The path to trying to repeat winning the National Championship officially starts on Friday as the South Carolina women's basketball team opens the NCAA Tournament at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks host North Carolina A&T in round one, a team that South Carolina has found success against before. The Gamecocks have won both games between the two, most recently also coming from the postseason. South Carolina beat North Carolina A&T 102-74 in the WNIT back in 2008, which was also played in Columbia. Despite having the series advantages, those games were played a long time ago and Staley can see the talent in the Aggies.
"I've seen a lot of film on them and they are a pretty-well coached basketball team. You can see some of the definitive things they like to do from a perimeter and post standpoint, they pressure in the half court," Staley said of North Carolina A&T. "Just because there's a two by our name and a 15 by theirs, that means nothing to them, shouldn't mean anything to us because we can't take anybody lightly ... they are a very disciplined, well-coached basketball team."
It's been 12 days since the Gamecocks last took the court for a game, but it was a pretty big one as they won their fourth straight SEC Tournament. South Carolina suffered a loss to Tennessee in the final game of the regular season, but found its momentum in the tournament and played three strong games to claim the title. Staley recognizes how much her team grew and played well during that stretch to play some of their best basketball this season.
“I think any time that you can string together the type of wins that we put together in the SEC Tournament, you’re playing your best basketball," Staley said. "You’re talking about beating Tennessee, who I think was No. 12. You’re talking about beating Georgia, who was No. 19 in the country. Then you talk about beating the No. 2 (Mississippi State) team in the country. If I’m not mistaken, I don’t know if any other team in any other conference had that string of competition ... I would consider it our best basketball."
The team also knows this and feels confident with how its been playing leading into the NCAA Tournament. South Carolina ended the regular season without A'ja Wilson, who was suffering vertigo symptoms, and needed everyone else on the team to step up. One of the biggest performers as of late has been Kiki Herbert Harrigan, who averaged 12.2 points per game, two blocks per game and shot just over 59 percent from the field in the last five games.
Having players like Herbert Harrigan step up was exactly what the Gamecocks needed as the season comes to a close. They've also had freshmen LeLe Grissett and LaDazhia Williams see more playing time and make more of an impact on the court, which makes South Carolina confident it will have options off the bench. As for Wilson, she sees the progress her team has made as individuals and how they stepped up while she was out.
"I think she (Herbert Harrigan) is focused and I think that's something that we needed out of her. She's very focused and I think when I was out she knew that she had to step up and that really helped her out a lot," Wilson said. "She had to grow really quickly and I'm very proud of her for doing that. I think it does lift a little pressure off because now they don't have to focus so much on me and Alexis (Jennings), they can focus on her as well. Then we have LeLe coming in and LaDazhia there is different focal points and that's always good."
During this time of year, everything is on the line for all teams and the Gamecocks know they have to have everyone playing at their best if they want to advance. For Staley, the plan is simple: Keep doing what they have been and play like themselves, and the success will follow.
"If they’re not a player that is mentally prepared by being by themselves and visualizing the game, if they’re not those type of players, I’m not going to force them to be that way. I think we need to continue to have them in their comfort zone, so that they can play comfortable basketball – what they’re used to playing," Staley said. "I think at this time in postseason play the team that plays most like themselves early-on is going to be the team that has the most success.”