South Carolina coach Dawn Staley: We deserve to be the No. 1 overall seed

South Carolina coach Daybreak Staley stated her workforce deserves to be the No. 1 total seed within the upcoming NCAA Event following a dominant run by the Southeastern Convention Event, culminating in a formidable 64-45 rout of No. 1 Texas in Sunday’s championship recreation.

The Gamecocks (30-3), who received the nationwide championship final season, entered the SEC Event ranked fifth within the nation and projected to be a No. 2 seed.

However after throttling three league foes by 18, 21 and 19 factors, a No. 1 seed now appears to be a lock.

Nevertheless, Staley thinks her workforce has earned extra.

“Once you win this match and play the schedule that we play, I do assume we’re the No. 1 total seed,” Staley stated. “We manufactured our schedule to place ourselves on this state of affairs. So I hope the committee doesn’t low cost our total resume. There isn’t anyone within the nation that has performed the schedule that we have now performed, that had share of the common season title, received this match and beat the No. 1 workforce within the nation. … there isn’t a one.”

She argued that the Gamecocks’ 2024-25 resume — which incorporates 12 wins towards High 25 groups, together with two towards Texas — ought to depend for one thing. South Carolina boasts a 7-3 report towards High 10 groups, with their three losses coming towards No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 UCLA.

The Gamecocks’ 30-game regular-season schedule included 13 video games towards groups within the AP High 25 on the time of the sport — two greater than every other ranked workforce.

Staley stated was “shocked” to study her workforce was the No. 2 seed coming into the match.

“In the event you get a lot credit score for beating us, and but when we have now had a number of the hardest stretches within the nation and got here out of it unscathed, you may’t low cost that,” Staley stated. “You’ll be able to’t discredit that. I will communicate up about it as a result of you need to hear the voice of the opposite aspect. As a result of in case you do not assume our physique of works deserves it, then you might want to communicate out on it.”

She added: “I will go down preventing for what our workforce earned.”

Reporting by The Related Press.

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