Dawn Staley seems unfazed with Paige Bueckers matchup, plans to use familiarity to their advantage during UConn vs South Carolina

Dawn Staley isn't fazed with the Paige Bueckers matchup heading into Sunday's blockbuster showdown between the fourth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks and the seventh-ranked UConn Huskies.

At Friday's pre-game chat, a reporter asked the South Carolina coach if it helps to have players who have faced Bueckers several times and know what to expect from the UConn star. Staley echoed the reporter's sentiment, planning to use that familiarity to her advantage for the weekend clash.

"Yeah, I mean familiarity really helps when you’re playing a team and a program like UConn because their actions will challenge your defense to be disciplined," Staley said (Timestamp 2:53).

"And if you’ve played them before, you know you aren’t as amped up to make sure you’re doing the right thing all the time. You’re comfortable with knowing that these types of things will happen out there and it calls for our defense to be disciplined and not have breakdowns."

Dawn Staley added that an experienced team like the Gamecocks will benefit from having seen the Huskies in the past, especially by reading UConn's offensive patterns.

"We got to communicate. We got to know how we’re guarding certain actions for them and when you have a seasoned group like we do, you feel good in knowing that maybe you don’t get all your stuff in as far as all their actions," Staley said.

"You’ll get some of them, but you’ll know where you need to be and what you need to communicate."

Paige Bueckers and Dawn Staley's previous matchups in UConn vs South Carolina

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks have faced Paige Bueckers four times since she joined the UConn Huskies in 2020. They first locked horns on Feb. 8, 2021, with UConn recording a 63-59 overtime win. Bueckers starred in that contest, scoring a game-high 31 points on 14-of-26 shooting. She also had six steals, five assists and four rebounds in 45 minutes of action.

Staley gained revenge in their next meeting, with South Carolina pulling off a 73-57 victory on Nov. 22, 2021. Aliyah Boston scored 22 points for the Gamecocks, who limited Bueckers to 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting.

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) controls the ball between South Carolina Gamecocks guard Bree Hall (23) and forward Aliyah Boston (4) in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament at Target Center. Photo: Imagn

Dawn Staley and Paige Bueckers faced each other again later that season, with South Carolina and UConn squaring off in the 2022 NCAA national championship game. The Gamecocks reigned supreme, beating the Huskies 64-49. Bueckers had a tough time unlocking South Carolina's defense, scoring just 14 points.

Their last meeting came on Feb. 11, 2024, with South Carolina recording an 83-65 victory. Te-Hina Paopao led the Gamecocks with 21 points, while Bueckers scored 20 points in a losing effort.