Responding to Kim Mulkey and Kenny Brooks, NCAA analyst comments on Dawn Staley’s South Carolina: “They don’t have All-American first-team players”

Dawn Staley is seemingly getting flak from fellow college basketball coaches for having too many All-American players on her roster.

On Jan. 24, LSU Tigers coach Kim Mulkey said:

"I don't think I've ever coached against a team with 10 McDonald's All-Americans on the roster.”

Then on Sunday, Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks said,

"They were bringing in McDonald’s All-Americans for McDonald’s All-Americans, just seeing which one was going to play better. They were fresh. Going down the stretch, I think it was four minutes to go, it was, maybe, a one-possession game, and that really elevated them."

While Dawn Staley seemingly responded to Brooks' words on Monday, NCAA analyst Robin Lundberg came out to defend Staley on Tuesday:

"Yes, South Carolina has a lot of talent, but do they have the top-end talent to get it done in the NCAA Tournament this time around? Is Joyce Edwards, the freshman, ready for that role? Is MiLaysia Fulwiley ready for that role? Maybe those players peak at the right time, but in the past, we've known who South Carolina had on the floor.

"It is funny to hear talk about depth coming from opposing coaches. It's been a topic broached a few times this year. So, while the South Carolina Gamecocks have All-Americans all over, who is their All-American? They have all-SEC caliber players, but they don't have All-American first-team players on this team this year. "

Robin Lundberg was spot-on with the analysis. Yes, the South Carolina Gamecocks are stacked with players who were All-American caliber in high school, but how many of these players are first-team All-Americans in today's NCAA climate?

The possible shots at Dawn Staley look even iffier, considering that LSU is stacked with first-team All-SEC talents this season. Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, and Aneesah Morrow all earned the honors on Wednesday. The Kentucky Wildcats, too, have a budding superstar in Clara Strack. For her efforts, Strack earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.

It'll be interesting to see how Dawn Staley's Gamecocks perform in March Madness if they face either the Tigers or Wildcats.

Are Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks the national championship favorites?

The South Carolina Gamecocks are the defending national basketball champions. They beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in last year's title game, giving Staley her third national title as a coach.

Ahead of this season's March Madness tournament, Sports Illustrated has South Carolina as the second favorite to repeat with +300 odds. Here's the rest of the Top 10:

• UConn Huskies: +300
• South Carolina Gamecocks: +300
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish: +500
• USC Trojans: +600
• UCLA Bruins: +600
• Texas Longhorns: +650
• LSU Tigers: +3000
• North Carolina State Wolfpack: +4000
• Kansas State Wildcats: +6000
• Tennessee Volunteers: +7000

Although South Carolina is in contention, it is not the favorite to win the 2025 national championship.