Dawn Staley has said multiple times this year that No. 7 South Carolina’s goal for this season is to repeat as national champions.
On Thursday night, the Gamecocks (18-4, 7-2 SEC) got a harsh reminder of the huge hurdles in their way, in the form of a bigger, faster No. 1 Connecticut, who flattened USC on its home court with a 83-58 drubbing.
At its biggest, UConn’s lead was all the way at 34 points, a gulf that kept the sellout crowd at Colonial Life Arena mostly quiet as the Huskies made shot after shot, especially from long distance.