# 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

The 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by sixteenth-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Staley won her 600th game as head coach on February 22, 2024, in 786 games (534 at South Carolina). The season saw the Gamecocks not only capture their third national title in the history of the school's women's basketball program, but also become the 10th Division I women's basketball team to finish the season undefeated.

## Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season 36–1 (16–0 SEC). They won the SEC regular season and tournament championships and received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Norfolk State, South Florida, UCLA, and Maryland before falling to Iowa in the Final Four.

## Offseason
### Departures

South Carolina Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Olivia Thompson | 0 | G | 5'8" | Senior | Lexington, SC | Graduated |
| Zia Cooke | 1 | G | 5'9" | Senior | Toledo, OH | Drafted tenth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks |
| Aliyah Boston | 4 | F | 6'5" | Senior | St. Thomas, USVI | Drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever |
| Victaria Saxton | 5 | F | 6'2" | Senior | Rome, GA | Drafted twenty-fifth overall by the Indiana Fever |
| Talaysia Cooper | 11 | G | 6'0" | Freshman | Turbeville, SC | Transferred to Tennessee |
| Brea Beal | 12 | G | 6'1" | Senior | Rock Island, IL | Drafted twenty-fourth overall by the Minnesota Lynx |
| Laeticia Amihere | 15 | F | 6'4" | Senior | Mississauga, ON | Drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Dream |
| Kierra Fletcher | 41 | G | 5'9" | Graduate Student | Warren, MI | Graduated |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| MiLaysia Fulwiley G | Columbia, SC | W.J. Keenan HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Tessa Johnson G | Albertville, MN | St. Michael-Albertville HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Sahnya Jah F | Alexandria, VA | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

### Incoming transfers

South Carolina Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Te-Hina Paopao | 0 | G | 5'9" | Senior | Oceanside, CA | Oregon |
| Sakima Walker | 25 | C | 6'5" | Senior | Columbus, OH | Northwest Florida State College |

