$12 million worth Dawn Staley calls Mikayla Blakes the "head of the snake" as South Carolina HC breaks down how to beat Vanderbilt

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said that her side will need to play the perfect game if they meet Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Gamecocks secured the No. 1 seed in the SEC this season and will face one of Vanderbilt or Tennessee in the quarterfinal.

While South Carolina will be the favorite against either of the two teams, Staley maintains that Vanderbilt will be a difficult opposition.

In an interview with "The Fan Upstate" on Wednesday, Staley, who is worth $12 million (per Celebrity Net Worth), said they need to watch out for Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes.

"With Vandy, we just played a week and a half ago, where they got one of the most colleged freshmen, Mikayla Blakes, who is the head of the snake for them," Staley said. (02:09:10)

"But they have other players on their team that can really score the basketball, and they keep you off balance because they tend to mix things up. They can start their defense zone with two passes within your offense.

However, despite acknowledging Vanderbilt's potential, Staley knows what her side needs to do if they want to win.

"So your point guard really has to be aware of their changing defenses," she added. "But with a team like Vandy, we definitely go to put them in a position to do a lot of things with the basketball because they do play a smaller lineup due to some injuries that they sustain over the season."

South Carolina defeated Vanderbilt in regular season

While Dawn Staley might be wary of the Commodores, history suggests that the Gamecocks will fancy their chances against them.

The two sides met on Feb. 23, with South Carolina winning 82-54. MiLaysia Fulwiley was the star for the Gamecocks with 24 points, four rebounds and one assist.

Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes recorded 19 points, seven assists and two rebounds. The 5-foot-8 guard is averaging 23.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season.