The women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament has arrived at the Sweet 16 following two thrilling rounds of play. After witnessing some incredible games and record-setting March Madness moments, it feels like the real competition is finally underway. Every contest will feature a top-five-and-above matchup from here on out, meaning the battle for the national championship remains wide open. But if there’s one team that stands out as the likely favorite, it’s the South Carolina women’s basketball team.
Despite being a No. 2 seed, South Carolina has established its reputation for being one of the most dominant forces in women’s college basketball. From legendary coaching in Dawn Staley to roster depth, playing experience, and creative strategies on both sides of the ball, the Gamecocks have all the ingredients to craft another winning recipe.
As the closest team to being 2025’s favorite to cut down the nets, the odds are in favor of South Carolina repeating as NCAA Tournament champions.
Elite coaching
If anyone knows how to build a championship-winning program, it’s head coach Dawn Staley. Under one of women’s basketball’s most accomplished coaches, the South Carolina women’s basketball team has won three national titles, most recently just a year ago, and eight SEC regular-season and Tournament championships, including this year, since Staley took over in 2008.
Staley has racked up an impressive number of accolades in 24 total seasons as a head coach, becoming one of the most decorated people in women’s basketball history. She has also been inducted into both the Women’s and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, earned various Coach of the Year honors, became the only Gamecocks basketball coach ever to reach 300 victories alongside her program-best 472 wins, and even claimed an Olympic gold medal.
The only Black head coach with multiple national titles, Staley revolutionized South Carolina when she arrived, turning the program into a perennial powerhouse. With her emphasis on building a culture around aggressive defense, team relationships, trust, and discipline, Staley uses her leadership skills and coaching IQ to get the best out of her lineup.
These factors have brought Staley and the Gamecocks success before, and there’s no sign of that stopping in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Deeply talented roster
Staley has the luxury of being able to rely on as many as 10 players on the roster at any given time, as seven different players have led South Carolina’s women’s basketball team in scoring throughout the season. The program also leads the country in bench points per game with 41.5, so there’s no shortage of options to call on.
One player who stands out slightly from the elite pack is Chloe Kitts, who leads the squad in rebounds and averages double-digit points at 10.1 per game. The junior forward proved her bounce-back ability in a rough contest against Indiana, finishing with 10 points and 11 boards to notch her 10th double-double of the season.
Staley loves having players who can respond to poor play, and the group overall is excellent when it comes to answering for weak showings, which should strike fear into remaining opponents after South Carolina’s ugly 64-53 win over the Hoosiers in Round 2.
MiLaysia Fulwiley’s performance will also be key for the Gamecocks. The sophomore has averaged 12.1 points per game despite playing inconsistently at times throughout the season. She was a key contributor in the first round, putting up 15 points, five assists, three steals, and four blocks. If that version of her keeps showing up, South Carolina should have nothing to worry about from its roster.
Te-Hina Paopao, meanwhile, is one of the squad’s leaders in 3-point percentage, averaging 37.2% per game. The fifth-year transfer doesn’t just provide shooting from beyond the arc, as she also brings invaluable experience from her time at Oregon and past tournaments, including last season’s title win.
With a deep bench to pull from, an unparalleled balance of talent from both veteran and youthful players, lockdown defense, and athletes that can have superstar outings in any given game, the national title is South Carolina’s to lose.
Tournament track record
Easily the most threatening quality about South Carolina women’s basketball is its recent championship run. The 2023-24 squad, the fifth-ever NCAA team to go undefeated and win a national title, won a program-record 38 games and an SEC-record 47 straight in a campaign that was capped off by an impressive championship-winning victory over Iowa.
Even more intimidating is the fact that most of that undefeated team returned in 2024-25. Players like Kitts, Fulwiley, Paopao, Tessa Johnson, Bree Hall, and Raven Johnson have rarely dropped a game in their March Madness experiences, giving them an edge in dealing with the intense pressure.
They may not have had an undefeated season, but the Gamecocks showed they’re still a side to be feared with their 97-point beatdown of Tennessee Tech in the tournament’s first round. If they can focus on boards and second-chance points – South Carolina only lost this season when being outrebounded – then there will hardly be any weaknesses for other sides to exploit.
The reigning titleholders sit in one of the best positions possible to compete for the title. South Carolina’s path of opponents is manageable, there’s enough roster depth to rotate the lineup until Staley finds her winning combination, players can stay calm in high-stakes situations, and the team’s intimidating defense paired with its balanced offense creates a mismatch for most other squads.
By the time the final March Madness buzzer goes off, the South Carolina women’s basketball team will likely be the ones hoisting the trophy once again.
The post Why South Carolina women’s basketball will win 2025 NCAA Tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.
