After finally beating UConn, Gamecocks feel ‘less pressure, more hunger’ for rematch
Just shy of a year ago, the South Carolina women’s basketball team toppled Connecticut for the very first time.
That 70-52 victory over the sport’s biggest dynasty — coming after eight previous meetings had ended in defeat — was an emotional moment for coach Dawn Staley and her squad. The game, played in front of 18,000 rabid fans at Colonial Life Arena, marked yet another moment of validation on the national stage for the program, one final exclamation point on what Staley had built after the NCAA title in 2017.
So now, a season later, the Gamecocks and the Huskies are set to meet again, this time on Monday night in Storrs, Connecticut. On one hand, Staley and the Gamecocks don’t have to worry about getting the proverbial monkey off their backs — no one can say they’ll be intimidated or overwhelmed by the Huskies.
On the other, though, this is USC’s chance to turn that first victory into a run of success against the Huskies, something only a few programs have accomplished in the past 15 or so years.
“I think there’s a little bit less pressure (after last year). But, at the same time I say that, I feel the pressure of actually having to do it again,” Staley said. “When you’re able to do it on the road, it’s a little bit different, you know? It was easy to not let 18,000 people down in that environment — I’m just talking about last year in that environment, it was hard not to let them down.
“This is a little bit different. There won’t be as many people in the stands there, so maybe we’re in a position of what everybody else feels like now that they come to Colonial Life Arena and there’s a couple of thousand people there.”
As Staley noted, the atmosphere will be significantly more subdued than it has been in years past, as UConn has limited attendance to family and friends of student-athletes. But Gampel Pavilion remains a forbidding road trip, with the Huskies only losing on their home campus once in the past seven years.
Even beyond the pressure of a tough road game, South Carolina has seen the weight of its past losses against UConn turned into something new — the potential of something even greater, a winning streak.
“It is less pressure, but more hunger to want to link those feelings up,” Staley explained. “You know, again, to beat somebody at home is a little easier to beating them on the road. And I just hope we’re able to check that off the list and continue what UConn used to do for us, is link those wins together and don’t look back.”
Indeed, only a handful of programs have beaten UConn in back-to-back meetings this century, and for the most part they’re a who’s who of national powers — Baylor, Duke, UNC, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Tennessee and Villanova. Opportunities to build win streaks against the Huskies don’t come often, but after years of scheduling UConn to measure how her team stacked up against the best, Staley already knows how she feels about her players going into Monday’s contest — and they’re more than capable of taking another one if they play well.
In fact, the Gamecocks will almost certainly enter Monday’s matchup ranked above the Huskies, as they checked in at No. 2 in the latest AP poll with UConn at No. 3. Against their one mutual opponent so far this year, Arkansas, South Carolina came away with a comfortable win while UConn lost on the road. And Staley likes how her team has looked in preparation.
“This team is one that, you know, it doesn’t flinch, no matter who we’re playing. They’re in a good space ... and don’t get me wrong, we don’t have to play perfectly. In years past, playing a UConn team, we’ve had to play perfectly to win. I don’t think we’re in that place. I think we’re armed with some players that can go toe to toe,” Staley said. “I mean, the talent is there. Our talent versus their talent, it’s there. It’s all about what team is going to be able to execute their game plan.”
South Carolina’s roster of 11 players features nine former five-star prospects and six McDonald’s All-Americans. Of UConn’s 12 players, eight were five-star recruits and six were McDonald’s All-Americans.
South Carolina vs. UConn basketball game info
Who: No. 2 South Carolina (15-1, 10-0 SEC) vs. No. 3 UConn (13-1, 11-0 Big East)
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Watch: FS1
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
