Women's Fastbreak On SI

Dawn Staley Explains Flip of Coin Toss Opinion Amid South Carolina SEC No. 1 Seed Win

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley felt better about the SEC Conference tournament's No. 1 seed coin flip after it happened.

Grant Young

Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley celebrates after defeating the NC State Wolfpack in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley celebrates after defeating the NC State Wolfpack in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of the more peculiar predicaments in the women's college basketball world took place on Sunday, as a coin flip was required to figure out whether the South Carolina Gamecocks or the Texas Longhorns would receive the No. 1 seed in the SEC Conference Tournament.

This is because both teams finished their respective regular season conference schedules with identical 15-1 records and each won a game against each other. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley didn't seem keen about this unique scenario a few days ago, as she said, "It is what it is. I think we should have thought a little bit more ahead of this situation... that's just me though."

Then the coin toss took place and her Gamecocks got the lucky bounce, giving them the top seed in the tournament.

Therefore, Staley seems to be feeling much better about the entire situation. She posted a video on X soon after the coin toss where she said, "Coin Gods were in our favor! South Carolina, number one seed, we've got to make it count. See y'all in Greenville!"

Staley also spoke about the coin toss during her postgame press conference Sunday, after her team defeated the No. 15 ranked Kentucky Wildcats 78-66.

"We just watched it in the locker room, and I mean it was kind of exciting," Staley said, per an X post from Chaz R. Frazier. "It was, it was kind of exciting. And the build up was good. I know when you're part of the equation, it doesn't feel good to have your fate in a coin toss.

"And I didn't know that eight other sports use a coin flip... That was news to me, I feel a little better about it now," she added.

Staley is right to be feeling good about her team right now, who just secured an easier path to the SEC Conference Championship Game.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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