South Carolina’s loss resets the women’s basketball national championship
LOS ANGELES – Ahead of this weekend’s doubleheader of No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 3 USC and No. 1 South Carolina at No. 5 UCLA, all four coaches preached the importance of these games to the growth of women’s basketball. Scheduling big games early in the season keeps the sport’s momentum flowing.
In the short term, however, the most important takeaway from the Fighting Irish and Bruins’ wins wasn’t the excitement college basketball generated in Los Angeles, or even the number of WNBA deciders in attendance. On the contrary, the weekend made it clear that the 2024-2025 national title race warrants a major reset.
It was only fair that the Gamecocks were the preseason favorites to win the league title. Despite the difficulty of repeating, they have returned all but one rotation player from last season’s undefeated championship team, and they have the talent, depth and institutional knowledge to win.
But after watching Notre Dame beat USC and UCLA post a convincing win against South Carolina, the Irish and Bruins appear closer to achieving South Carolina’s 2023-2024 formula than the defending champions themselves — a sentiment that Gamecocks- coach Dawn Staley felt after their loss.
“That was beautiful UCLA basketball,” she said. “I’m on the other side, but you can’t help but love it because it was fluid on both sides of the ball.”
“The work done in the dark will always come to light. “ – Londynn Jones on unsettling South Carolina#NCAAWBB X @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/7obz4HrrH8
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) November 24, 2024
While the Gamecocks are transitioning from losing their cornerstone in Kamilla Cardoso, the Bruins have arguably the most dominant big in the country in Lauren Betts. Every scouting report begins with the containment of the 6-foot-4 post, who has become more composed, stronger and better conditioned as a junior.
The Irish stars are at opposite ends of the positional spectrum, but their dual point guard look with Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo is also unique and equally challenging to defend.
Aside from these stars, the roster construction in South Bend and Los Angeles resembles that of the title-winning Gamecocks, combining returning veterans with dynamic freshmen and an impact transfer. For the Irish, Miles, Hidalgo and Sonia Citron form their core, joined by Liatu King (and eventually Liza Karlen) coming out of the portal, along with freshman center Kate Koval who is making an immediate impact as a rim protector. The Bruins also have five returners, led by Betts, plus transfers Timea Gardiner and Janiah Barker and freshman point guard Elina Aarnisalo.
That mix of experience and new blood has energized Notre Dame and UCLA. King fills a physical hole for Notre Dame and is also an outlet to create her own opportunity. In the West, Betts called Aarnisalo the Bruins’ most underrated player with her skills as a ball handler and creator, and who also held up defensively in her freshman year.
“I thought Elina did a really great job,” Staley said. “It was fun to see her on film. “I was hoping she would come off the bench and not get as many minutes, but she was the one who was really impressive.”
Stylistically, both the Irish and Bruins resembled the title-winning Gamecocks with their emphasis on defense. They disrupt the half court — Notre Dame with its speed and UCLA with its size — to suffocate opponents early and force them to play catch-up all the time.
“This group is really a great defensive team,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “I’m very happy with the defensive effort and knowing that we set the tone with our defensive intensity.”
Combine that defense with surprisingly good shooting from long range — USC wasn’t prepared for Miles’ explosion from beyond the arc and Staley said the South Carolina staff didn’t expect UCLA to light it up on 3s — and these two burgeoning title contenders have the offensive profile South Carolina also brought up a year ago.
HANNAH HIDALGO TODAY🔥
• 24 POINTS
• 8 ASSISTANTS
• 6 REBOUNDS
• 5 SAMPLESNOTRE DAME WINS ☘️ pic.twitter.com/VPAXRVwcqK
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) November 23, 2024
It’s not just in Los Angeles that title contenders are popping up. UConn, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State have looked impressive early on, and many of these teams will meet over the next month with the opportunity to make a statement before conference play begins.
“We have a lot of teams that can make a good case for how we can become No. 1, and I think that’s a great testament to our play,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “There is much more equality than before.”
That equality starts at the top, where one superpower no longer rules over the rest. This South Carolina team is not the same team that powered through the opposition a year ago, and other teams are rising to fill the power vacuum.
UCLA was just the first to take down these Gamecocks, but there are weaknesses in South Carolina’s shot selection and decision-making that other teams will attack. After a full season of one team occupying the top spot in the rankings, expect even more excitement this season. As good as the Bruins and Irish looked in their weekend wins, many talented teams across the country can have their moment on any given day.
“This is what we usually do with teams, it doesn’t feel good when you’re on the receiving end of it,” Staley said.
(Photo by Janiah Barker: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
