Gamecocks 2024-25 Season: Part One

[Bone Dog]

In the spirit of Gamecock-Husky rivalry, let me say

• Dawn doesn’t need to recruit Dauda and I can’t see her adding much
• SC is the clear preseason #1, and not because winning the NC earns it or any such baloney. SC is #1 because of being the best team on paper. I don’t think there’s any question.
• It’s an open question who should be #2. USCw? ND? UConn? Texas? NC St?
• This will be a very interesting season. I can hardly wait.
• My early predictions: SC sweeps the SEC. Tessa gets a lot more minutes. Joyce is a starter by mid season.

One last thought: Dawn has clearly picked up the baton from Geno and Tara. Can he take it back for a few more seasons? We’ll have to wait and see. But Dawn has been on a major roll for the past several years.

 

[yhun89]

In the spirit of Gamecock-Husky rivalry, let me say

• Dawn doesn’t need to recruit Dauda and I can’t see her adding much
• SC is the clear preseason #1, and not because winning the NC earns it or any such baloney. SC is #1 because of being the best team on paper. I don’t think there’s any question.
• It’s an open question who should be #2. USCw? ND? UConn? Texas? NC St?
• This will be a very interesting season. I can hardly wait.
• My early predictions: SC sweeps the SEC. Tessa gets a lot more minutes. Joyce is a starter by mid season.

One last thought: Dawn has clearly picked up the baton from Geno and Tara. Can he take it back for a few more seasons? We’ll have to wait and see. But Dawn has been on a major roll for the past several years.

1. SC
2. Texas
3. ND
4. UCONN
5. USC

Dauda was a leading shot blocker in the SEC. With the departure of Cardoso, she would honestly be a decent pickup. Averaged 10-12 points, 6-7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. Though who know how much time she gets if she's behind Tac, Kitts, Feagin, Walker, and Edwards.

 

[yhun89]

"Geno seeks out a challenge! Like (preseason unranked) NC State! Unlike Dawn Staley, playing (preseason #14) Maryland and (preseason #16) North Carolina!"

Every school has delusion fans not worth your time. On a UConn board, it's to be expected you will see a few Huskies like this.

Despite those two falling short of consensus expectations, I think we still had more regular season OOC wins over the final top 25 than the entire Big Ten. Kind of hard to get a top 30 opponent every night when there are so many other coaches scheduling like Small Town High, padding their record with tomato cans instead of seeking a challenge.

Here's a comparison of UCONN to SC's OOC last season, and the ranks they stand at currently.

Non ranked-teams SC played OOC
Clemson (#90)
SDSU (#51)
Miss. Valley State (#347)
Morgan State (#326)
Presbyterian (#294)
Bowling Green (#182)
East Carolina (#116)
Duke (#20)

Ranked teams SC played OOC
ND (#8)
UCONN (#2)
Utah (#12)
Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)

Non ranked teams UCONN played OOC
NC State (Now #11)
Dayton (#244)
Minnesota (#67)
Ball State (#81)
Toronto: This one is weird to include. According to the NCAA, they did not affect the committee's thoughts on SOS/did not affect the win-loss record. But I'll do it anyway.

Ranked teams UCONN played OOC
Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)
Texas (#3)
UCLA (#6)
ND (#8)
SC (#1)
Louisville (#24)

Non ranked teams: SC had more, 8-5
Ranked-UCONN had more, 7-5

Out of SC's 8 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. Rest are 100 and below, down to nearly 350.
Out of UCONN's 5 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. 1 is 200.


Out of SC's ranked teams, 3 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36.
Out of UCONN's ranked teams, 5 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36. 1 team was not recognized as a game that counted towards our SOS or win-loss record. But it's safe to say they were D2/maybe extremely low D1 caliber.

Conclusion: We had a very similar ranked OOC schedule, but non-ranked wise, there's a clear difference.

 

[ConwayGmck]

Here's a comparison of UCONN to SC's OOC last season, and the ranks they stand at currently.

