Dawn Staley, the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, expressed her disappointment after her team was not awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Despite a dominant season where the Gamecocks finished with a 30-3 record and clinched their third consecutive SEC Tournament title, South Carolina was given the No. 2 overall seed, with UCLA earning the coveted top spot.
Staley felt that her team’s impressive performance throughout the season deserved to be recognized with the No. 1 overall seed. The Gamecocks had accumulated an outstanding 16 Quad 1 wins, which are considered the most challenging games in the NCAA Tournament selection process. In addition, South Carolina’s victory in the SEC Tournament, where they defeated several high-ranked teams, added to the argument that they had proven themselves as the best team in the country. Despite all these accomplishments, Staley felt that the selection committee did not fully recognize her team’s body of work, especially when compared to UCLA, who received the top seed.
In a press conference, Staley made her feelings known, stating that her team had done everything necessary to earn the No. 1 overall seed. She acknowledged the strengths of the other top-ranked teams but pointed out that South Carolina had consistently been dominant in both regular-season and postseason play. Staley’s comments reflected her pride in her team’s achievements, though she made it clear that the seeding decision was a bit of a letdown. However, she also emphasized that the Gamecocks would not let this fuel any negativity but instead use it as motivation going into the tournament. For Staley, the ultimate goal was to continue the Gamecocks’ championship pursuit, and the seeding would not deter them from aiming for their second national title under her leadership.
