2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
SEC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 6
Record	26–5 (14–2 SEC)
Head coach	Dawn Staley (13th season);
Assistant coaches	Lisa Boyer; Fred Chmiel; Jolette Law;
Home arena	Colonial Life Arena
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 SEC women's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 4 Texas A&M	13	–	1	.929	25	–	3	.893
No. 6 South Carolina †	14	–	2	.875	26	–	5	.839
No. 13 Tennessee	9	–	4	.692	17	–	8	.680
No. 10 Georgia	10	–	5	.667	20	–	6	.769
No. 15 Arkansas	9	–	6	.600	19	–	8	.704
No. 18 Kentucky	9	–	6	.600	18	–	8	.692
Alabama	8	–	8	.500	16	–	9	.640
LSU	6	–	8	.429	9	–	13	.409
Mississippi State	5	–	7	.417	10	–	9	.526
Missouri	5	–	9	.357	9	–	13	.409
Ole Miss	4	–	10	.286	15	–	12	.556
Florida	3	–	11	.214	12	–	14	.462
Auburn	0	–	15	.000	5	–	19	.208
Vanderbilt	0	–	3	.000	4	–	4	.500
Vanderbilt suspended their season on January 18, 2021

† 2021 SEC tournament winner As of March 21, 2021 Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by thirteenth-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena and competed as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the season 26–5 (14–2 SEC), won the SEC tournament, and won a bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Final Four and lost to Stanford.

Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the season with a 32–1 overall record and a 16–0 record in conference play. The Gamecocks won the SEC tournament. The Gamecocks therefore received an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, however the tournament was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were de facto named mythical national championship by finishing first in the major wire service polls, the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. On December 31, 2020, during the Florida game, the program raised a banner to recognise the claim.

Offseason

Departures

South Carolina Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Notes
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan	21	F	6'2"	Senior	Pembroke Pines, FL	Graduated; Drafted sixth overall by the Minnesota Lynx.
Tyasha Harris	52	G	5'10"	Senior	Noblesville, IN	Graduated; Drafted seventh overall by the Dallas Wings.

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight
Eniya Russell PG	Baltimore, MD	St. Vincent Pallotti High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A
Eniya Russell PG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Preseason

SEC Media Poll

The SEC media poll was released on November 17, 2020 with the Gamecocks selected to finish in first place in the SEC.^[1]

Predicted finish	Team
SEC media poll
1	South Carolina
2	Kentucky
3	Texas A&M
4	Arkansas
5	Mississippi State
6	Tennessee
7	LSU
8	Alabama
9	Georgia
10	Missouri
11	Ole Miss
12	Florida
13	Vanderbilt
14	Auburn

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Gamecocks had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

First team

Aliyah Boston

Second team

Zia Cooke

Roster

2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Olivia Thompson	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	So	Lexington HS	Lexington, SC
G	1	Zia Cooke	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	So	Rogers HS	Toledo, OH
G	2	Eniya Russell	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Fr	St. Vincent Pallotti HS	Baltimore, MD
G	3	Destanni Henderson	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	Jr	Fort Myers HS	Fort Myers, FL
F	4	Aliyah Boston	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	So	Worcester (Mass.) Academy	Saint Thomas, USVI
F	5	Victaria Saxton	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Jr	Model	Rome, GA
G	11	Destiny Littleton	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	RS Jr	The Bishop's School Texas	San Diego, CA
G	12	Brea Beal	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	So	Rock Island HS	Rock Island, IL
F	15	Laeticia Amihere	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	So	Kings Way Christian	Mississauga, ON
G	24	Lele Grissett	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Sr	Hillside HS	Durham, NC
F	32	Elysa Wesolek	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Jr	Northwood Academy	Charleston, SC

