South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has never been afraid of a tough schedule. Under her leadership, the Gamecocks routinely schedule some of the country’s toughest non-conference competition. The 2024-2025 version of the team started things off with two neutral site games against the Michigan Wolverines and the then-No. 9 NC State Wolfpack. Despite battling a short bench in both games, USC emerged victoriously from both contests.
Somehow South Carolina was not the unanimous top-ranked squad this preseason. The UConn Huskies (two votes) and Southern Cal Trojans (one vote) stole a trio of voters’ attention. For those voters, offseason dreaming and transfer portal hype overshadowed an undefeated National Champion that returned nearly all of its production.
[GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days and 50% off first year]
The Gamecocks’ preseason No. 1 ranking stayed safe after last week’s perfect record, and on Monday, when the AP Poll dropped, Carolina remained comfortably on top.
In fact, with Monday’s update, it was unanimous. The Gamecocks now sit in their rightful spot as the undisputed No. 1 team in America.
This week, South Carolina women’s basketball will return home for the season’s first two games at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks will welcome the Coppin State Eagles to Columbia on Thursday night. The East Carolina Pirates will be in town for a Sunday afternoon tilt.
You can see the entire AP top-25 below:
