The South Carolina Gamecocks have rampaged through the early stages of the NCAA Tournament, reasserting their dominance by winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament two weeks ago. Next up for the Gamecocks is a clash against the No. 4-seeded Maryland Terrapins on Friday evening.
Despite losing the services of Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA via the 2024 Draft and Ashlyn Watkins to a season-ending ACL injury in January, the Gamecocks have still managed a 32-3 record this season and have a chance to repeat as national champions.
Several stars have stepped up in crucial games for the team, including freshman Joyce Edwards, Sania Feagin and forward Chloe Kitt. During her pregame news conference before facing South Carolina, Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers was candid on her view about the disrespect the available Gamecocks players have received this season.
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"I know people like to talk about missing Kamilla (Cardoso) and Aaliyah (Boston) but I think Sania, Chloe and Joyce have done a very good job of just stepping up to the plate and I think they've been disrespected a lot," Sellers said.
"I think that they've stepped up and knocked it out of the park so it's just gonna be a battle of wills at this point. Everybody is tired, everybody's legs hurt. So, it just comes down to who wants it more."
How South Carolina used Indiana's comments as motivation
The "disrespectful" comments referred to by Shyanne Sellers were made by Indiana star Sydney Parrish during her pregame news conference before the Hoosiers faced South Carolina indicating that the Gamecocks were weaker this year due to the loss of Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins.
"Without a 6-7 kid in there with Kamilla and Ashlyn Watkins being injured at the beginning of this year, that definitely helps us," Parrish said.
Last year, the Indiana Hoosiers lost narrowly, 79-74, to the Gamecocks, and after Parrish's comments, South Carolina star Bree Hall revealed during her postgame news conference that they used the Hoosiers star's comments as motivation going into their game.
"I went to bed and read that article again and was like, 'Oh, this is how you feel about us,'" Hall said of Parrish's comments.
"For people like me and Raven, we need that extra motivation. We go into the game, and we always are already thinking about defense, but now you've given us a reason to be motivated."
Despite trailing at halftime, the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the No. 9-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 64-53 to put Sydney Parrish's comments about their abilities without their dominant centers to bed.
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