Non ranked-teams SC played OOC
Clemson (#90)
SDSU (#51)
Miss. Valley State (#347)
Morgan State (#326)
Presbyterian (#294)
Bowling Green (#182)
East Carolina (#116)
Duke (#20)

Ranked teams SC played OOC
ND (#8)
UCONN (#2)
Utah (#12)
Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)

Non ranked teams UCONN played OOC
NC State (Now #11)
Dayton (#244)
Minnesota (#67)
Ball State (#81)
Toronto: This one is weird to include. According to the NCAA, they did not affect the committee's thoughts on SOS/did not affect the win-loss record. But I'll do it anyway.

Ranked teams UCONN played OOC
Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)
Texas (#3)
UCLA (#6)
ND (#8)
SC (#1)
Louisville (#24)

Non ranked teams: SC had more, 8-5
Ranked-UCONN had more, 7-5

Out of SC's 8 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. Rest are 100 and below, down to nearly 350.
Out of UCONN's 5 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. 1 is 200.


Out of SC's ranked teams, 3 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36.
Out of UCONN's ranked teams, 5 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36. 1 team was not recognized as a game that counted towards our SOS or win-loss record. But it's safe to say they were D2/maybe extremely low D1 caliber.

Conclusion: We had a very similar ranked OOC schedule, but non-ranked wise, there's a clear difference.

I see you're using NCAA.org's official NET rankings - Stanford (#5 NET ranking per NCAA.org) dropped out of their home-and-home agreement with South Carolina prior to the season. That would have risen the Gamecocks' OOC NET ranking a bit. Dawn Staley has stated before that other top programs have refused to schedule regular-season games with the Gamecocks, although beyond Stanford who's agreement with USC was already a matter of public record - the other programs wouldn't drop the Gamecocks in mid-series agreement, they just would avoid agreeing to start up one.

But if we're going to cherry-pick the NCAA NET rankings in order to make some declarative statement regarding the strength of schedules that USC and Connecticut play, then lets look at the entirety:

Since NCAA.org began compiling NET rankings for WCBB, CT has typically scheduled the best OOC schedules, while South Carolina has scheduled in the top 10 in that area:

OOC NET Rankings:

19-20: SC - 3rd, CT - 4th (this actually may have been the last year that NCAA.org based their rankings on RPI) (Louisville, Gonzaga)
20-21: SC - 9th, CT - 5th (Butler, Tulsa, Eastern KY, Lehigh - remember this season was all kinds of screwed up due to Covid)
21-22: SC - 2nd, CT - 1st
22-23: SC - 10th, CT - 1st
23-24: SC - 4th, CT - 1st

However, when one wishes to remark "I'm not against Dawn or anything but she is capable of a much better schedule than this" - not to say that regularly scheduling top-10 NET OOC schedules is anything to poo-poo at under any circumstance, we must remember that the OOC schedule is NOT the entire season's schedule for these programs:

Overall NET Rankings:

19-20: SC - 1st, CT - 4th
20-21: SC - 5th, CT - 2nd (Stanford)
21-22: SC - 1st, CT - 4th
22-23: SC - 1st, CT - 3rd
23-24: SC - 1st, CT - 3rd

If the overall schedule NET rankings are consistently #1, what degree of significance is there to whatever lack of NET ranking for a lesser portion of said schedule?

 

[Coburn]

after her weekend visit, 6-4 Arky transfer Maryam Dauda says she is down to either SC or Baylor for her new team & will announce her decision sometime this week.

 

[TN-Gamecock]

after her weekend visit, 6-4 Arky transfer Maryam Dauda says she is down to either SC or Baylor for her new team & will announce her decision sometime this week.

If Dawn wanted a banger inside, why did she not go after Beers?

 

[TN-Gamecock]

I wanted Beers to go to UCONN. I thought with her transfer, she is the missing link for Geno. If he had a banger inside you guy's would've been much tougher to beat this past year.

 

[bballnut90]

If Dawn wanted a banger inside, why did she not go after Beers?

