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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Emma Baccellieri

South Carolina Knows How to Win Ugly

Paopao (0) helped focus her teammates at halftime, when the Gamecocks were down a point against the Hoosiers. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks that won a championship last year earned the nickname “Dawn’s Day Care.” They put together an overwhelming display of dominance. They were also a major test for their coach, a bundle of rambunctious energy, constant talking and youthful slips. The group is now a year older. But that spirit has not changed a bit. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley emphasized that at the start of the season, and she has kept doing so all year, right on through to the NCAA tournament.

“It's just a day care,” Staley said on Sunday. “It's not like a board meeting where there's one person talking at a time. It is chaos.”

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