COLUMBIA — ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be in Colonial Life Arena for the top-20 matchup between No. 3 South Carolina women’s basketball and No. 17 Ole Miss.
The visit will mark Ole Miss‘ first appearance on the show and the fourth time the Gamecocks (26-2, 12-1 SEC) have hosted, which is the most of any women’s program.
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But it also will be the first time both women’s basketball teams featured have Black head coaches.
“Damn in 2026 we’re still making history like that,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said with laughter. “I know it’s probably not the reason why they did it. I think the reason why they did it’s two top teams in our league, in the country, that are playing on a Sunday, and the fact that we draw a big crowd and game is sold out, I think the whole atmosphere.”
The pre-game show will begin at 11 a.m. ET on Feb. 22 for a noon tip, broadcast on ESPN.
“College GameDay” started its women’s basketball version in 2010 then took a long pause before resuming in 2023. Last year the show did three regular-season stops then spent the week at the SEC Tournament, which South Carolina won.
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The pre-game show is hosted by Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike and new to the show this season, Christine Williamson. Williamson took the place of Elle Duncan, who left ESPN and was hired by Netflix.
“We’re seeing there’s so much more representation across the board,” Carter said. “Young girls can watch this game and see us at ‘GameDay,’ see the two coaches on the sideline and as far as representation goes, dream big in terms of ‘Oh I could be a coach, I could be on TV, I could be a player’ and I think that’s why representation is so important.”
Staley is in her 18th season with the Gamecocks. Yolett McPhee-McCuin, also known as Coach Yo, has taken the Rebels (21-7, 8-5) to four NCAA Tournaments, with five 20-win seasons in eight years.
She’s coached against Staley 10 times already, having not won a game against South Carolina yet.
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“I have a lot of admiration for Dawn, she is someone that coming up mentored me and now treats me like a respectable opponent,” McPhee-McCuin said Feb. 19. “If I need her, I can still call. For our team, I think that’s amazing, I know Columbia will show out.”
She added that in terms of this being the first “GameDay” game with two Black head coaches that it’s pretty cool and she’s sure “she’ll take it in,” after getting to Columbia.
In the SEC, there are five Black coaches among the 16 teams. According to the NCAA Demographics Database as of 2025 there are 83 Black female head coaches in Division I basketball (23%) and 35 (10%) Black male head coaches in women’s DI basketball.
“Always an amazing opportunity to be a part of ‘GameDay’ and these two coaches and what they’ve been able to do, just be a part of history,” Carter said.
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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley vs Coach Yo first women’s College GameDay with 2 Black coaches
