South Carolina Gamecocks Aim for Historic SEC Run
As the SEC women’s basketball season kicks off this Thursday, all eyes are on the South Carolina Gamecocks. They are embarking on a quest to achieve something that has only been done once before in the history of SEC women’s basketball: going undefeated for a third consecutive league season. The Gamecocks, who are currently ranked No. 2 in this week’s ESPN women’s college basketball Power Rankings, have dominated the SEC with a 16-0 record in each of the past two seasons.
Thursday’s action will see all 16 SEC teams in play. South Carolina will begin their conference journey at Missouri at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Meanwhile, the league’s newcomers, Texas and Oklahoma, will face off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
It’s been a while since any SEC team has managed to defeat South Carolina in the regular season. The last team to do so was Missouri, back on December 30, 2021, in an overtime thriller. That same season, the Gamecocks also lost the SEC tournament final to Kentucky, but they bounced back to win the 2022 national championship.
In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, South Carolina lost just one game in total, falling to Iowa in the 2023 national semifinals, amassing an impressive 74-1 record over that period. As of the 2024-25 season, the Gamecocks stand at 12-1, with their only loss coming on November 24 at UCLA.
The Gamecocks’ success is built on a balanced and deep roster. Seven players are averaging between 11.4 and 7.0 points per game, with Te-Hina Paopao leading the charge at 11.4 PPG. Chloe Kitts is the top rebounder, averaging 7.7 RPG, while Ashlyn Watkins anchors the defense with 2.0 blocks per game.
Under the leadership of coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina has been the dominant force in the SEC for over a decade. Since the 2013-14 season, the Gamecocks have an astounding 161-15 record in SEC regular-season play. They’ve claimed or shared the league regular-season title eight times and have won eight SEC tournament titles during this period.
South Carolina has achieved four of the 21 perfect SEC seasons since the league began sponsoring women’s basketball in 1982-83. The Tennessee Lady Volunteers hold the record with nine perfect seasons, including three consecutive undefeated seasons from 1993-95. However, none of Tennessee’s eight national championships came during that stretch.
Other perfect SEC seasons include two each by the Georgia Lady Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers from 1986-91. The SEC schedule has evolved over the years, increasing from nine games to the current 16-game format since 2010. Since then, only South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Tennessee have gone unbeaten in league play, with South Carolina achieving this feat four times.
As the Gamecocks embark on this season, they face a conference projected to have 10 teams in the NCAA tournament, according to ESPN’s Charlie Creme. The consistent success of South Carolina in such a competitive league is one of the most remarkable achievements in college sports over the past decade.
- South Carolina Gamecocks: 12-1
- UCLA Bruins: 14-0
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 11-2
- USC Trojans: 13-1
- Texas Longhorns: 13-1
As the SEC season unfolds, the question remains: Can South Carolina continue their dominance and achieve another perfect season? With a roster full of talent and a coach with a proven track record, the Gamecocks are certainly poised to make history once again.
Originally Written by: Michael Voepel
