Dawn Staley clears the air on viral NCAA comments, says she didn't mean to disrespect UCLA

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley was unfazed at the pre-game press conference as her team gears up to face the Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16 round of March Madness.

When asked about her comments regarding the Selection Sunday and scheduling as a whole, Dawn Staley clarified her comments from last week and said that her points were not to disrespect UCLA. It was rather meant as a future implication.

“I should have prefaced this a couple of weeks ago, me speaking out about not being the number one overall seed, I hope didn't diminish what UCLA earned and deserved and accomplished, " Dawn Staley clarified.

"I should have led with that. Me speaking out is more about what should happen in the future so I'm speaking about the future and how you need to look at teams that that manufacturer schedules…If we're unable to get a number one seed because we lost in a head-to-head, I mean would you play that you know would you think about playing UCLA if they're going to use that against us? Would you think about if you lose to UConn by 29 Points but you still got the number one you competed and you got the number one schedule in the country and you can never get it back”

Staley then supported her points by highlighting how the overall No. 1 seed is a major point of discussion. She feels that the Gamecocks deserved the top seed, but at the same time, she doesn't aim to discredit UCLA's fantastic year.

“I mean that's what I want them to think about not necessarily diminishing you know the overall number one seed because I mean UCLA had a great year. Like they deserve it, we deserve it like is it's a topic of conversation. Well I think we deserve it, they got it what I say doesn't matter um cause I'm not a decision maker but I do need the decision makers to see another side of it here on," Staley continued.

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Dawn Staley expressed her disappointment after UCLA was handed the overall No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament

A couple of weeks ago, Dawn Staley expressed her displeasure when the NCAA Tournament selection committee handed the overall No. 1 seed to UCLA instead of giving it to her team, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

NCAA Womens Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament Championship - South Carolina vs Texas - Source: Imagn

The Gamecocks finished the campaign with a whopping 30-3 record and won the SEC Tournament, beating Texas in the final. This was their third consecutive SEC Tournament, and they also entered the NCAA Tournament as defending champions. Despite all the records and accolades, the selection committee handed the overall No.1 seed to Cori Close's UCLA.

"I'm shocked that we were the number two seed. I was very shocked ... we've had some of the toughest stretches in the country, and we came out of it unscathed. You can't discredit that," Staley reacted on March 10.

However, the Gamecocks have dominated proceedings until now in the NCAA Tournament. They will face the No. 4 seed Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16 of March Madness. Dawn Staley's team had a comfortable victory over Tennessee Tech in the first round, followed by an 11-point triumph against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second round.