of the season on February 9, falling to the Texas Longhorns. This defeat, however, doesn’t warrant any shame for Coach Staley or the program. The Longhorns are undeniably one of the top teams in the nation, particularly when they play at home.

Earlier this season, South Carolina had dominated Texas on their own court. But when the latest AP rankings were released on February 10, the Longhorns surged to No. 3, while the Gamecocks slipped two spots to No. 4.

During a February 11 appearance on The Carolina Calls Show, a weekly program sponsored by the University of South Carolina, Staley seemed to express some irritation about how the women’s basketball community responds to her team’s losses.

“Any time we lose, it elevates everybody else. When we win, it’s par for the course. That’s part of it. Like, I think there is some South Carolina fatigue around, around women’s basketball. But I mean, I’m okay with it,” Staley shared on the show, according to an X post from The State Newspaper reporter Michael Sauls.

Dawn Staley on the loss: "Any time we lose, it elevates everybody else. When we win, it's par for the course. That's part of it. Like, I think there is some South Carolina fatigue around, around women's basketball. But I mean, I'm okay with it."

— Michael Sauls (@mcsauls) February 11, 2025

It’s not entirely clear what Staley meant by “South Carolina fatigue,” but it appears she may be addressing how the NCAA women’s basketball community tends to overreact to her team’s occasional setbacks, given their prolonged dominance. This could suggest that she’s not thrilled with the Gamecocks’ current ranking.

Regardless of where they stand in the polls, South Carolina remains one of the nation’s premier teams and is still a strong contender to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament—whether critics agree or not.

More news…..

First-Round Projections Have South Carolina DT T.J. Sanders As a Top NFL Draft Pick

The 2025 NFL Draft process is in full swing, and former South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders is now considered a potential first-round pick.

Although Sanders might have flown under the radar this season due to the dominant performances of South Carolina’s EDGE rushers, Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard, he is gaining recognition as the draft approaches. National analysts, including NFL Network’s lead draft expert, Daniel Jeremiah, are starting to take notice of Sanders’ impressive tape.

Jeremiah recently released his updated NFL Mock Draft, where he has Sanders going 31st overall to the Philadelphia Eagles. Regarding the potential selection, Jeremiah commented:

“There has not been a lot of buzz for Sanders, but I thought his tape was outstanding. He’s really twitchy and would fit right in with the bevy of talented defensive linemen in Philly.”

T.J. Sanders’ accolades include:

• 2024 Third-Team All-America (College Football Nation)
• 2024 First-Team All-SEC (College Football Nation)
• 2024 Second-Team All-SEC (AP, Phil Steele)
• 2024 SEC Interior Defender of the Year (College Football Nation)
• 2023 Third-Team All-SEC (College Football Network)
• 2023 Fourth-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
• 2023 Nutrition Award
• 2023 Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring
• 2023 co-South Carolina Spirit Award – Defense