South Carolina coach Daybreak Staley: We should be the No. 1 general seed

South Carolina coach Daybreak Staley stated her group deserves to be the No. 1 general seed within the upcoming NCAA Event following a dominant run by way of the Southeastern Convention Event, culminating in a powerful 64-45 rout of No. 1 Texas in Sunday’s championship recreation.

The Gamecocks (30-3), who received the nationwide championship final season, entered the SEC Event ranked fifth within the nation and projected to be a No. 2 seed.

However after throttling three league foes by 18, 21 and 19 factors, a No. 1 seed now appears to be a lock.

Nonetheless, Staley thinks her group has earned extra.

“If you win this match and play the schedule that we play, I do suppose we’re the No. 1 general seed,” Staley stated. “We manufactured our schedule to place ourselves on this state of affairs. So I hope the committee doesn’t low cost our whole resume. There isn’t anyone within the nation that has performed the schedule that now we have performed, that had share of the common season title, received this match and beat the No. 1 group within the nation. … there is no such thing as a one.”

She argued that the Gamecocks’ 2024-25 resume — which incorporates 12 wins towards High 25 groups, together with two towards Texas — ought to depend for one thing. South Carolina boasts a 7-3 file towards High 10 groups, with their three losses coming towards No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 UCLA.

The Gamecocks’ 30-game regular-season schedule included 13 video games towards groups within the AP High 25 on the time of the sport — two greater than another ranked group.

Staley stated was “shocked” to study her group was the No. 2 seed coming into the match.

“For those who get a lot credit score for beating us, and but when now we have had a number of the hardest stretches within the nation and got here out of it unscathed, you’ll be able to’t low cost that,” Staley stated. “You possibly can’t discredit that. I will communicate up about it as a result of it’s important to hear the voice of the opposite facet. As a result of in case you do not suppose our physique of works deserves it, then you might want to communicate out on it.”

She added: “I will go down preventing for what our group earned.”

Reporting by The Related Press.

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