Calls Mount Against Notre Dame as Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Faces Major Injustice

Scripts are flipping fast on women’s college basketball rankings. Just last week, Notre Dame looked every bit the no.1 seed team that had defeated the current top 3— Texas, USC, and UConn. Stars like Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles had ensured of that. “You put all her talent together, it’s a really difficult matchup for anybody,” shared Geno Auriemma of the sophomore guard. But one rough week, and the Fighting Irish find themselves off the top 5. Yet, the team in focus is one that has had fate on its side.

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Notre Dame entered the week positioned no.3 on the AP Polls and on a 19-game win streak. But a trip to Reynolds Coliseum saw coach Niele Ivey’s team crumble. No.13 ranked NC State initially handed the Fighting Irish a 104-95 loss in double overtime, and Florida State made things worse, limiting Miles to 3-of-7 from the field and Hidalgo to 4-of-18. Sonia Citron’s 21-point went in vain as the Seminoles refused to let go off the lead for 3 quarters.

An 86-81 loss would drop the Fighting Irish to no.6 on the AP Polls, their lowest since week 6. Though they bounced back with a solid win against Louisville, the damage had been done. ”We had a rough week,” coach Ivey would admit.

A stinging fall for a team that held on to the top spot just two weeks ago. But the talk of the town was Dawn Staley’s team that had positives piling up for the week and longer.

South Carolina moved up to the No. 5 spot, earning a significant boost despite some recent struggles of their own. This comes after the team took two top-10 losses in an eight-day stretch before recovering to win four straight games to close out the regular season. Moreover, fate proved to be on Staley’s side when SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey flipped the coin to determine the no.1 seed for the tournament, and it landed in favour of the Gamecocks.

It has been a good stretch for Staley and it didn’t go unnoticed by fans when they didn’t make it higher still in the rankings.

Fans rally behind South Carolina as AP Poll uplifts them: good or bad? 

While Notre Dame went unnoticed, the Gamecocks were advocated for a higher rank by fans. “Y’all have all these teams before South Carolina—it’s crazy. Who else wants to create a poll so we can move on from this one? It’s crazy,” added a user on X.

With an exceptional depth and consistent production, Staley’s Gamecocks have earned the conversations around them. South Carolina’s bench alone averages around 51.6 points per game, the highest in the nation. This helps them outscore opponents’ benches by nearly nine points.

“This poll is so crazy. The hate for South Carolina is real. All good though. They’re about to win the SEC tournament,” added another user.

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“Y’all did South Carolina dirty as hell!!! NC State?!” added another user. As of now, the team is riding a winning streak of four games. Not just that, their Sunday’s win over Kentucky marked SC’s 48th straight home win in conference play which is the longest active streak in Div 1.

Well, all these efforts were only worth No. 5 in the AP Polls for SC. And, there’s a reason behind it. The now No. 1 Texas Longhorns, sitting for the second time at first, is driving 22 home games winning steak. It also marks a tie for the fourth-largest active streak in Div 1. Coming off their recent wins against Georgia, Florida and Mississippi State, the Longhorns got 25 first-place ballots to secure their rank.

But still, their 29-2 record wasn’t enough for fans to justify their standing atop. “No way Texas should be Number 1.” penned a spectator. Well, the spectators made some sense too as Texas wasn’t the only team with losing 2 streaks. Previously ranking No. 4 USC also features 26-2 overall record.

Not just that, the team’s standout Juju Watkins boasts 32.0 points per game which is the fifth highest against a single opponent by a major conference player in the last 26 years. Notably, she’s standing right behind Iowa’s legend Caitlin Clark.

“AP polls proving they are not fit for purpose. You hacks don’t deserve access to enclosed, limited spaces in the White House and its analogues,” added a user. Another major team that saw an uplift was the UConn Huskies. The previously No. 5 has now managed to sit at No. 3 after Sunday’s win over Marquette. Well, it also marked the Huskies’ sixth game with at least 90 points this season. However, UConn stands with 28-3 at third whereas UCLA despite having 27-2 is placed right below them.

“The women’s poll has been wonky all year,” added another user. It marks a slip for the Bruins as they held No. 2 before. It all came after Saturday’s loss to USC wherein the Bruins for the first time did not lead in a game this season. Overall, these ranks hold great importance, especially as it’s only a couple of days left before March Madness. What do you think? Are these justified?