South Carolina women's basketball: Five bold predictions, including championship repeat

COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball enters the 2022-23 season with every imaginable expectation on its shoulders after winning the 2022 NCAA championship and going wire-to-wire as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.

The Gamecocks are ranked No. 1 again this preseason and return everyone from last season except for point guard Destanni Henderson, who was selected by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA Draft. They open the season against East Tennessee State at Colonial Life Arena on Monday (8:30 p.m., SEC Network).

As coach Dawn Staley eyes another national title, here are five bold predictions for South Carolina:

EXHIBITION ANALYSIS:Three takeaways from South Carolina women's basketball first exhibition game vs. Benedict

SEASON PREVIEW:South Carolina women's basketball preview: Position battles, breakout players, top games

TWO-TIME CHAMPS:How South Carolina women's basketball can join most elite programs as repeat NCAA champion

Aliyah Boston repeats as consensus player of the year

What more is there to say about South Carolina star Aliyah Boston? The 2021-22 consensus national player of the year averaged a double-double last season with 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, plus 2.4 blocks. Her laundry list of awards was highlighted by the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, SEC player of the year and her third consecutive Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.

Boston is a year older and a year more experienced — she was the only college player who earned the opportunity to compete in Team USA training camp for the FIBA World Cup. Even before last season she was at the top of any scouting report of the Gamecocks, so there's no reason to expect any regression. She'll continue her dominance and sweep the postseason honors for the second season in a row.

Cooper, Watkins both make SEC all-freshman team

South Carolina only signed two players in its 2022 recruiting class, but both looked like future superstars in the Gamecocks' exhibition game against Benedict. The two Palmetto State natives were both five-star prospects ranked in the top 20 nationally.

Talaysia Cooper, a 6-foot guard from Turbeville, is the total package: quick, athletic, a strong ball-handler and an aggressive defender.

"Coop can do a little bit of everything," Staley said. "She can defend, she can get to the basket, she can shoot it, she's got great court vision. She's just felt like a utility player ... I think the best thing about Coop is she competes. When you compete, you find a way to impact, so she'll play."

Watkins, a 6-3 post from Columbia, may not see the court as often as Cooper simply because Boston and 6-7 junior post Kamilla Cardoso lead the rotation, but her ceiling is sky high.

"Ashlyn has to be dominant. Like, we want her to be dominant right now," Staley said. "She's a work in progress ... She has times in practice where she just looks brilliant, and then she has times where she's blending, so she's got to find that fine line of always making an impact no matter what she's doing."

Gamecocks go undefeated in conference

This is perhaps the boldest prediction, because though the SEC lacks some depth this season, the top three of South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU are all legitimate Final Four contenders. South Carolina also took its only two losses last season against SEC opponents: It's only regular-season loss was to Missouri, and it dropped the SEC championship game to Kentucky.

Tennessee is arguably the biggest threat on the Gamecocks' schedule, especially because the road matchup with the Lady Vols comes at the very end of a grueling two-week stretch in February that includes games against Connecticut, LSU, Florida and Ole Miss. However, South Carolina has the size and defensive strength to slow down Tennessee's high-powered offense, and the Gamecocks have won five of their last six meetings with the Lady Vols.

Brea Beal earns first All-SEC honors

Senior Brea Beal's stats don't always stand out on paper, but her intangible ability as a 1-on-1 defender is among the best in the nation. Last season, Beal limited her primary guard to nearly seven points below their pregame average. In the national championship against UConn, she held Christyn Williams — a top-15 pick in the WNBA Draft — to just two points. She averaged five points and five rebounds per game.

Beal has played second fiddle to the defensive juggernaut that is Boston for most of her career and has never received national or conference recognition outside of academic awards. The teams will be difficult to break into with the sheer amount of talent in the conference, but Beal's impact will finally get the credit it deserves, whether that's on second team all-conference or the all-defensive team.

South Carolina wins second consecutive NCAA championship

If Staley wants to forge a true dynasty at South Carolina, the Gamecocks need a second title. Only three programs in NCAA women's basketball history have won consecutive championships, and only Tennessee and Connecticut have repeated since Southern California became the first to repeat in the 1980s. The Lady Vols and the Huskies are arguably the two most prominent programs in the sport, and South Carolina can join them with a second-straight title.

The Gamecocks failed to repeat in 2018 after winning the program's first national championship in 2017 with reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson at the helm. This season, depth and experience are the biggest strength with six seniors and eight returners that played in at least 30 games.

Winning two championships in a row is no easy feat, but this South Carolina squad is worthy of that hype.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women's basketball: Five bold predictions for 2022-23