South Carolina HC Dawn Staley opens up about UConn ‘standard’ before Final Four clash

Dawn Staley didn’t hold back on the rivalry she and the South Carolina Gamecocks have with Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies ahead of the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Staley has been with the Gamecocks since 2008, gifting the program a lot of successful years as one of the best in the country. She got them to the mountaintop with three times with national championships, now getting to the Final Four for the sixth consecutive year.

Staley talked about UConn during Thursday’s press conference, per reporter Dana Scott. She praised the elite standard the Huskies placed with Auriemma as the head coach, showing how impactful they have been to the state of women’s basketball in present day.

“UConn has been the standard in women’s basketball for a very long time and everyone has to measure up to their standard. They allow us something to reach for,” Staley said.

“It helps us all grow. It helps us all game plan and try to figure out ways to just measure ourselves up to them and to possibly beat them, and to do that over a period of time, it’s almost impossible but it’s incredible the standard that they have.”

South Carolina’s Dawn Staley on facing UConn for 3rd time in Final Four since 1991 when she played for Virginia: “UConn has been the standard in women’s basketball for a very long time and everyone has to measure up to their standard. They allow us something to reach for.” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tfsx6yUZ39

— Dana Scott (@iam_DanaScott) April 2, 2026

What lies ahead for Dawn Staley, South Carolina

Dawn Staley has undeniable respect for Geno Auriemma with he’s done for the sport. South Carolina and UConn will look forward to their matchup against one another.

This game also marks a rematch of the 2025 national championship game. The Huskies dominated the Gamecocks throughout the game last season, seeing Auriemma and UConn shine bright as the current defending champions.

South Carolina boasts a 35-3 overall record on the season, having gone 15-1 in its SEC matchups. Despite losing to Texas in the conference championship, they still qualified for March Madness with an At-Large bid.

The Gamecocks will continue preparations for their Final Four matchup against UConn. That matchup will commence on April 3 at 7 p.m. ET in Phoenix, Arizona.

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