Dawn Staley is just about as legendary as it gets in women's college basketball.
While her current resume may fall short of gold-standard coaches like Geno Auriemma and Pat Summit, Staley still has time to catch these great leaders. She is just 54 years old and already has a historic track record in her 17-year tenure as the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Staley also coached at Temple University for several years before she landed the head coaching job in Columbia, so her history in the NCAA Tournament is a bit mixed. However, her dominance over the last decade or so has more than made up for a few bumps and bruises early in her coaching career.
South Carolina has won three national championships under Staley's guidance, including two in the last three years, and the team has not lost before the Final Four since 2019. The Gamecocks are a well-oiled machine and produce WNBA talent each and every year, most notably, three-time MVP A'ja Wilson, 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, and 2024 first-round draft selection Kamilla Cardoso.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at Staley's NCAA Tournament record over the years.
What is Dawn Staley’s March Madness record?
Staley has led her team to the Big Dance 18 times in her 25-year coaching career and will coach in her 19th NCAA Tournament later this week. Below is her overall record in March Madness, as well as her record with each school.
- Overall record: 46-15
- South Carolina record: 42-9
- Temple record: 2-6
It is important to understand that 46 postseason wins in just 25 years is an incredible feat, especially when you've only made the tournament 18 times. When her record is broken down further by each round, her resume becomes even more impressive.
Round | Record |
|---|---|
First Round | 14-3 (2-4 at Temple) |
Second Round | 11-3 (0-2 at Temple) |
Sweet 16 | 7-4 |
Elite 8 | 6-1 |
Final Four | 3-3 |
National Championship | 3-0 |
Ever since she got to South Carolina, the team has never lost in the first round of the Tournament and has only fallen short of the Sweet 16 on one occasion, which was all the way back in 2013. To not have a losing record in any round of the NCAA Tournament is impressive, but her 3-0 mark in the National Championship game solidifies her among the greats.
South Carolina is a No. 1 seed again this year and should make a run for their third championship in the last four years. Based on her track record, some would even say it is likely.