ESPN Reveals Biggest South Carolina 'Concern' Before NCAA Tournament
Anybody who knows women's college basketball understands that even though they had a sub-par regular season (according to their own impossibly high standards), the South Carolina Gamecocks are still among the favorites to win the 2025 NCAA national championship.
This is proven by the immense depth and talent Dawn Staley's roster boasts. However, despite how loaded this team may be, there's one thing they lack compared to seasons past: a dominant center.
Chicago Sky superstar center Kamilla Cardoso was South Carolina's anchor during their undefeated 2023-24 season, imposing her will on both offense and defense. Before Cardoso, Indiana Fever superstar Aliyah Boston was the country's best post player for several consecutive seasons.
The Gamecocks don't have that same sort of post presence this year. And this is what ESPN's Michael Voepel seemed to be alluding to when listing South Carolina's biggest concern ahead of this NCAA Tournament in a March 20 article.
"For South Carolina, rebounding could be a concern. The Gamecocks are averaging 42.5 RPG, their lowest since their current Final Four run began in 2021," Voepel wrote. "During that time, the Gamecocks' best rebounding season was in 2022-23, when they were second in Division I at 49.5 RPG.
"The Gamecocks were outrebounded in each of their losses this season: by 7 against UCLA, by 6 against Texas and by 16 against UConn. In tight games, rebounding can make all the difference," he continued.
Can South Carolina run it back? Will UConn end its title drought? Which team will cut down the nets in Tampa? ESPN's experts predict the Final Four, the title game matchup and 2025 national champion. https://t.co/PSYEeCuSBy
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) March 20, 2025
While rebounding is definitely a question mark for the Gamecocks, no team is perfect. And potential rebounding woes don't keep Dawn Staley's squad from being a favorite to bring a national title home this season.
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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.