South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley sees the early-season upsets across women's college basketball not just as a surprise, but as a wake-up call, especially for her undefeated Gamecocks. With a perfect 4-0 record, South Carolina stands out in a season already marked by unexpected defeats of top teams.

Preseason favorites like No. 1 LSU and No. 2 UConn have already stumbled, with LSU losing to Colorado and UConn falling to NC State. Iowa, another high-ranked team, faced a similar fate against Kansas State.

This trend of upsets isn't limited to the top teams. Near misses, such as Princeton's challenge to No. 3 UCLA and Duke pushing then-No. 6 Stanford to overtime, further illustrate the increasing competitiveness in women's basketball. Staley, who led her team to a dominant 78-38 victory over South Dakota State on Monday, views these developments as positive signs for the sport.

“I think women’s basketball is good,” she said, as reported by Emma Hruby of Just Women's Sports. “We could talk about parity, but we’re good. Our sport is at a really good place where anybody feels like they could beat anybody. It’s come to pass, and I think that helps everybody else when you see it.”

Staley's perspective extends beyond just observing these upsets as a fan of the sport. For her and the Gamecocks, these surprising results serve as a reminder of the necessity for constant preparation. Recognizing the potential for any team to be next on the upset list, Staley emphasizes the importance of being prepared.

“When you see it, you prepare a little bit better,” Staley said. “You’ve got examples of what it could look like for you if you lose a basketball game. More so than just coaching your team up, they see it, they feel it. It is a real thing out there when you see teams get upset.”