Tough schedule? Bring it on. ‘Dawn goes out of her way’ to get Gamecocks prepared
It wasn’t easy for Dawn Staley to get South Carolina’s 2021-22 basketball schedule finalized.
For one, she has a preference for scheduling home-and-home series. Staley doesn’t care much for “guarantee games,” matchups where the home school pays the visitor to play as part of its non-conference lineup.
When piecing together a non-conference schedule puzzle, Staley wants November and December to prepare the Gamecocks for March and April.
“The schedule is done, but it was really hard to complete it,” Staley said, “because honestly, they don’t want to play us.”
This year’s schedule ended up falling in line with Staley’s overall wishes: South Carolina found enough takers to headline this season’s loaded non-conference gauntlet.
By Christmas, the Gamecocks could face more than five teams ranked in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, in which South Carolina is ranked No. 2.
Maryland (5), N.C. State (8), South Dakota (25) and reigning national champion Stanford (3) are set in stone for 2021-22. USC will play either No. 10 Oregon or Oklahoma as part of the Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas the week before Thanksgiving.
UConn — No. 1 in the early ESPN ranking — and South Florida will be at the tournament in the Bahamas, too, and there’s a chance the Gamecocks could play either one. South Carolina also has its now-annual meeting with UConn scheduled for Jan. 27, this year at Colonial Life Arena.
Yes, there’s a chance the Gamecocks could meet the Huskies twice before February.
“We’ve never shied away from playing a competitive non-conference schedule, knowing that we play in the best conference in the country,” Staley said.
Howard Megdal, editor-in-chief of women’s basketball website The Next, has taken notice of Staley’s interest in scheduling difficult opponents early. While it’s common for some coaches, such as Staley and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, to prioritize difficulty, Megdal said it’s not something every NCAA head coach puts effort into.
UConn’s non-conference slate is a gauntlet of its own. The Huskies’ 2021-22 schedule includes ESPN’s No. 2 Gamecocks, No. 6 Louisville, No. 10 Oregon and No. 18 Tennessee.
“There are programs who really dedicate themselves to playing a tough schedule, and there are programs that do not,” he told The State. “We’ll leave it at that, but Dawn always does. Dawn goes out of her way to get her team prepared.”
Megdal made a point of the “challenging landscape” at the top tier of the NCAA. Stanford and UConn, two programs in that upper echelon, travel to Columbia this season to face the Gamecocks.
UConn and Stanford both made it to last year’s Final Four. UConn fell to Arizona, and Stanford ended the Gamecocks’ tournament run last season in a heartbreaker at the Final Four. The Cardinal went on to win the national title.
“If you’re thinking about who are the favorites coming in, well, Dawn’s playing them both,” Megdal said. “She’ll have measuring sticks long before March.”
It’s a well-known fact South Carolina will be returning every member of its Final Four team from last season. The Gamecocks also reloaded with the nation’s top recruiting class and added last year’s ACC Freshman and Co-Defender of the Year Kamilla Cardoso from Syracuse.
The Gamecocks’ roster is deep, and Megdal said one of the benefits of scheduling tough opponents early is to get newcomers acclimated in big-game scenarios now.
“However you think about it, it’s important to remember that these are young players,” Megdal said. “These are players, often 18, 19 years old, and the more they can get time against superior competition, the better prepared they are to do it when losing means going home.”
The Gamecocks open the 2021-22 season with a road matchup against defending ACC champion N.C. State, which made it to last year’s Sweet Sixteen before losing to Indiana. The season tips off Nov. 9 in Raleigh.
South Carolina’s first regular-season home game is scheduled with in-state rival Clemson on Nov. 17. The Gamecocks host Elon, MEAC tournament champion North Carolina A&T, Kansas State, Maryland and Stanford as part of their home, out-of-conference tests before SEC play starts.
It’s likely safe to say Staley approves of the lineup of teams coming to Colonial Life Arena.
“Hopefully, we can keep the schedule competitive and give our FAMs an opportunity to see us play and measure ourselves against the best in the country,” Staley said.
USC women’s basketball 2021-22 schedule
Times and TV listed if available
Nov. 1: home vs. Benedict (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Nov. 9: at NC State, 5 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPNU or ACCN — TBD)
Nov. 12: at South Dakota, 7 p.m. (ESPN News)
Nov. 17: home vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 20: vs. Buffalo / at Bahamas
Nov. 21: vs. Oregon or Oklahoma / at Bahamas
Nov. 22: TBA / at Bahamas
Nov. 26: home vs. Elon, 3 p.m.
Nov. 29: home vs. NC A&T, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Dec. 3: home vs. Kansas State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 12. home vs. Maryland, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 15: at Duke, 6 or 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Dec. 21: home vs. Stanford, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Dec. 30: at Missouri, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 2: home vs. Ole Miss, 1 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2, TBD)
Jan. 6: at LSU, 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Jan. 9: home vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Jan. 13: home vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 16: at Arkansas, 3 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2, TBD)
Jan. 24: home vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 27: home vs. UConn, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Jan. 30: at Florida, noon (SEC Network)
Feb. 3: home vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Feb. 6: home vs. Mississippi State, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Feb. 10: at Kentucky, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 13: at Georgia, noon (ESPN2)
Feb. 17: home vs. Auburn, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 20: home vs. Tennessee, noon (ESPN2)
Feb. 24: at Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 27: at Ole Miss, 2 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2, TBD)
March 2-6: SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
