The South Carolina Gamecocks were looking for a rare repeat as national champions, but ultimately fell short of their goal following their 82-59 loss in the NCAA Tournament to the UConn Huskies. Winning back-to-back titles is no easy feat, and the Gamecocks just couldn't match up with the Huskies. Following the loss, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was brutally honest in her assessment of the game, as per GoGamecocks.

“We lost to a very good basketball team,” Staley said. “They beat our a**, but they didn't make us like it. There's a difference.”

The game was never particularly close after halftime as UConn cruised to victory over South Carolina, marking the second time these two programs have met in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament in the past four seasons. South Carolina defeated UConn in 2022.

Nevertheless, Dawn Staley has built a culture of excellence and winning at South Carolina that will continue beyond this season. This marks the third appearance in the national title game for the Gamecocks in the last four years. They went 2-1 in those appearances including last year's undefeated season. In 2023 they were in the Final Four.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) controls the ball against the Houston Cougars during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Duke basketball gives potential top 10 pick ‘best shooter’ shoutout
Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl in the middle, Tahaad Pettiford on one side and UCF player Keyshawn Hall on the other side.
Predicting Auburn basketball’s 2026 National Title chances after Final Four loss
UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) dribbles the ball upcourt against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half at Dickies Arena.
Yaxel Lendeborg’s game-changing potential gets Michigan basketball coach’s attention

Since Staley first took the helm as South Carolina head coach in 2008, she's complied a record of 475-110. She's led the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of those 16 seasons; the 2020 season notwithstanding as the tournament was cancelled that year.

Looking at next season's team, South Carolina will need to find a way to replace several key departing players in Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Sania Feagin and Bree Hall, all of whom are out of college basketball eligibility.

The Gamecocks do have a very promising building block in sophomore-to-be Joyce Edwards. Edwards is among the top rising forward/centers in the country. So far, South Carolina has two recruits coming in for the class of 2025 in five-star wing Ayla McDowell and five-star wing Agot Makeer.