Taking Beers would be a slap in the face to Watkins/Feagin/Kitts IMO, as all 3 paid their dues and are primed to get big minutes next year. Dauda is a backup if she picks South Carolina and likely is 5th on the post player depth chart after those 3 and Edwards. Beers was going to start wherever she ended up and would've sent one of those 3 down on the depth chart if she went to South Carolina.

 

[bballnut90]

after her weekend visit, 6-4 Arky transfer Maryam Dauda says she is down to either SC or Baylor for her new team & will announce her decision sometime this week.

She was originally committed to Baylor out of HS but reopened her recruitment once Kim left for LSU.

Dauda's solid and would fit in well as a backup post. Can't hurt to have too much depth and I think she'd improve her draft stock playing at SC where there's more emphasis on player development and post play than at Arkansas. The problem is, she likely would be a career backup at South Carolina. She's the same class as Watkins/Kitts and isn't going to beat either out in the next 2 years unless they get injured, and even then she's competing against 6-5 Tac and #3 recruit Joyce Edwards. SC offers an unparalleled combination of NIL opportunities, chances to win titles and top level coaching though so picking SC could pay off in the long run for Dauda even if it means she sacrifices individual success in the meantime.

 

[TN-Gamecock]

Beers was going to start wherever she ended up and would've sent one of those 3 down on the depth chart if she went to South Carolina.

And that's ok if she delivers!!! National Championships are the name of the game. I thought Beers would fare much better at UCONN, but who knows?

 

[bballnut90]

And that's ok if she delivers!!! National Championships are the name of the game. I thought Beers would fare much better at UCONN, but who knows?

She's great but adding in a player of her caliber to a team that doesn't need her (South Carolina) would've significantly altered team chemistry IMO. Beers at UCONN I saw as a very good fit, though it would've created a logjam in the post assuming everyone is healthy (which is a BIG if considering UCONN's health the last 3 years). That said, she would've been a notable upgrade over anyone they have coming back.

OU is also a really good fit for her though. She'll likely be a star there and will compete against some of the best bigs in the nation playing in the SEC. Title chances will be reduced compared to South Carolina or UCONN, but she'll have an opportunity to help grow the fan base in Oklahoma and take the program to heights they haven't been to in 15 years.

 

[Coburn]

I wanted Beers to go to UCONN. I though with her transfer, she is the missing link for Geno. If he had a banger inside you guy's would've been much tougher to beat this past year.

1/ Beers was a ‘do not contact’ . Considering her final two, she had no interest in a SC. Also as discussed at that time ad nauseam on the SC boards, despite her talent, she would not have been a good roster fit for the type of transition O & tough man to man switching D we play.

2/ also curious as to why are u addressing UConn fans in the SC general board thread & at the same time dredging up dead & buried speculative Reagan Beers transfer talk?
Let it Go .

Back to Dauda. While I’m surprised she has SC in her top 2 considering our current front court players/soon arrival of JE, I’ll gladly welcome her addition to further bolster the roster. Personally, I believe she will pick Baylor (home proximity, original recruitment factor). However, if she decides SC, as long as she practices & plays her role under the expectations that CDS surely laid out for her on her visit, she’s a definite take . Adding an athletic 6-4 post presence w/ SEC starting experience for added depth…Yes, please .

 

[Coburn]

She was originally committed to Baylor out of HS but reopened her recruitment once Kim left for LSU.

Dauda's solid and would fit in well as a backup post. Can't hurt to have too much depth and I think she'd improve her draft stock playing at SC where there's more emphasis on player development and post play than at Arkansas. The problem is, she likely would be a career backup at South Carolina. She's the same class as Watkins/Kitts and isn't going to beat either out in the next 2 years unless they get injured, and even then she's competing against 6-5 Tac and #3 recruit Joyce Edwards. SC offers an unparalleled combination of NIL opportunities, chances to win titles and top level coaching though so picking SC could pay off in the long run for Dauda even if it means she sacrifices individual success in the meantime.

Maybe Dawn pitched her on the Amihere role.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

She was originally committed to Baylor out of HS but reopened her recruitment once Kim left for LSU.

