South Carolina coach Dawn Staley sat down to watch a second-round matchup between Alabama and Maryland on Monday, knowing that her team would face the victor in the Sweet 16.
She was prepared to face either one, but she admits that she had a bias toward the Crimson Tide.
“Yes, I watched it,” Staley said of Maryland’s double-overtime win over Alabama. “Obviously, that was our next opponent. I watched it live. I was actually cheering for the SEC because I know how hard it is in our league, and I wanted our league to be rewarded for just being the best, most competitive league.
“That’s just the SEC in me.”
The No. 4-seeded Terps will face Staley and the Gamecocks on Friday at 4 p.m. in the Sweet 16 in Birmingham, with Staley impressed with how Maryland handled a tough Alabama squad.
The 111-108 victory in double overtime, the second-highest scoring game in women’s NCAA tournament victory, made Staley take off her coaching hat for a second to sit back and enjoy the game.
“Maryland hung in there,” Staley recalled. “They hung in there, and they made an incredible comeback. Then you start looking at Maryland, like, oh, they came back. Should they win it? I was looking at it from a fan and not necessarily the next opponent, which is cool. So you can compartmentalize being a fan and it being our next opponent and really appreciating.”
The South Carolina coach gave her flowers to Alabama star Sarah Ashlee Barker, who piled up a record-setting 45 points in the game as she went 17-of-25 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The mark for Barker — a Birmingham native — was the fourth-most points scored in a single NCAA tournament game.
“Barker, I mean, you’ve got to give it up,” Staley said. “Like, it’s hard when someone you know is just pouring her heart out onto the court, and you come up short. You want it for a player that exemplifies the competitive nature of who you are as women’s basketball players, coaches, enthusiasts, participants.”
Staley also texted Alabama coach Kristy Curry to show her support after the tough loss; South Carolina beat Alabama 76-58 this season in Tuscaloosa.
“I did text Kristy and let her know, I’m sorry you had to lose that basketball game,” the South Carolina coach said. She worked extremely hard, and that game isn’t indicative of their season.”
