"We're on a revenge tour": South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley sets the stage for national championship thriller vs UConn

MiLaysia Fulwiley was part of the South Carolina team that won the national title last year. She now has a chance to defend her title, with the Gamecocks set to face No. 2 seed UConn in this year's championship game. However, Fulwiley has insisted that she and her teammates are on a mission for vengeance this season, to prove the haters wrong.

After the top-seed South Carolina beat fellow No. 1 seed Texas 74-57 in the Final Four on Friday to book a spot in the final, Fulwiley spoke about the Gamecocks' three defeats this season, in comparison to last season when they went undefeated to win the championship. She said (0:29):

"Yeah, definitely. I feel like when you lose three times after having an undefeated season, it will put like a big chip on your shoulder, you know. That kind of hurt our heart, broke our feelings, and we made sure we will come out here and never lose a game again.

"Not even lose a game again, but not the way that we did. That was unacceptable and I'm just so ready to play whoever plays Sunday. I'm just so ready to play because we only lost to both of them [UConn and UCLA] and Texas. So, we're on a revenge tour for sure and we would get that revenge."

MiLaysia Fulwiley's interview took place before UConn beat UCLA in the other Final Four game. However, this year's national championship game is now set.

Notably, South Carolina's first defeat of the season came against UCLA in November 2024. The Gamecocks also lost to UConn and Texas in the space of a week in February. Since then, Dawn Staley's team has been on a roll.

The Gamecocks are the reigning national champions, but will face a tough test of retaining their crown when they face UConn on Sunday.

South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley was named SEC Sixth Player of the Year last month

South Carolina starMiLaysia Fulwiley - Source: Getty

MiLaysia Fulwiley was named the 2025 SEC Sixth Player of the Year last month. At the time she received the honor, the South Carolina star was averaging 11.9 points per game in 30 appearances without a start. She also averaged 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Fulwiley has been an important rotation player for Dawn Staley's Gamecocks this season. She will also hope to play an integral part for South Carolina in the national title game against UConn to potentially win a second consecutive championship.