No. 1 South Carolina brings lessons from last season to 2023 title-defending quest
South Carolina powered through last year’s NCAA Tournament as a team seeking to avenge a gut-wrenching Final Four loss. This season, USC is prepared to defend its national championship and protect an undefeated record.
The Gamecocks (32-0) begin their title defense on Friday (2 p.m., ESPN) at Colonial Life Arena against Norfolk State. Ten of the 14 players on the roster were on last year’s national championship team.
For head coach Dawn Staley, the need to win the title is still present, but the reasons are different.
“I think this year, we’re playing more experienced with the target on our back,” Staley said. “There’s pressure, but it’s not as much pressure. We had to win last year for our own psyche.”
Staley and the Gamecocks won their second national championship last year, and her first with the veterans who are still on this USC team. Senior guard Brea Beal said the sting of losing to Stanford in 2021 was a driving factor in finding redemption last year.
It takes “sacrifice” to go on a long postseason run, Beal said.
“When it comes to tournament time, you have to let all the outside go,” Beal said. “You really have to be locked in and zoned in because you’re truly one and done. And it doesn’t feel good to lose.”
The team traveled to Greensboro and Minneapolis for March Madness last season. The season prior, the entire tournament was played in San Antonio. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.
Unlike the SEC Tournament, teams get a day of rest in-between games before moving on to the next set of rounds.
The travel distance will be lighter on the Gamecocks this year. Keep winning, and the team would play in Greenville for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds, with the Final Four and national championship game in Dallas.
Senior forward Laeticia Amihere said that staying close-knit is key when taking on the changing schedule in the tournament.
“It’s gonna challenge you in so many ways,” Amihere said. “You’re playing games back to back. You’re away from home. It’s very strenuous, so we have to make sure that we’re just staying together.”
Even with the returning experience, the team does look a tad different on the court.
Destanni Henderson left for the WNBA after running point guard for the team last year. Reserve guards Destiny Littleton and LeLe Grissett also departed after the season.
This season, the team uses Kierra Fletcher and Raven Johnson as the point guards. Junior center Kamilla Cardoso has also taken on more offensive responsibilities as the third leading scorer.
Johnson, a redshirt freshman, missed last season’s run due to a knee injury. She got her first taste of postseason action in the SEC Tournament. Johnson typically comes off the bench, but started in the conference championship game for the injured Fletcher.
She said she learned from the veteran players on what is necessary to win it all.
“Last year, I was definitely paying attention to the little details of what (Henderson) was doing,” Johnson said. “And definitely what Coach Staley was telling the seniors.”
Staley said the team has the ability to remain focused on the task at hand, a goal it’s had all season long. With the amount of experience the Gamecocks have, it comes naturally.
“I actually just let them guide me into what needs to be said and done,” Staley said. “More times than not, they come in ready to rock and roll.”
USC has the fourth-best scoring defense in the country and seventh-best scoring offense in the country. It heads into the tournament on a program-best 38-game winning streak that spans from the end of last season.
Senior guard and leading scorer Zia Cooke believes the team’s run last year happened “exactly the way it needed to,” and said she wanted to place emphasis on raising the Gamecocks’ on-court success even further moving forward.
“I think South Carolina has a whole other level to us,” Cooke said. “And it’s gonna show.”
NCAA tournament: Columbia SC schedule
Friday: No. 8 South Florida vs. No. 9 Marquette, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
Friday: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Norfolk State, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday: Winners of Friday games, time TBD (TV TBD)
This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 9:40 AM with the headline "No. 1 South Carolina brings lessons from last season to 2023 title-defending quest."
