How does Dawn Staley's South Carolina play without an out-and-out center? Deep dive into Gamecocks' strategy, gameplay and more

South Carolina dominated the 2023-24 College Basketball season with Kamilla Cardoso anchoring the center spot. The Gamecocks went 38-0 to capture their third national championship, beating the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes (34-5) in the NCAA National Championship in April.

In the past two title-winning seasons, South Carolina has relied on a dominant big in the middle, with the combo of A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates in the 2016-17 season, and Aliyah Boston carrying the Gamecocks in 2021-22.

This year, South Carolina (5-1) no longer has Cardoso or a legitimate center manning the paint, but it's still one of the top teams in the nation. However, the team tasted its first defeat in 44 games against equally talented UCLA (5-0) on Sunday with the final score of 77-62.

The Bruins, with their towering 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts in the middle, exploited the Gamecocks' lack of a big center. In response, South Carolina tightened its interior defense, which led to emergency passes to UCLA's shooters, who buried 10 of 21 from the 3-point area.

Notwithstanding, Dawn Staley's team was dominant in its first five games of the season despite not having a legitimate big manning the post. Here's how they did it:

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How South Carolina was able to win its first five games without a center or a dominant post presence

#1. Gang rebounding was the key

The loss of Kamilla Cardoso to the 2024 WNBA draft and the lack of a starting center forced Staley to focus on gang rebounding this season. This was evident in four games, where at least three players grabbed six or more rebounds in each matchup.

Chloe Kitts has been the team's top rebounder at 9.2 per game, while Raven Johnson and Ashlyn Watkins tallied averages of 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 rebounds, respectively. In the loss to UCLA, the Gamecocks were dominated in the rebounding battle, 41-34, with Betts hauling down 14 boards.

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#2. Bench players stepping up

South Carolina received tremendous contributions off the bench in its first five wins. The Gamecocks' bench mob beat Michigan (29-6), NC State (26-22), Coppin State (48-15), East Carolina (45-15) and Clemson (43-3) in bench points.

However, UCLA reversed the trend, winning the bench-scoring battle, 34-32. Notably, top bench contributor MiLaysia Fulwiley failed to score a point against the Bruins, playing only three minutes. Freshman Joyce Edwards was limited to six points on 3-of-8 shooting.

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#3. Dawn Staley employs small-ball tactics to speed up the tempo

Looking at the average playing times of Gamecocks players this season, guards Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson top the list at 28.0, 24.7 and 24.0 minutes per game, respectively.

Forwards Edwards and Kitts round out the top five with 21.0 and 20.8 mpg, respectively. Meanwhile, Ashlyn Watkins, Tessa Johnson and Fulwiley were used for 18.8, 18.5 and 17.3 minutes for each outing. Bigs like 6-foot-5 Sakima Walker and 6-foot-5 Adhel Tac averaged 5.2 and 3.8 minutes per game, respectively.

While this strategy has worked in most games, it backfired against UCLA. The Gamecocks missed 42 of 66 attempts from the field and despite shooting 8-of-12 from deep, they ultimately fell short on close-range attempts.

Bruins' center, Lauren Betts, challenged their slashers' inside incursions. Betts' 6-foot-7 frame forced them to miss shots they would normally make.

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#4. Championship experience benefitting South Carolina in close calls

South Carolina has much playoff experience, built over years as a perennial NCAA Tournament contender. This has benefitted the team in two of its five wins against Michigan and NC State.

Facing a young but untested Wolverines team, the Gamecocks relied on experienced players Kitts and Tessa Johnson to secure the win. The team made it count in crucial moments, sinking 4 of 6 free throws to ice the game.

Against Final Four participant NC State, Paopao played the closer's role, scoring seven of South Carolina's nine points to quell the Wolfpack's last-ditch rally and preserve a 14-point victory.

It wasn't the case on Sunday against UCLA. Kitts, Bree Hall, Raven Johnson and Fulwiley were firing blanks, combining for a 3-of-19 shooting clip. Only Paopao and Tessa Johnson were the bright spots, converting 12-of-22 attempts.

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#5. Second-quarter runs fuel South Carolina's second-half blitzes

South Carolina plays like a diesel -- it gets going when fully revved up. In the first five wins of the season, the Gamecocks have won the second-quarter scoring.

These include the 19-6 stomping of Clemson, the 29-10 thrashing of East Carolina and the 22-16 upset of NC State. UCLA, however, picked apart the Gamecocks in the second quarter, scoring 23-12 to build a 43-22 headway at halftime.