"That's actually crazy","Stop crying and play ball": Fans react as Dawn Staley sounds off on South Carolina's future in NCAA tournament

The South Carolina Gamecocks under coach Dawn Staley have recovered from last week's loss to the UConn Huskies by blowing out the Arkansas Razorbacks (95-55) and Vanderbilt Commodores (82-54). The Gamecocks have a 25-3 overall record but have a tied 13-1 Southeastern Conference record with the Texas Longhorns.

During her weekly news conference on Wednesday, the charismatic Staley was not happy that the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament would be picked by coin toss to determine whether the Gamecocks or the Longhorns would be accorded the honor.

"Our fate is in a coin toss," Dawn Staley said. "I think we should've thought a little bit more ahead of this situation knowing that we were bringing Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC."

College basketball fans on Instagram were not enthused by the system of picking a No. 1 seed or Staley's comments regarding the situation.

"OK so that's actually crazy," one fan said.

"Damn not everyone forgetting SC beat Texas earlier this year," another fan said.

"Stop crying and play ball. Period," one fan said.

Fan's comments on IG (Credits: @espnw Instagram)

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Dawn Staley challenges her team to step up

Dawn Staley has had great rosters in the past few years, dominating college basketball. The South Carolina Gamecocks won the national championship unbeaten last year and missed out on the 2023 title after losing only one game the whole season, the semifinals to the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes.

This season's team has already lost three games and none was as brutal as the 87-58 loss to coach Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 16, which snapped the Gamecocks' 71-game winning run at home.

During her weekly news conference, Dawn Staley, whose team lost the iconic presence of Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA, challenged her players to step up and play their best basketball of the season.

“It can’t wait until after Selection Sunday, can’t wait until you’re in the finals of the SEC championship,” Staley said. “It’s now. These last two regular season games and so forth. I think we’re moving in the right direction as far as getting everybody playing great at the right time. It takes some losses for you to feel that, and some losses for you to correct some things. And also just to get some other players to elevate their play, and we’re seeing that.”

In the past few games, South Carolina's two highest scorers, Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley, have stepped up their production, leading the Gamecocks to their most dominant wins of the season. Edwards is averaging 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while Fulwiley is averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists this season.

Next up for Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks is a road clash against the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday in a bid to gain the SEC's No. 1 seed without requiring a coin toss.