South Carolina Women's Basketball Season Preview 2024-25: Biggest games, key players to watch and more

Modified Sep 12, 2024 17:34 GMT

South Carolina Women's Basketball Season Preview 2024-25 (Image Source: IMAGN)

The South Carolina Gamecocks won the 2024 women's national championship by completing a 38-game sweep. Under coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina defeated Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the final to win its second title in three years.

Fast forward to the 2024-25 college basketball season, the Gamecocks seek to make it two in a row despite losing their top center Kamilla Cardoso, who now plays for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. They still have most of the players who had major contributions in completing the sweep.

Here's an inside look into South Carolina's upcoming campaign, from its biggest games to key players to watch out for this coming season.

South Carolina's biggest games of the 2024-25 season

South Carolina will have a challenging non-conference schedule, starting with its opener against Michigan on Nov. 4. The game will be in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series.

Six days later, the Gamecocks meet NC State in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA Tournament Final Four, which South Carolina won by 19 points. They also compete in the Fort Myers Tipoff in Florida against Iowa State (Nov. 28) and Purdue (Nov. 30).

South Carolina host Duke on Dec. 5 for the SEC-ACC Challenge and visit TCU on Dec. 8 for the Hoopfest Women's Basketball Classic in Fort Worth, Texas. The Gamecocks end their non-conference slate against UConn on Feb. 16 at home.

South Carolina's SEC regular season campaign begins on Jan. 2 against Missouri on the road. Apart from the Tigers, they visit Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.

The Gamecocks host Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky and play Texas home and away.

Top South Carolina players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season

#1 MiLaysia Fulwiley

MiLaysia Fulwiley was South Carolina's second-leading scorer last season, averaging 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The five-foot-10 incoming sophomore played off the bench in 35 of 38 games played for the Gamecocks and shot 43.8%, including 34.3% from the 3-point area.

#2 Ashlyn Watkins

Ashlyn Watkins is coming off an excellent sophomore year with the Gamecocks, tallying 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.4 blocks per contest.

The six-foot-three forward is expected to be the team's primary defender, especially on the low block, where she thrived last season.

#3 Te-Hina Paopao

Te-Hina Paopao started in 37 games for South Carolina and was the team's third-leading scorer last season. She averaged 11.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 3.7 apg.

The fifth-year senior was an excellent 3-point sniper, shooting 46.8% from deep and making 2.4 threes per game last season. Paopao is also an accurate free-throw shooter at 84.8%.

South Carolina's 2024-25 season preview

South Carolina will likely run away with the women's national title for the second straight year.

The core of last season's championship team, led by MiLaysia Fulwiley, Te-Hina Paopao, Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are back for the 2024-25 season and expected to keep the fire burning within the Gamecocks this coming season.

Dawn Staley and her squad could go perfect again, but it will depend on how teams fight against the reigning champions.

Will South Carolina win back-to-back women's national basketball titles this season? Let's know your views in the comments section: