In 2008, Dawn Staley took over a South Carolina women's basketball program that was essentially dead, having failed to put together a winning conference record or reach the NCAA Tournament in its last five seasons under Susan Walvius. By last season, Staley had made the Gamecocks into a powerhouse, having reached the program's first ever Final Four in 2014-15 before posting a 33-2 record last year.
Staley has led the Gamecocks into the Sweet Sixteen in four of the last five seasons, falling just one win short in the year of the lone exception. From the last few seasons, particularly the Final Four run, one key piece is missing: three-time All-American guard Tiffany Mitchell. Replacing Mitchell in 2016-17 will be difficult, but, luckily for the Gamecocks, their main rival has far more to replace.
Fresh off its fourth-consecutive national title, Connecticut will look to move on this season without its three-headed monster of Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson. The three players combined for 45.7 points per game last season, more than 50 percent of the Huskies' offensive output. That fails to take into account the fact that those three players were the team's leaders in assists, and Stewart and Tuck topped the Huskies in rebounds.
Replacing Stewart, the four-time Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, would be tough enough for the Huskies, but replacing the next two best players from last year's team has Connecticut looking uphill for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks have to replace Mitchell, as well as a portion of last season's supporting cast in Khadijah Sessions, Sarah Imovbioh, Tina Roy, Asia Dozier and Jatarie White. However, there is plenty of talent ready to step into big roles right away for South Carolina.
Georgia Tech transfer Kaela Davis is one of two transfers eligible after playing last season, and the 6-foot-2 guard should be a matchup nightmare for opponents, as Staley says Davis has the ability to play any position on the court. The No. 2 player in the 2013 recruiting class, Davis earned All-ACC honors in both of her years in Atlanta, leading the conference with 19.2 points per game as a sophomore. With the graduation of both backcourt starters from last year's Gamecocks, Davis appears to be a plug-and-play solution for Staley, and she could even be an upgrade.
South Carolina has another 6-foot guard now eligible in North Carolina transfer Allisha Gray. Gray was the No. 7 overall player in the 2013 class, and she also earned All-ACC honors in 2014-15 after averaging 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while pacing the team in made threes. Between Davis and Gray, the Gamecocks could have a backcourt to replace Mitchell and Sessions, or even surpass it.
Staley also pulled in the nation's No. 27 recruit for the incoming freshman class in guard Tyasha Harris, who has extensive experience in the USA Basketball program. Harris averaged over 23 points per game in her senior year of high school, and the freshman could factor into the rotation immediately.
This whole article has ignored the obvious: the dominant duo of A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates, both of whom are named to the Preseason All-SEC team for the upcoming season. The 6-foot-4 Coates averaged a double-double, while the 6-foot-5 Wilson was named as the SEC Player of the Year after leading the Gamecocks with 16.1 points per game. Throughout last season, the South Carolina frontcourt gave teams of all skill levels fits, as the size, power and touch of both players is unmatched by any team in the country.
Outside of Davis, Gray and Harris, the Gamecocks still have plenty of talent to support the established bigs. Bianca Cuevas-Moore may step into the role of starting point guard after showing flashes of top-level play last season. Doniyah Cliney and Tiffany Davis are healthy and ready to make big contributions off the bench.
The point is this: South Carolina has four of the best players in the country who can all play together in the starting lineup, and all are at least 6 feet tall. With a coach like Staley and a strong supporting cast that includes Cuevas-Moore and Harris, the Gamecocks have all the pieces to overtake a rebuilding Connecticut team. Also, South Carolina will yet again be battle-tested after a strong non-conference schedule and be put through the grind of an SEC schedule.
A healthy Gamecock team should be the favorite to cut down the nets at the end of the season. Wilson can steal the show as the nation's best player, while Staley can continue to improve her coaching resume, as South Carolina has the most talent in the country.