NCAAW: What’s next for South Carolina after championship game stunner?

First, kudos to the South Carolina Gamecocks for another remarkable season.

Entering Sunday’s national championship game, which was their third title game in the last five years, head coach Dawn Staley had led her team to an impressive 35-3 record, which included a share of the SEC regular-season championship and the SEC Tournament championship. South Carolina was red hot throughout this entire season, notching a season-high 17-game winning streak before going another 12-game winning streak that ultimately ended in the championship game.

South Carolina’s championship stunner

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

For many, South Carolina were the favorites of many to win it all, but so was UConn, leading to the classic “when an unstoppable object meets an immovable force” situation between the two squads led by Staley and Geno Auriemma.

The anticipation for the matchup was high because it featured what most fans and analysts considered the top two squads. Despite UConn blowing South Carolina out earlier this season, nobody expected them to do it again—especially on the biggest of all stages. Yet, that’s what happened, as UConn stunned South Carolina with the 82-59 win to seal their season.

The Gamecocks were outshot and outrebounded by the Huskies as they struggled to find easy scoring opportunities. Only two South Carolina players reached double figures in scoring, with Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson tying for the team high with 10 points off the bench each. It was a particularly disappointing game for MiLaysia Fulwiley, who saw only 18 minutes and scored nine points as she made several poor decisions on both ends of the floor.

With their offense out of sorts, South Carolina’s usually tight defense, the foundation of their success, slackened, opening the gates for UConn to run away with the title.

What’s next for the Gamecocks?

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Despite falling in the championship game, Staley and the her program will not be negatively impacted long-term. Not one bit. Again, this is their third visit to the national championship in five years—and only the first time they have fallen short in any of the visits.

There’s an obvious recipe for success brewing in South Carolina that will keep working for years to come, just as it already has in the past. That’s the sentiment that Bree Hall expressed in her post-game press conference.

Hall, along with with fellow seniors Sania Feagin, Te-Hina Paopa and Sakima Walker will be gone from next year’s team, while Raven Johnson, a WNBA Draft-eligible junior, has yet to announce her decision.

Otherwise, all of South Carolina’s key contributors should be back, including the injured Ashlyn Watkins. According to ESPN, Staley also will be welcoming the No. 5-ranked freshman class to Columbia, headlined by the No. 4-ranked recruit Agot Makeer, while a high-profile transfer or two could also choose to wear Garnet and Black.

Sunday was a tough ending to yet another historic season, but there is no reason not to anticipate South Carolina keeping up, or even elevating, their high level of play moving forward. With Staley as your leader, anything is possible. She knows how to turn the sadness and frustration into the simmering fuel required to return to the top. And we can’t wait to watch them do it!