“She’s been working her b*tt off”: Dawn Staley lauds South Carolina’s freshman in Ashlyn Watkins’ absence after blowout win vs Texas A&M

Dawn Staley and the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off a 90-49 victory over Texas A&M on Thursday, and the coach had some words of praise for a certain freshman's performance.

The Gamecocks' defense was at its best, limiting the Aggies to 28% shooting from the field and 15% from beyond the arc. Their ball movement was solid as well, creating 20 assists as the team shot 51% overall and 35% from downtown.

Six players scored in double digits for the Gamecocks. But among those who took part in the contest, Staley had her eyes on freshman Adhel Tac, who replaced Ashlyn Watkins after a season-ending injury vs Mississippi State. Even though she went scoreless after five minutes of action, the Gamecocks coach was high on the effort she showcased on the court.

"Adhel has been working. She's been working her b*tt off, so I wanted to give her the nod, so we put her in first into the first quarter," Staley said at the 2:12 mark.

Dawn Staley, South Carolina prepare for battle vs. Texas

A ranked matchup now awaits Dawn Staley and No. 2 South Carolina. On Sunday, they will face the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, who boast a 16-1 record while rolling with a nine-game winning streak.

Staley gave her outlook on the upcoming encounter, noting her history with Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer. They have coached against each other 16 times, as Staley holds the advantage with a 13-3 record. Their last meeting was in 2021 when South Carolina won 62-34 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

"Vic is a coach of habit," Staley said. "I think he'll be the same old same old, in a good way. They're going to press, they're going to make it hard for you to inbound the ball, they're going to pressure defense you, and he's going to find offensively who should shoot the ball.

"He's got bigs, he has shooters, a point guard ... he's got all the keys to winning the national championship."

South Carolina will have to figure out how to negate Texas' strengths on offense and defense. The Longhorns are averaging 90.4 points on 49.6% shooting from the field, blowing out opponents by a margin of 35.5 points per game. Madison Booker stands out as their best scorer with 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.

After the game against Texas, Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks will prepare for their next ranked matchup against No. 18 Alabama at Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET.