Since South Carolina ladies’s basketball coach Daybreak Staley and Texas coach Vic Schaefer started competing within the 2012-13 season, it’s been numerous success for Staley and the Gamecocks. South Carolina has 9 common season titles, 9 convention match trophies, seven Ultimate 4 appearances and three nationwide championships.
Staley is probably the most prolific present NCAA coach not named Geno Auriemma and alongside the way in which the gold medalist on the courtroom has overwhelmed Schaefer-led groups from the bench. In 16 video games, South Carolina is 15-4, together with a 7-0 report in elimination or title video games. On April 2, 2017, a kind of wins grew to become Staley and South Carolina’s first Nationwide Championship.
“There’s numerous coaches, y’all, that coach, and I take a look at them and I believe it’s only a examine to them, directors too for that matter,” stated Schaefer about Staley’s capability to make it to the Ultimate 4 so usually. “However when you have got any individual like Coach Auriemma — and I’ll even go to Daybreak — it’s a must to respect the extent of consistency and excellence that they’ve executed it at.”
If going by the adage that historical past repeats itself, it doesn’t look nice for Texas. Nonetheless, it isn’t all doom and gloom for Schaefer in opposition to Staley. Again in 2019, Schaefer, who then led the Mississippi State Bulldogs, was the final SEC workforce to defeat South Carolina twice in the identical season. A possibility Schaefer has with the Longhorns Friday in Tampa Bay, Florida.
This season, there isn’t a lack of expertise between the Longhorns and Gamecocks. Friday night time is the fourth time the 2 SEC groups performed this season, marking the primary time the Staley vs. Schaefer matchup hit that many video games in a single marketing campaign.
Thus far within the three video games, it’s been forwards and backwards outcomes. The Gamecocks beat the Longhorns at dwelling, misplaced on the highway after which acquired the higher of Texas within the SEC Match championship. Friday will go all the way down to who has the final huge run.
“We’re each defensive minded,” stated Staley. “So it’s in all probability we’ve had an even bigger offensive spurt all through these video games that we’ve performed that have been at the next stake, and I do assume it’s going to take that…I imply, we’re not going to depend on our success in opposition to them to say, ‘Hey, we beat them.’ I’m wanting on the loss, you recognize, from this 12 months and the way we will forestall that.”
That loss included a formidable efficiency by the two-time First Crew All-American sophomore ahead Madison Booker. In Austin on Feb. 9, Booker scored 20 factors with 11 rebounds. She led the Longhorns on either side of the courtroom, and performed with extra depth on the boards, to shutdown a South Carolina workforce that feeds off their very own excessive depth play.
To Staley’s level, offensively the Gamecocks didn’t have a lot success in opposition to Texas of their lone defeat to Schaefer’s aspect in three video games. Solely sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley scored in double figures and no South Carolina participant grabbed greater than six rebounds.
Within the two wins, it was the Gamecocks protection enjoying the aggressor, and it restricted Booker to a mixed 17 factors and 17 rebounds throughout the contests.
“She’s a bona fide scorer. Not even a bona fide scorer, she’s a playmaker. She will rating the basketball with the perfect of them. She will play a number of positions. So she’s versatile,” stated Staley. “She will facilitate. You understand, she’s a very good rebounder. She’s a troublesome match-up.”
Thus far in March Insanity, Booker averages 18.8 factors and eight.0 rebounds. How Friday goes will hyperlink to how efficient Booker might be for Texas. Can Texas bounce again once more like they did after their first defeat to Staley and the Gamecocks?
Within the SEC Match particularly, South Carolina confirmed that they may once they recovered from that slender 66-62 loss in Austin to defeat the Longhorns 64-45 for the convention match trophy. Texas should cope with graduate senior Te-Hina Paopao, ahead Chloe Kitts and Fulwiley, who’ve been a robust trio for the Gamecocks.
In opposition to Duke within the Elite eight, it was Paopao who led the workforce within the second half with eight factors after enjoying extra of a facilitator position within the first half. That productiveness got here at a time when the Gamecocks have been in any other case quiet on offense and the Blue Devils charged into the lead, albeit momentarily with South Carolina kicking it again into gear within the fourth quarter to win 54-50.
“They only wanted me to step up and be there for them. And that’s what I needed to do, particularly eager to win,” stated Paopao. “You’ve acquired to do no matter it takes to win. They advised me to shoot the ball, so I went on the market and shot the ball.”
Fulwiley had her second in opposition to the Maryland Terrapins within the Candy Sixteen when she was seemingly the one Gamecock who might get via head coach Brenda Frese’s protection. Fulwiley scored a sport excessive 23 factors, with many created by the sophomore on her personal. South Carolina acquired by with a 71-67 win.
For Kitts, the senior has been probably the most constant participant for Staley within the postseason, averaging 12.3 factors and eight.0 rebounds per sport in 4 NCAA match matchups.
At this level within the season, after so many earlier matchups, the technique roughly goes out the window. Staley is aware of Schaefer and Schaefer is aware of Staley. Their gamers know one another effectively too: their mannerisms on the courtroom, how they hyperlink up with teammates, when they’re prone to shoot.
“I really feel like we do know them inside and outside as a lot as they in all probability know us inside and outside,” stated Texas graduate senior Rori Harmon. “There’s a saying that we’ve been dwelling by for the reason that match began, however as soon as expertise meets expertise and all that, it’s principally doesn’t actually matter anymore.”
A win for Texas won’t solely give South Carolina its first multi-loss season in opposition to a single workforce in six years, however beating South Carolina and Staley isn’t the tip purpose. A win places Schaefer and the Longhorns right into a place to win his first title as a head coach and Texas’ first since 1986.
“Whoever will get via this semifinal and closing may have executed it in opposition to the perfect of the perfect. So I believe for all of us, all of us perceive it. It’s arduous to do,” stated Schaefer. “And so you actually get this far and it doesn’t matter, I inform my youngsters on a regular basis. Once they go away to go to mattress at night time out of the movie room or workforce room, they’re, like, ‘Coach, it’s essential to go to mattress. I’m, like, look, I’ll sleep once I’m useless.’”