They finished fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (50%), sixth in FG% defense (34.8%), third in winning percentage (90%) and fourth in scoring margin (27.8).There's no total revamp needed but rather some big picture things that should carry over, in addition to slight fixes or improvements when trying to go from two national championship losses in a row to a win.Joyce Edwards fuels South Carolina offense but 2 key guards are goneThere were many elements that played into how productive South Carolina's offense was like strong ball movement and all five starters nearly averaging double-digits. There also was Joyce Edwards, who made a leap from her freshman to her sophomore season.She went from 12.7 points per game to 19.2, setting a program single-season scoring record with 768 points.She helped South Carolina shoot 54.2% on two-pointers (10th in the nation) but she had guard talent around her to help when she or 6-6 center Madina Okot were swarmed around the rim.

Midway through the season, particularly after the Oklahoma loss on Jan. 22, it felt like Edwards was more comfortable kicking it out to guards like Ta'Niya Latson, Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson instead of trying to force it inside to draw a foul. The scouts Edwards faces won't get any easier. So with Latson and Raven Johnson now in the WNBA, a few things need to happen to carry over that offensive success.Point guard Maddy McDaniel will be even stronger if she develops as a mid-range threat, instead of attacking all the way each time.

Tessa Johnson has to be a bit more consistent as a senior, as she's had streaks of cold offense the past two seasons. She's the first to admit she has to impact the game in other ways when her 3-point shot isn't falling. So if she's continuously driving or kicking it out, she either scores or opens up more chances for her teammates but she can't go invisible.Staley also needs that same offensive attack she had with Latson in Texas transfer Jordan Lee.

The 6-foot guard knows how to create her own shot in the SEC systems so her transition might be smoother than Latson's was at first.If Lee starts, that means Agot Makeer is likely coming off the bench. She doesn't force shots, she attacks downhill while still posing a threat from the 3-point line, and she might have a similar jump from her freshman to sophomore year like Edwards did.Opposing coaches often talked about having to pick their battles with defending South Carolina given how balanced its attack was. The obvious difference from 2024-25 to 2025-26 was the Gamecocks didn't struggle to score except for rare occasions, and roster wise, it has the pieces for that to happen again.Rebounding: Lose Madina Okot, gain Chloe Kitts, Ashlyn Watkins Okot averaged an SEC-best 10.6 rebounds in her lone season with South Carolina.

Behind her was Edwards at 6.8. In the title game, UCLA destroyed South Carolina on the boards (49-37) and a lot of that was because Okot lost the battle against 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts. Opponents averaged 12.4 offensive rebounds per game against the Gamecocks and in all four losses, they lost the rebounding battle by an average of 10.7.

Now South Carolina gains back two great rebounders in Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts who both missed the season, but it can't be just those two. In the Final Four win over UConn, Latson led the team in rebounds with 11 because Okot and Edwards had hard one-on-one matchups to deal.South Carolina can't struggle again with bench scoring, especially postsSouth Carolina was 145th in the nation in bench scoring at 18.5 points, one season after it was first.Staley had to rely on her starters more than past years for scoring and her posts averaged a combined 3.4 points off the bench.It's likely freshman Jerzy Robinson and Makeer bring some points in at guard.

Alicia Tournebize and the two incoming freshman forwards can't allow lapses in scoring when Staley takes out Kitts or Edwards.A lot rides on what jump 6-foot-5 Adhel Tac makes. She missed the last 16 games of the season due to injury and also missed games with injuries the season before. She's one of the most vocal leaders on the team. South