'You can never count out Dawn Staley and her team': Field of 68 on why doubting South Carolina women's basketball is not a smart move

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and her team will open the season on Monday night. The Gamecocks’ 2025-2026 team will hold themselves to the same championship standard that fits the top program in the sport.

With knee injuries keeping both Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins off the floor this season, some pundits have argued that South Carolina has dropped a bit among the ranks of the title contenders. Though still a top-five team, the Gamecocks fell a few spots in several preseason rankings, and some have begun doubting the team’s chances of winning another SEC Championship.

However, overlooking Dawn Staley’s program would be a mistake.

On the season preview episode of the Beyond the Arc podcast for Field of 68 and On3, Talia Goodman and Genesis Bryant talked about some of the season’s top players, teams, and storylines. When it came time to talk about USC, Bryant argued, “You can never count out Dawn Staley and her team.”

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Goodman, who picked Texas to knock off South Carolina from this year’s SEC throne, agreed with that sentiment. However, she questioned whether the Kitts-less and Watkins-less Gamecocks have enough. “There is no question about the talent they have. My question is about the depth that they have,” Goodman said. “Ashlyn Watkins won’t be playing basketball this year. Chloe Kitts recently announced to have torn her ACL and will be out for the year.”

To her point, South Carolina will have just 10 healthy players available this season. Four are newcomers (two freshmen, two transfers), and only one healthy returner has real starting experience in garnet and black.

Even so, Goodman spoke very highly of the Gamecocks. She praised Staley’s transfer portal efforts that saw USC land Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot. She lauded the team’s returning talent, specifically mentioning Joyce Edwards as a player who will be instrumental in replacing Kitts and Watkins.

Bryant didn’t reveal her SEC pick but reiterated her point that no one should count out the Gamecocks. She singled out point guard Raven Johnson, saying that the senior is ready for her “get-back season” and could be playing with a “different level of competitiveness” as she strives for her third ring.

Reinforcing Bryant’s point, the last two times South Carolina was “counted out” and picked as anything other than the top-ranked team in the preseason, the Gamecocks became the clear best team in the country.

Ahead of the 2019-2020 season, USC was No. 8 in the AP preseason poll. By the time the postseason was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Gamecocks were 32-1 and the overwhelming favorite to win the title.

Before the 2023-2024 season began, South Carolina was 6th in the AP’s preseason rankings. A dominant first week pushed the Gamecocks to No. 1, a spot they didn’t relinquish en route to an undefeated championship campaign.

South Carolina is the only program to win multiple national championships since the 2016-2017 season. In fact, the Gamecocks have won three.

Just before the first title, USC lost A’ja Wilson’s frontcourt-mate Alaina Coates before the NCAA Tournament to an ankle injury. With many doubting the Gamecocks because of the injury, Staley’s team still ran the table.

The third championship came on the heels of heavy roster turnover, including five WNBA Draft selections. The Gamecocks were picked sixth nationally and second in the SEC that preseason. The Gamecocks went on to go undefeated.

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The road to a fourth title won’t be easy, and it might require Staley’s best coaching job to pull it off. However, the Gamecocks have proven time and again that counting them out is a mistake.

South Carolina will open the season at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night against Grand Canyon. The game will not be on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+. Former Gamecock assistant Winston Gandy is now the head coach of the ‘Lopes.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!