Dawn Staley and the NCAA snub
In an interview with ESPN, Dawn Staley didn’t hide her disbelief. “If you compare our resume objectively with any other team’s, we are the best choice. It’s that simple,” she stated firmly.
Dawn Staley emphasized that her team’s level of competition and resilience throughout the season should have solidified their standing as the top team in the nation.
A defiant message: “We’ll play the hand we’ve been dealt”
During the tournament selection party, Staley was even more direct. “We did more than any other top seed. We outperformed even ourselves. My gut told me we’d be No. 1, but the committee thought otherwise. I don’t trust their judgment, but we’ll play the hand we’ve been dealt,” she declared with determination.
Rather than dwelling on the snub, Dawn Staley made it clear that her team has a greater goal. “We don’t need to feel slighted to win a national championship. Our schedule prepared us for this. We deliberately set up a challenging path early in the season to be at our peak when it matters most.”
“We planned November and December with March and April in mind. Every setback made us stronger, and now we are playing our best basketball, both individually and collectively,” Staley emphasized.
She remains confident that her team’s preparation and mindset will drive them to prove their worth on the court.
The Gamecocks will make their tournament debut on March 21 against Tennessee Tech, aiming to prove the committee wrong.
For Dawn Staley and her players, the only response to this controversy is to win on the court and let the results speak for themselves.
