Growing up watching Breanna Stewart, Sarah Strong v Joyce Edwards: South Carolina's Maddy McDaniel previews UConn game

Maddy McDaniel, a freshman guard for South Carolina, shared her excitement about playing against Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies on Sunday. After her team's practice on Wednesday, she expressed her thoughts on the upcoming regular-season games.

The No. 4 Gamecocks host Florida on Thursday at Colonial Life Arena before their highly anticipated top-10 clash with the No. 7 Huskies this weekend.

"It's great — this is like a moment I've always dreamed of since I was young," McDaniel said (1:42 onwards). "Just playing against another great team, another great coaching staff, another great coach. So it's just a great thing to experience."

When asked about her favorite UConn player back in the day, McDaniel, who's averaging 4.1 points per game, immediately named Breanna Stewart, the four-time national champion with the Huskies from 2013-2016.

The 5-foot-9 star also expressed her anticipation for the meetup between two elite freshmen who have burst onto the scene this season — South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and UConn's Sarah Strong.

"I know we always take our player over anybody else, of course, any given day. So it's just exciting to see them match up, but I'm always taking our side," McDaniel said.

Edwards is leading the Gamecocks in scoring, with 18.4 points per game, while Strong is UConn's second-leading scorer, behind Paige Bueckers, with 16.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

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South Carolina coach Dawn Staley emphasizes UConn game's role in team development

For the last five seasons, South Carolina has met UConn in the regular season — the matchup often has significant national implications, given the pedigree of both programs.

The two juggernauts have combined for 14 national championships and just about every year, they are in contention for more.

On Sunday, the Gamecocks (22-2, 10-1 SEC) host the Huskies (23-3, 14-0) in the College GameDay showcase, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on ABC.

Dawn Staley discussed the significance of the matchup during her 'Carolina Calls' radio show Tuesday.

"I think we built our program based on the standard. UConn is (and) was the standard in our sport," Staley said. "If you play them long enough, you’ll figure out some nuances to help you win. If you can beat UConn, you can beat anybody."

The South Carolina Gamecocks have come out on top in four of their last five meetings with the Huskies. Last season, they secured an 83-65 blowout win over Auriemma's squad in Columbia. UConn's only win during that stretch came in Feb. 2021, a 63-59 decision in overtime.