## Roster
### SEC Media Poll

SEC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | LSU |
| 2 | South Carolina |
| 3 | Tennessee |
| 4 | Ole Miss |
| 5 | Mississippi State |
| 6 | Arkansas |
| 7 | Georgia |
| 8 | Texas A&M |
| 9 | Alabama |
| 10 | Florida |
| 11 | Missouri |
| 12 | Auburn |
| 13 | Kentucky |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 22, 2023* 1:00 p.m. | No. 6 | Rutgers Nikki McCray-Penson memorial exhibition | W 100–55 | | 17 – Cardoso | 10 – Kitts | 9 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | vs. No. 10 Notre Dame Aflac Oui-Play | W 100–71 | 1–0 | 20 – Cardoso | 15 – Cardoso | 7 – R. Johnson | Halle Georges Carpentier (3,203) Paris, France |
| November 12, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ABC | No. 6 | No. 14 Maryland | W 114–76 | 2–0 | 14 – PaoPao | 11 – Watkins | 8 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (16,007) Columbia, SC |
| November 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Clemson Rivalry | W 109–40 | 3–0 | 18 – Fulwiley | 13 – Cardoso | 17 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (16,820) Columbia, SC |
| November 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | South Dakota State | W 78–38 | 4–0 | 23 – Cardoso | 10 – Cardoso | 6 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (14,799) Columbia, SC |
| November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Mississippi Valley State | W 101–19 | 5–0 | 17 – Fulwiley | 10 – Cardoso | 5 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (14,558) Columbia, SC |
| November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 24 North Carolina ACC–SEC Challenge | W 65–58 | 6–0 | 15 – Hall | 16 – Cardoso | 4 – PaoPao | Carmichael Arena (6,319) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 3, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ABC | No. 1 | at Duke Jimmy V Classic | W 77–61 | 7–0 | 15 – Cardoso | 14 – Cardoso | 4 – R. Johnson | Cameron Indoor Stadium (5,607) Durham, NC |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Morgan State | W 104–38 | 8–0 | 16 – T. Johnson | 14 – Kitts | 6 – Fulwiley | Colonial Life Arena (16,181) Columbia, SC |
| December 10, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 11 Utah Hall of Fame Showcase | W 78–69 | 9–0 | 17 – Cardoso | 7 – Kitts | 4 – Tied | Mohegan Sun Arena (8,428) Uncasville, CT |
| December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | Presbyterian | W 99–29 | 10–0 | 18 – Fulwiley | 12 – Watkins | 6 – PaoPao | Colonial Life Arena (15,176) Columbia, SC |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 1 | at Bowling Green | W 93–62 | 11–0 | 21 – Kitts | 8 – Watkins | 6 – PaoPao | Stroh Center (4,195) Bowling Green, OH |
| December 30, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | at East Carolina | W 73–36 | 12–0 | 12 – Tied | 10 – Tied | 5 – Cardoso | Williams Arena (5,717) Greenville, NC |
| January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Florida | W 89–66 | 13–0 (1–0) | 17 – Paopao | 15 – Cardoso | 5 – R. Johnson | O'Connell Center (4,192) Gainesville, FL |
| January 7, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | Mississippi State | W 85–66 | 14–0 (2–0) | 15 – Hall | 14 – Cardoso | 6 – Cardoso | Colonial Life Arena (15,751) Columbia, SC |
| January 11, 2024 8:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | at Missouri | W 81–57 | 15–0 (3–0) | 21 – Hall | 8 – Cardoso | 4 – Feagin | Mizzou Arena (4,533) Columbia, MO |
| January 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Kentucky | W 98–36 | 16–0 (4–0) | 14 – Tied | 11 – Cardoso | 6 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (15,929) Columbia, SC |
| January 21, 2024 5:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Texas A&M | W 99–64 | 17–0 (5–0) | 21 – Fulwiley | 13 – Cardoso | 5 – Tied | Reed Arena (5,924) College Station, TX |
| January 25, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 9 LSU College GameDay | W 76–70 | 18–0 (6–0) | 14 – Kitts | 9 – R. Johnson | 6 – PaoPao | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,205) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 28, 2024 3:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Vanderbilt | W 91–74 | 19–0 (7–0) | 23 – Cardoso | 8 – Watkins | 7 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| February 1, 2024 8:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 1 | at Auburn | W 76–54 | 20–0 (8–0) | 15 – Fulwiley | 15 – Watkins | 5 – R. Johnson | Neville Arena (4,814) Auburn, AL |
| February 4, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | Ole Miss | W 85–56 | 21–0 (9–0) | 17 – Cardoso | 10 – Watkins | 6 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Missouri | W 83–45 | 22–0 (10–0) | 19 – Fulwiley | 8 – Tied | 5 – T. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (15,236) Columbia, SC |
| February 11, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | No. 11 UConn | W 83–65 | 23–0 | 21 – PaoPao | 12 – R. Johnson | 5 – R. Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,167) Columbia, SC |
| February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at Tennessee | W 66–55 | 24–0 (11–0) | 18 – Cardoso | 15 – R. Johnson | 5 – R. Johnson | Thompson–Boling Arena (11,073) Knoxville, TN |
| February 18, 2024 1:00 p.m., ABC | No. 1 | Georgia College GameDay | W 70–56 | 25–0 (12–0) | 16 – Cardoso | 16 – Cardoso | 5 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (18,478) Columbia, SC |
| February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | Alabama | W 72–44 | 26–0 (13–0) | 14 – Watkins | 10 – Watkins | 4 – Paopao | Colonial Life Arena (16,229) Columbia, SC |
| February 25, 2024 3:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Kentucky | W 103–55 | 27–0 (14–0) | 17 – Fulwiley | 12 – Kitts | 5 – Tied | Rupp Arena (5,626) Lexington, KY |
| February 29, 2024 9:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at Arkansas | W 98–61 | 28–0 (15–0) | 21 – Watkins | 11 – Watkins | 7 – R. Johnson | Bud Walton Arena (3,891) Fayetteville, AR |
| March 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | Tennessee | W 76–68 | 29–0 (16–0) | 18 – Cardoso | 14 – Cardoso | 4 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2024 12:00 p.m., SECN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (9) Texas A&M Quarterfinals | W 79–68 | 30–0 | 17 – Cardoso | 6 – Cardoso | 5 – R. Johnson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (8,841) Greenville, SC |
| March 9, 2024 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | (1) No. 1 | vs. (5) Tennessee Semifinals | W 74–73 | 31–0 | 13 – Tied | 7 – R. Johnson | 4 – R. Johnson | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (12,784) Greenville, SC |
| March 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (2) No. 8 LSU Championship | W 79–72 | 32–0 | 24 – Fulwiley | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (13,163) Greenville, SC |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 A1) No. 1 | (16 A1) Presbyterian First round | W 91–39 | 33–0 | 21 – Kitts | 13 – Kitts | 4 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (11,536) Columbia, SC |
| March 24, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ABC | (1 A1) No. 1 | (8 A1) North Carolina Second round | W 88–41 | 34–0 | 20 – Fulwiley | 10 – Cardoso | 6 – PaoPao | Colonial Life Arena (14,266) Columbia, SC |
| March 29, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 A1) No. 1 | vs. (4 A1) No. 14 Indiana Sweet Sixteen | W 79–75 | 35–0 | 22 – Cardoso | 7 – Cardoso | 6 – Johnson | MVP Arena (13,597) Albany, NY |
| March 31, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ABC | (1 A1) No. 1 | vs. (3 A1) No. 12 Oregon State Elite Eight | W 70–58 | 36–0 | 15 – T. Johnson | 14 – Watkins | 6 – R. Johnson | MVP Arena (13,568) Albany, NY |
| April 5, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 A1) No. 1 | vs. (3 P4) No. 11 NC State Final Four | W 78–59 | 37–0 | 22 – Cardoso | 20 – Watkins | 6 – PaoPao | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,284) Cleveland, OH |
| April 7, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ABC | (1 A1) No. 1 | vs. (1 A2) No. 2 Iowa National Championship | W 87–75 | 38–0 | 19 – T. Johnson | 17 – Cardoso | 4 – Fulwiley | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,300) Cleveland, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A1=Albany 1. P4=Portland 4. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

NOTE: AP never releases final ranking.
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 6 | 1 (23) | 1 (36) | 1 (36) | 1 (35) | 1 (36) | 1 (35) | 1 (36) | 1 (35) | 1 (34) | 1 (36) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) |
| Coaches | 4 | 1 (23) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (32) | 1 (30) | 1 |