Even a 12-game winning streak isn't enough to break Dawn Staley and South Carolina's focus. The Gamecocks head into another ranked match-up against the Oklahoma Sooners, and Staley warned about not underestimating their opponents.

While SC sits comfortably in second on the AP rankings, the Sooners are on a three-game losing streak and have slipped to No. 16. But it's not going to let Staley drop her guard.

“Whether they won 5 straight, 3 straight, lost, it's a dangerous game,” Staley told WACH FOX. “We don't think going in just because they lost 3 that it's an automatic for us. We know this league and we know the strength of it, we know the weaknesses of which there aren't very many of them. So to go on a roll, to win it's a hard feat no matter who you're playing. We don't take Oklahoma lightly.”

South Carolina enters the matchup fresh off a dominant 90-48 win at Coppin State on Jan. 18, while Oklahoma (14-4, 2-3 SEC) is looking to rebound after a loss to LSU.

Dawn Staley's team clearly holds an advantage over the Sooners. The Gamecocks have gone 2-0 against Oklahoma last season, including a 101-60 home win on Jan. 19, 2025, and a 93-75 victory in the SEC tournament semifinal on March 8, 2025.

But let's not forget, the Sooners are one of the best offenses in the league (89.8 PPG). They also lead in the rebounds per game (51.1).

And with players like freshman Aaliyah Chavez (18.8 PPG) and Raegen Beers (16.7 PPG), coach Jennie Baranczyk can rely on her roster despite setbacks. Chavez and Beers are both running in the Wooden Award top-25 finalists.

And Coach Jennie Baranczyk Is Preparing Her Squad to Make the Comeback

Against the LSU Tigers, the Sooners collapsed. It was a 91-72 blowout win for the Tigers, and the coach wasn't happy.

"The expectation is that we got to get a h*** of a lot better. We can't have back-to-back turnovers when you've cut it, and you have all the momentum. We have two total big mistakes, leaving somebody wide open on a block... In this league, against this kind of team that's averaging as many points as they are, we just can't have those things."

The Tigers average 99.6 points per game. When the Sooners take on South Carolina on the 23rd, they will be going up against a slightly weaker offense (88.7 PPG). Can they turn their luck around? Let us know in the comments!

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar