South Carolina lost the national championship last season. They just opened the 2026 NCAA Tournament by putting up 103 points and holding the Southern Jaguars to just 34. That’s a 69-point margin of victory, which is the largest in program history in an NCAA Tournament game. By all standards, this Dawn Staley’s team did not just win their first-round game; they sent a message.

From the very first possession, South Carolina made their intentions clear. Joyce Edwards scored the opening four points, and the Gamecocks immediately broke into a 15-0 run, a statement so emphatic that Southern did not register their first basket until 4 minutes and 25 seconds remained in the first quarter. 

The dominance did not let up after that opening burst. The Gamecocks stretched their lead to 25 at halftime and then came out of the locker room with even more intent. They scored the first 20 points of the third quarter and outscored Southern 32-2 in the frame. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 103-34, marking the largest point margin in South Carolina program history in an NCAA Tournament game and one of the most dominant performances the women’s tournament has ever seen.

The Gamecocks entered the game with a 31-3 overall record and two weeks off since their last competitive outing. As Dawn Staley put it, “We were just knocking the rust off.” If knocking off the rust means all nine available players taking the floor in the first quarter and all nine finding the scoring column, then they did knock off the rust.

The road ahead, however, will get significantly harder. South Carolina faces the USC Trojans in the Round of 32 on Monday, March 23rd. The potential path to a UConn showdown in the Final Four remains the storyline the entire women’s basketball world is building toward. But if Saturday was any indication, Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are not thinking about the bracket. They are thinking about unfinished business.

NCAA Community Feels Bad for the Next Opponents of Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks

All season, the Gamecocks have shown they mean business. They entered the NCAA Tournament’s first round with a 31-3 record, and proceeded to make an emphatic statement with a 69-point margin first-round win. If their demolition of Southern is any indication, then it’s not unjustifiable to think they can go all the way. As one fan put it: “If they keep this pace… who’s stopping them?” 

According to one fan, they definitely “Came out swinging. That run set the tone REAL quick. South Carolina is not here to play.”

Last season, the Gamecocks steamrolled their way to the championship final, posting a 35-4 overall record. They were, by almost every measure, the most complete team in women’s college basketball. And yet, when it mattered most, UConn had the last word. This season, they are going at it again, and the momentum could not be higher.

As one fan puts it, “South Carolina came out blazing. Opening the journey with their biggest scoring run of the season on national TV is a statement.” Fans online agreed, with many noting that the opening run was a clear statement of intent that set the tone for the entire game.

But then, this momentum is not built on a winning streak like it was last season. The Gamecocks actually fell to Texas 78-61 in the SEC Tournament final just weeks before this performance. But maybe that was the extra fuel they needed. As one fan put it: “I feel bad for whoever has to play them SC girls after they lose a game.” A similar SEC Tournament stumble in 2022 preceded a national championship run for this exact program. Maybe history is setting itself up to rhyme. And if it is, the rest of the field may want to start worrying sooner rather than later.