Dauda's solid and would fit in well as a backup post. Can't hurt to have too much depth and I think she'd improve her draft stock playing at SC where there's more emphasis on player development and post play than at Arkansas. The problem is, she likely would be a career backup at South Carolina. She's the same class as Watkins/Kitts and isn't going to beat either out in the next 2 years unless they get injured, and even then she's competing against 6-5 Tac and #3 recruit Joyce Edwards. SC offers an unparalleled combination of NIL opportunities, chances to win titles and top level coaching though so picking SC could pay off in the long run for Dauda even if it means she sacrifices individual success in the meantime.

i think she's talented enough to start at SCar personally.

 

[GoChips20]

i think she's talented enough to start at SCar personally.

I agree, and I’m not sure she’d start at Baylor either given Vonleh’s commitment.

 

[bballnut90]

i think she's talented enough to start at SCar personally.

Who do you see her beating out?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Who do you see her beating out?

Better size than Watkins, Kitts, and Edwards.

Arguably as talented or better than Feagin, certainly Walker.

More experienced and healthier than Tac.

Working against her is the seniority factor and she'll need to adjust out of Arkansas system.

Dauda is a good player.

 

[GamecockFam]

I wonder if CDS wants to have 3-point threats at all 5 positions this next season. I could see that as a reason to bring in Dauda. Kitts and Feagin can shoot the 3 even if they haven't taken many in their careers but Dauda will add that size and shooting at the 5. Adding her could open up the floor for the guards to get crafty.

 

[visitingcock]

If Dawn wanted a banger inside, why did she not go after Beers?

My review of a few videos of Dauda does nor reveal a "banger." Indeed, she appears to be a finesse player and doesn't have much game in the paint. She floats around the 3 pt line. Betts just had her way against Dauda. Pushed her around with very little effort

Against Betts and Kamilla and Ashlyn, she had 3 rebounds total. Someone said she was second in the SEC in blocked shots? Nope, she was behind Kamilla and Ashlyn. If you compare blocks per minute and rebounds per minute, she's way behind Ashlynn.

SHE IS NOT A LOW POST PLAYER. We don't need another forward,

But, Dawn knows more then me.

 

[GamecockFam]

My review of a few videos of Dauda does nor reveal a "banger." Indeed, she appears to be a finesse player and doesn't have much game in the paint. She floats around the 3 pt line. Betts just had her way against Dauda. Pushed her around with very little effort

Against Betts and Kamilla and Ashlyn, she had 3 rebounds total. Someone said she was second in the SEC in blocked shots? Nope, she was behind Kamilla and Ashlyn. If you compare blocks per minute and rebounds per minute, she's way behind Ashlynn.

SHE IS NOT A LOW POST PLAYER. We don't need another forward,

But, Dawn knows more then me.

I wouldn't read too much into her prior stats because she lived in a system that did not emphasize traditional post play. I think it's more about looking at her potential and she has the body to be a low post players.

 

[Bone Dog]

My review of a few videos of Dauda does nor reveal a "banger." Indeed, she appears to be a finesse player and doesn't have much game in the paint. She floats around the 3 pt line. Betts just had her way against Dauda. Pushed her around with very little effort

Against Betts and Kamilla and Ashlyn, she had 3 rebounds total. Someone said she was second in the SEC in blocked shots? Nope, she was behind Kamilla and Ashlyn. If you compare blocks per minute and rebounds per minute, she's way behind Ashlynn.

SHE IS NOT A LOW POST PLAYER. We don't need another forward,

But, Dawn knows more then me.

That's kinda how it looks to me too. I can see Dawn wanting another stretch-4 just for the perimeter boost. She already has plenty of muscle in the paint. But it looks like Dauda will only help at the margins. Would she really start? I don't see it.

But she has SC as one of her final 2 so she must see something from her side. She may want to be on an NC contender (maybe even the favorite) even if she'd only be a role-player coming off the bench. At Baylor, she'd probably see more PT, but the NC hopes are much slimmer.

