"Dawn Staley has a perpetual sense of entitlement": Analyst blasts South Carolina HC over No. 1 seed claims days away from March Madness

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley expressed frustration with the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Committee for awarding UCLA the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament instead of her team. Her comments have sparked reactions from college basketball analysts.

After the seeding announcement, Staley addressed the situation, saying:

"I will say this. We're gonna make adjustments to our schedule in the future if the standard is the standard. If that's the standard, then we can play any schedule and get a No. 1 seed."

Staley’s statement led to various reactions, including one from sports analyst Steve Kim on "Fearless with Jason Whitlock". Kim questioned Staley’s complaint on Monday’s episode of the show, pointing out that UCLA was ranked No. 1 for much of the season.

"Wasn't UCLA the No. 1-rated team for a good portion of this past season?" Kim asked. "What's the complaint here? You lose head-to-head, they are a good team. But Dawn Staley has a perpetual sense of entitlement and absolutely participates in the ‘victimhood Olympics’ even when she's on top and she has a monster of a program that is a dynasty," [21:44]

Despite Staley’s frustration, college basketball experts believe the Gamecocks have a favorable path to the Final Four. The Gamecocks will avoid facing UCLA unless both teams reach the national championship game.

The Gamecocks and UCLA met earlier this season on Feb. 16, with the Bruins defeating the Gamecocks by 29 points. However, South Carolina is the reigning national champion, having defeated Iowa in last year's championship game to win its third program title and second in the past three seasons.

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NCAA committee explains South Carolina and UCLA decision

Although Staley disagreed with the selection committee's choice, the NCAA has provided an explanation.

NCAA selection committee chair Derita Dawkins spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe during the selection show on Sunday, stating the key factors that separated UCLA from South Carolina.

"Two key factors between UCLA and South Carolina. One was the head-to-head matchup, the other was one of our criteria, which is competitiveness in losses. South Carolina suffered a 29-point loss to UConn," Dawkins said. "Those were the two key differences in those résumés."

Despite the seeding controversy, the Gamecocks are aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back NCAA women's basketball titles since UConn won four straight from 2013 to 2016.