The highly awaited non-conference schedule for Dawn Staley’s South Carolina was released recently. Fans have been waiting to know who the Gamecocks will face off against this season. And the Gamecocks WBB used a fun trick to reveal the opponents.
In a video uploaded on Instagram by Gamecocks women’s basketball, Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson, and more can be seen participating in a fun game. The names of their non-conference opponents were hidden with clues.
The players were asked to identify the teams using only pictures. For example, they used a trophy emoji with “THROP” for Winthrop. Staley’s team will play them on Nov. 19. The game also revealed their season opener.
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The first Gamecocks matchup is interesting for several reasons. They will play the Grand Canyon Antelopes women’s basketball on Nov. 3. The head coach of the Antelopes is Winston Gandy.
Grandy took over the head coaching responsibility for the Antelopes this year. Before that, she used to be the assistant coach for Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina. Grandy worked with Staley from 2023 to 2025.
The full non-conference schedule for the Gamecocks is mentioned below:
- 3 vs. Grand Canyon
- 7 vs. Bowling Green
- 11 vs. Clemson
- 15 at Southern Cal
- 19 vs. Winthrop
- 23 vs. Queen’s University
- 26: vs. Duke in Las Vegas
- 27 vs. Texas or UCLA in Las Vegas
- 4 at Louisville
- 7 vs NC Central
- 14 vs Penn State
- 18 at USF
- 20 at Florida Gulf Coast
- 28 vs Providence
- 18 at Coppin State
Out of the above-mentioned games, the Gamecocks will play eight games at home, four away games, and three at neutral venues. South Carolina will play their first conference game against Alabama on Jan. 1.
Dawn Staley once revealed the secret to South Carolina’s dominance
In 2021, Staley shared a piece of her personal diary with Andscape. She detailed the mentality it takes to not just win games or championships, but to dominate the game. Staley used that mentality to become a WNBA legend and has been teaching the same thing to her players at Temple and SC.
“I do think at times they are just relaxed. They’re in this place of, ‘OK, let me see what they have.’ Some boxers just allow their opponent to hit them just to see, ‘Let me feel their strength.’ I think our players approach it that way at times,” Staley wrote.
Staley recalled one of the first questions she asked her team before they started the season, wherein she asked her players if nice people are able to win championships.
To her surprise, the players said yes. However, Staley didn’t believe in it.
“I didn’t believe it, but I had to because they believed it at that moment. Then we had to give them constant reminders that nice people can’t win championships. They can’t. If you’re in a nice mindset, you get taken advantage of.”
She reflected on her own experiences where being nice wasn’t rewarded. Since she detailed her mentality, Staley won NCAA Division I tournament titles twice, in 2022 and 2024. So, as always, the coach was right. You can’t be nice on the court and be rewarded for it.
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