South Carolina women’s basketball: Can Aliyah Boston add national title to her legacy?

Over the years, Dawn Staley has built an absolute powerhouse program with the South Carolina Gamecocks. From dominating the SEC to winning a national championship, Staley has turned the Gamecocks into one of the best programs in the country. Can she lead South Carolina to win it all once again this season?

South Carolina women’s basketball:1 player to watch – Aliyah Boston

There are several different players on South Carolina’s roster who have shown the potential to take over a game and dominate their foes at any point, but Aliyah Boston might just be the player all of South Carolina’s opponents need to keep an eye on and account for.

Boston, a fantastically talented 6-foot-5 junior, is South Carolina’s leading scorer. With 16.8 points per game, she’s definitely someone that other teams need to try and slow down.

However, Boston does more than just put up points. At the same time that she leads South Carolina in scoring, Boston also leads the Gamecocks in blocks (80), steals (40), and rebounds (371). Oh, and it’s worth noting that she also has 60 assists on the season. Boston does a little bit of everything and isn’t just someone any team can overlook.

South Carolina women’s basketball:1 reason they’ll cut down the nets – Dawn Staley’s wisdom

Staley’s experience and brilliance are huge factors for South Carolina as they rush into the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Under Staley’s leadership, the Gamecocks very steadily became one of the most consistently successful teams in the country.

In her first season, South Carolina only managed to go 10-18 and failed to make it into postseason play. By2011, Staley’s third season in Columbia, the Gamecocks managed to make it into the WNIT. The very next season, Staley guided her team to the Sweet Sixteen.

This team has a phenomenal head coach leading it and she routinely puts her players in the best possible positions to succeed. She has demonstrated that she can make necessary adjustments during big games and already has one championship to prove it.

South Carolina women’s basketball: Recent NCAA Tournament history

Over the past few seasons, Staley and her teams have consistently been among the nation’s elite programs. Five years ago (four NCAA Tournaments ago), Staley beat Vic Schaefer and the Mississippi State Bulldogs to win a national title. Since then, the Gamecocks have steadily been among the best, even if they haven’t been able to compete for it all once more.

Following that national title in 2017, the Gamecocks took a very slight step back, but it’s not like they dropped off the face of the planet. South Carolina went out and finished the season in the Elite Eight with a 29-7 record in 2018.

After only making it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2019 and the NCAA Tournament getting canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Staley and the Gamecocks made a run to the Final Four in 2021, finishing the season with a 26-5 record.

Now this season, South Carolina has a 29-2 record, one of the best records any of Staley’s teams have ever had. In 2020, the Gamecocks had a record of 32-1 when the season got canceled, but even though that team didn’t get a shot to make a championship run, this team seems capable of winning it all.

With a balanced roster full of depth and some stars leading the way, Staley and the Gamecocks could potentially make it all the way to a championship this year.

If you’re still not sure who to root for in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, our Flavor Finder can help you find a new favorite

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