South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley (Image via Imagn)

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley gave an interesting insight into what practice was like on Wednesday for the third-ranked Gamecocks. Through a post on her X account, Staley suggested that the quality of the scrimmage between the teams’ first and second units was blockbuster.

“Practice notes: that scrimmage our 1st & 2nd units just played?! The ultimate competition-I don’t know if it was the ‘practicing for the day off tomorrow’ was the motivation but baby any arena in the stratosphere would have been SOLD OUT and standing room only. @GamecockWBB 🥰🥰”

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South Carolina (9-1) has been on a tear as of late. Since losing its first game since 2023 against UCLA on Nov. 24, they’ve gone 4-0 and don’t look to be slowing down any time soon.

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks get back on track at No. 3 ranking

Dawn Staley’s charges have rallied impressively well from their 77-62 defeat at then-No. 5 UCLA, which dropped South Carolina to No. 4 from No. 1. They’ve convincingly beaten strong teams like Iowa State, Purdue, Duke and most recently, TCU. The run has propelled them to the No. 3 spot.

Their defense has been the highlight in the winning streak, as well as their ability to show patience on offense and use their physical strength to overpower their opponents.

Staley is happy with the team’s performance, and judging from the sneak peek she gave the world into the team culture at practice, she believes in her team more than she ever has at this stage.

“We’re defending like our normal selves,” Staley said. “We are very patient offensively. We know what really works for us offensively.”

Other coaches, like TCU’s Mark Campbell, know how good the South Carolina Gamecocks truly are. They’re led by a world-class coach and are the defending champions for a reason.

“You schedule South Carolina to test yourself and learn where you’re at this point in the season against the best program in college basketball,” Campbell told reporters.

If the team culture behind closed doors is as competitive as Staley says it is, then it’s a warning sign for the rest of the programs in college basketball. Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks aren’t going anywhere, and they’re for sure chasing back-to-back titles.