ESPN’ preseason top-25 puts South Carolina basketball on top of preseason rankings
The best program in women’s college basketball resides in Columbia. The South Carolina basketball program is the only in the country with multiple National Championships since the 2016-2017 season, and the Gamecocks have won three titles during that stretch and finished ranked #1 in the land when the season was canceled in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the Gamecocks returning all but one contributor off of last year’s team (center Kamilla Cardoso was the 3rd overall pick in the WNBA Draft) and three 5-star freshmen and an All-SEC transfer joining the program, the winning is showing no signs of stopping for USC.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Charlie Creme released his women’s preseason top-25, and it comes as no shock that Dawn Staley’s South Carolina basketball team sits atop the rankings. Just as they should be, the Gamecocks are viewed as the favorite to win another title.
Creme points out that, unless an unexpected player steps into the spotlight, the 2024-2025 version of the Gamecocks will be led by its guards for the first time in a while. Other than a short stretch when Ty Harris was the top player for Coach Staley’s team, Carolina has been led by dominant post players for a decade. A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, and Kamilla Cardoso were the best players on the three title teams, but with players like MiLaysia Fulwiley, Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, and Bree Hall getting the majority of the perimeter minutes, a guard-led team seems likely this season.
Showcasing the South Carolina basketball program’s embarrassment of riches, there is a real argument to make that the Gamecocks have the deepest backcourt and the deepest frontcourt in America.
Chloe Kitts, Sania Feagin, Sakima Walker, and (pending a legal issue) Ashlyn Watkins all return, former All-SEC forward Maryam Dauda joined the program from the Arkansas Razorbacks, and Gatorade National Girl’s Basketball Player of the Year Joyce Edwards and 5-star Adhel Tac are ready to find their spots with the Gamecocks, as well.
With the exception of a small group of people who have been swayed by offseason transfer portal recrutiing hype surrounding the Southern Cal Trojans, the majority of college basketball analysts believe Dawn Staley’s team is on its way to another championship.
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