Dawn Staley compares Joyce Edwards and Sarah Strong before UConn faces South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is ramping up her players for an intense showdown on Sunday. The No. 4 ranked defending national champions will play against the seventh-ranked team, the UConn Huskies. Staley and Co. have won the last four, including the 2022 NCAA Final Four game.

Both the powerhouse programs possess mighty starting stalwarts in South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and the Huskies' Sarah Strong. The two forwards are making their names known in the women's college basketball scene for how tremendously they have fared in just their first season of college.

During her media availability on Friday, Feb. 14, Dawn Staley was asked about her own comparison between Edwards and Strong.

"I think they are two incredibly talented individuals. What we ask Joyce to do, her responsibilities are a lot different than Sarah," Staley said. "They're both equally as effective in what their responsibilities are for their respective teams."

The Gamecocks, who have hopes of ending this season with their fourth national championship, are currently 11-1 in the SEC (23-2 overall). Meanwhile, UConn is looking to end a nine-year national title drought and enters Sunday's game with a 23-3 overall record (14-0 Big East).

There is no doubt that the young freshman talents will be on display in what appears to be their first of many hotly contested matchups between the Gamecocks and the Huskies. No matter how the tide turns in the non-conference fixture, Edwards and Strong have already established themselves as interior forces in the current women's college basketball landscape.

The Gamecocks-Huskies game tips off at 1 p.m. EST on the reigning national champions' home floor and can be watched on ABC, ESPN+ and Disney+.

How well are South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and UConn's Sarah Strong performing?

In the 2024-2025 season, the 6-foot-3 Joyce Edwards is enjoying a stellar first-year campaign. Through 25 games played, the Camden, South Carolina native is averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in about 20.8 minutes per game.

On the other hand, Sarah Strong has built up quite a name for herself under Geno Auriemma's long-tenured program as she is averaging 16.1 markers, 7.8 caroms, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks a contest thus far for the campaign.

Both stars are leading their team's campaigns this season, assisting their veterans while hoping to create history.