South Carolina's Dawn Staley Defends SEC Tournament Amid Criticism

Staley argues the SEC Tournament can help upgrade teams' resumes despite concerns about penalizing losses in a tough league.

Feb. 24, 2026 at 10:07am

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South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley responded to recent comments from Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and LSU coach Kim Mulkey criticizing the SEC Tournament. Staley argued the tournament can actually help upgrade teams' resumes, despite concerns about penalizing losses in a tough league. The SEC currently has 10 ranked teams, with 11 projected to make the NCAA Tournament according to the latest bracketology.

Why it matters

The debate over the value of conference tournaments is an ongoing issue in college basketball, with some coaches arguing they can hurt teams' NCAA Tournament chances in tough leagues. Staley's defense of the SEC Tournament highlights the differing perspectives on the role these events should play in the postseason selection process.

The details

South Carolina is currently two games ahead of the rest of the SEC and is hoping to clinch its 10th regular-season championship. Staley was asked about comments from Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who said she wishes "we didn't have the conference tournament because all we do in the SEC is beat each other up," and LSU coach Kim Mulkey, who has also expressed distaste for conference tournaments. Staley argued that the SEC Tournament can actually "upgrade" teams' resumes, despite the risk of losses in a tough league. The SEC currently has 10 of its 16 teams ranked, with 11 projected to make the NCAA Tournament.

  • South Carolina is heading into its final four regular-season games, starting with a matchup against No. 24 Alabama on February 19.
  • The NCAA Tournament committee's first in-season reveal of the top 16 seeds was on February 14.

The players

Dawn Staley

The head coach of the South Carolina women's basketball team, who has led the Gamecocks to 9 SEC Tournament championships.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin

The head coach of the Ole Miss women's basketball team, who recently criticized the SEC Tournament.

Kim Mulkey

The head coach of the LSU women's basketball team, who has also expressed distaste for conference tournaments.

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What they’re saying

“Well one, we don't know if we're going to be penalized yet for the SEC Tournament and two, your resume can upgrade from the tournament as well. If you look at it a lot of different ways, I'm hoping it doesn't hurt any of us. I think our body of work as a conference speaks for itself and at the end of the day we hope that all of the teams and what we've been through in our conference will get the seed we deserve.”

— Dawn Staley, Head Coach, South Carolina Women's Basketball

“I've won a bunch of conference tournaments. Everybody likes to win, get a trophy but at the end of the day I've also been in those tournaments where I've had injuries and those kids couldn't go on and play in the most important tournament the NCAA Tournament ... I've never been a fan of conference tournaments.”

— Kim Mulkey, Head Coach, LSU Women's Basketball

What’s next

The NCAA Tournament committee will continue to evaluate teams throughout the remainder of the regular season and conference tournaments.

The takeaway

The debate over the value of conference tournaments in college basketball highlights the differing perspectives on how these events should factor into the NCAA Tournament selection process. While some coaches argue they can hurt teams in tough leagues, others like Dawn Staley believe the tournaments can actually help upgrade teams' resumes.