Dawn Staley's No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 12th straight time on Monday, defeating the No. 9 USC Trojans in a 101-61 victory in the second round.
The blowout victory improved their record to 33-3 overall. They’ve stayed dominant despite a rough year for injuries, using six different starting lineups because of missed time from key players like Ta’Niya Latson, Agot Makeer, and Maddy McDaniel.
Despite missing key contributors, the 55-year-old has squeezed elite production, leading the team to the SEC regular-season title. They dropped just one league game agisbnt Oklahoma Sooners on Jan. 22 before rolling through the NCAA bracket's opening rounds with blowout margins.
In the process, the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year finalists, announced this week, are Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies, Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins, Shea Ralph of the Vanderbilt Commodores, and Vic Schaefer of the Texas Longhorns.
Surosngly, Staley, who has won the award four times, including three straight from 2022-24, was not in the list. While she was named a semifinalist earlier in March, she did not make the final cut of four coaches announced on Wednesday.
Confirming her omission, Matt Dowell of WACH-TV noted, "Dawn Staley is not one of the four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year. She has won it four times in the past."
Vanderbilt finished right behind the Gamecocks in the standings, with Shea Ralph earning SEC Coach of the Year for leading the team to its best regular season ever and a No. 2 seed.
Her young backcourt, led by Mikayla Blakes, was a big reason for that jump. Meanwhile, Vic Schaefer has kept Texas in the top 10 all year and even took home the SEC Tournament title.
However, Staley has bigger business to handle. South Carolina faces No. 4 seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 this Saturday at 5 p.m. ET in Sacramento.
The game is a high-stakes rematch of the Gamecocks' only SEC loss this season. The winner advances to the Elite Eight. Staley’s squad enters as heavy favorites, seeking a third national title in four years.