Maybe it's just me and my delusions, but I expect Watkins and Edwards to anchor the front court by midseason. That's a lot of talent and muscle right there, and quickness. Dawn likes quick athletic teams. If the Freshies were anything, they were that -- quick and athletic.

 

[SCGamecock]

Dauda has 2 years of eligibility left. It’s entirely possible she wants to develop more of a low post game to go along with her perimeter game.

It also has dawned on me that Dauda is an international business major and that is the most prestigious degree at SC, it’s consistently the best program in the country. Dauda would be a rising junior. As a DMSB alum, I’m aware junior year is the year you actually enter the IB program at SC (or it used to be when I was there, might’ve changed). Something to ponder.

 

[visitingcock]

Here's a comparison of UCONN to SC's OOC last season, and the ranks they stand at currently.

Non ranked-teams SC played OOC
Clemson (#90) Mandatory game in all sports rivalry that has existed since the 1990s (they burned our campus)
SDSU (#51) Year in and year out G-5 highly ranked G-5
Miss. Valley State (#347) Fill in after Stanford cancellation
Morgan State (#326) (HBCU. Dawn's favor)
Presbyterian (#294) politically semi-mandated that we play one SC based small school per year.
Bowling Green (#182) ( road game requested by former assistant. Sold out his arena - over 4,000)
East Carolina (#116)
Duke (#20) ????????????????????????????? (unranked??????)

Ranked teams SC played OOC
ND (#8)
UCONN (#2)
Utah (#12)

ADD Duke to SCar's total

Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)

Non ranked teams UCONN played OOC
NC State (Now #11)
Dayton (#244)
Minnesota (#67)
Ball State (#81)
Toronto: This one is weird to include. According to the NCAA, they did not affect the committee's thoughts on SOS/did not affect the win-loss record. But I'll do it anyway.

Ranked teams UCONN played OOC
Maryland (#32)
UNC (#36)
Texas (#3)
UCLA (#6)
ND (#8)
SC (#1)
Louisville (#24)

Non ranked teams: SC had more, 8-5
Ranked-UCONN had more, 7-5

Out of SC's 8 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. Rest are 100 and below, down to nearly 350.
Out of UCONN's 5 non ranked teams, 3 are top 100, only 1 is top 25. 1 is 200.


Out of SC's ranked teams, 3 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36.
Out of UCONN's ranked teams, 5 are top 25, 2 are 30 and below, down to 36. 1 team was not recognized as a game that counted towards our SOS or win-loss record. But it's safe to say they were D2/maybe extremely low D1 caliber.

Conclusion: We had a very similar ranked OOC schedule, but non-ranked wise, there's a clear difference.

You don't count #20 Duke as a ranked team for SCar?
Stanford cancelled our game at the last minute causing y'all to have 1 game lead in number of ranked OOC opponents.

Yes, it was an off year, but blaming Dawn is ridiculous. We played who would play us.

Note: Using NET rankings is questionable as they end with the regular season and do not reflect success or failure in the tournament. RPI does reflect tournament games. FWIW Scar's final RPI is SOS is 13. UConn's is 3.

 

[visitingcock]

I wouldn't read too much into her prior stats because she lived in a system that did not emphasize traditional post play. I think it's more about looking at her potential and she has the body to be a low post players.

If you watch her videos, she does try to play low post on defense. She looks helpless against big bodies. Her body type is to thin and she lacks strength to defend against true "centers." (Ashlynn is also too thin, but her strength and conditioning are excellent)

Can Dawn's physical regimen build her strength to an acceptable level? Well, that's for Dawn to answer - not me.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I wouldn't read too much into her prior stats because she lived in a system that did not emphasize traditional post play. I think it's more about looking at her potential and she has the body to be a low post players.

I'll just come out and say it. Dauda was poorly coached at Arkansas. She's got something that Coach Dawn Staley believes can be beneficial to the squad (something that the returnees may lack altogether or not have enough of), so why not see if she's interested in reaching her potential in this system?