South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley discussed her team’s physical and mental state before a game on Sunday.

Nov 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley during the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images.

Dawn Staley and her defending NCAA National Champion South Carolina Gamecocks squad have spent a large portion of their 2024-25 season on the road.

They opened up their title defense campaign in Las Vegas to play Michigan, then came back to the East Coast to play a game against NC State at a neutral site in Charlotte, North Carolina, had two home games, faced Clemson during an away game (which is only about a 30-minute car ride), flew back across the country to face UCLA in Los Angeles, then headed straight to Fort Myers, Florida, for two games, played one home game against Duke, then traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to play TCU — all in a span of 34 days.

That’s a whole lot of traveling for 10 basketball games; especially considering that the Gamecocks roster also has school to deal with.

This is why it made sense to hear Dawn Staley say that her team is feeling a bit worn down right now when speaking to the media on Friday.

“I was tired. I was tired,” Staley said when discussing her team’s travel-intensive start to the season, per Matt Dowell. “I look forward to this break, I look forward to our Christmas break, although I know we got a few more games to play.

“I think our players have really locked in. I know they have to be exhausted physically, mentally, and welcome the break that’s coming up. But they still want to approach each game and play to our standard,” Staley continued.

If South Carolina is exhausted right now, the prospect of them being well-rested must be terrifying for opposing teams.