Head coach

Dawn Staley (Virginia)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020* Noon, SECN+	No. 1	College of Charleston	W 119–38	1–0	19 – Saxton	12 – Tied	4 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC
November 28, 2020* 3:30 pm, FloHoops	No. 1	vs. South Dakota Crossover Classic	W 81–71	2–0	19 – Tied	9 – Tied	4 – Boston	Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD
November 29, 2020* 3:30 pm	No. 1	vs. Oklahoma Crossover Classic	Canceled due to COVID-19					Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD
November 29, 2020* 3:30 pm	No. 1	vs. No. 21 Gonzaga Crossover Classic	W 79–72	3–0	23 – Henderson	7 – Beal	4 – Cooke	Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD
December 3, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 1	No. 8 NC State Jimmy V Classic	L 46–54	3–1	11 – Tied	15 – Amihere	6 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC
December 6, 2020* 12:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 1	at No. 23 Iowa State Big 12/SEC Women's Challenge	W 83–65	4–1	19 – Cooke	15 – Boston	7 – Henderson	Hilton Coliseum (864) Ames, IA
December 17, 2020* 8:00 pm	No. 5	Temple	W 103–41	5–1	23 – Cooke	9 – Boston	7 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
December 31, 2021	No. 5	Florida	W 75–59	6–1 (1–0)	28 – Boston	16 – Boston	5 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
January 4, 2021 5:00 pm	No. 5	at Alabama	W 77–60	7–1 (2–0)	20 – Henderson	10 – Tied	5 – Henderson	Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
January 10, 2021	No. 5	at No. 10 Kentucky	W 75–70	8–1 (3–0)	22 – Henderson	12 – Boston	3 – Henderson	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY
January 14, 2021 8:00 pm	No. 5	at Vanderbilt	W 106–43	9–1 (4–0)	20 – Saxton	12 – Grissett	9 – Henderson	Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN
January 18, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 4	No. 17 Arkansas	W 104–82	10–1 (5–0)	26 – Boston	16 – Boston	10 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
January 21, 2021 6:30 pm, SECN	No. 4	No. 22 Georgia	W 62–50	11–1 (6–0)	16 – Tied	11 – Tied	3 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
January 24, 2021 1:00 pm, SECN	No. 4	at LSU	W 69–65	12–1 (7–0)	20 – Boston	14 – Boston	8 – Henderson	Pete Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA
January 28, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 4	at No. 21 Mississippi State	W 75–52	13–1 (8–0)	19 – Cooke	12 – Boston	3 – Cooke	Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS
January 31, 2021 3:00 pm, SECN	No. 4	Alabama	W 87–63	14–1 (9–0)	21 – Cooke	13 – Boston	6 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
February 4, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN+	No. 2	at Auburn	W 77–58	15–1 (10–0)	17 – Cooke	9 – Amihere	9 – Henderson	Auburn Arena Auburn, AL
February 8, 2021* 7:00 pm, FS1	No. 1	at No. 2 UConn	L 59–63 ^OT	15–2	17 – Boston	15 – Boston	3 – Tied	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT
February 11, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 1	Missouri	W 77–62	16–2 (11–0)	15 – Cooke	12 – Boston	3 – Tied	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
February 14, 2021 Noon, SECN	No. 1	LSU	W 66–59	17–2 (12–0)	19 – Henderson	13 – Boston	4 – Cooke	Colonial Life Arena (3,500) Columbia, SC
February 18, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 2	at No. 21 Tennessee	L 67–75	17–3 (12–1)	17 – Boston	16 – Boston	6 – Henderson	Thompson–Boling Arena (2,512) Knoxville, TN
February 21, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN	No. 2	No. 17 Kentucky	W 76–55	18–3 (13–1)	21 – Cooke	13 – Amihere	3 – Boston	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
February 25, 2021 1:00 pm, SECN	No. 5	Ole Miss	W 68–43	19–3 (14–1)	17 – Cooke	11 – Boston	4 – Henderson	Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
February 28, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 5	at No. 3 Texas A&M	L 57–65	19–4 (14–2)	15 – Tied	11 – Boston	6 – Henderson	Reed Arena College Station, TX
SEC Tournament
March 5, 2021 5:00 pm, SECN	(2) No. 7	vs. (7) Alabama Quarterfinals	W 75–63	20–4	22 – Cooke	13 – Boston	5 – Henderson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC
March 6, 2021 8:30 pm, ESPNU	(2) No. 7	vs. (3) No. 13 Tennessee Semifinals	W 67–52	21–4	22 – Cooke	13 – Boston	5 – Henderson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (2,662) Greenville, SC
March 7, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2	(2) No. 7	vs. (4) No. 16 Georgia Championship	W 67–62	22–4	27 – Boston	10 – Boston	3 – Henderson	Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN	(1 H) No. 6	vs. (16 H) Mercer First Round	W 79–53	23–4	20 – Tied	18 – Boston	4 – Henderson	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
March 23, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN	(1 H) No. 6	vs. (8 H) Oregon State Second Round	W 59–42	24–4	19 – Boston	11 – Beal	2 – Tied	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
March 27, 2021* 1:00 pm, ABC	(1 H) No. 6	vs. (5 H) Georgia Tech Sweet Sixteen	W 76–65	25–4	17 – Cooke	7 – Amihere	7 – Henderson	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
March 30, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN	(1 H) No. 6	vs. (6 H) Texas Elite Eight	W 62–34	26–4	16 – Cooke	8 – Tied	7 – Henderson	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
April 2, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN	(1 H) No. 6	vs. (1 A) No. 2 Stanford Final Four	L 65–66	26–5	25 – Cooke	16 – Boston	3 – Henderson	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. H=HemisFair A=Alamo. All times are in Eastern Time. ^[2]

References

^ "Gamecocks tabbed as 2021 SEC Women's Basketball champs".
^ "Gamecocks Release Women's Hoops Non-Conference Schedule". GamecocksOnline.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.

[1] "Gamecocks tabbed as 2021 SEC Women's Basketball champs".

[2] "Gamecocks Release Women's Hoops Non-Conference Schedule". GamecocksOnline.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.

[1]

[2]

v t e South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball
Venues	Carolina Coliseum (1974–2002) Colonial Life Arena (2002–present)
Rivalries	Clemson
Culture & lore	History Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" The Freshies Garnet Army Full Court Press
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders Retired jerseys
Seasons	1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Previous season

Offseason

Departures

2020 recruiting class

Preseason

SEC Media Poll

Preseason All-SEC teams

Roster

Schedule

See also

References