How Ashlyn Watkins' injury strains South Carolina's championship repeat chances

South Carolina's championship repeat tour chances are in trouble.

Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins, a critical part of the 2024 team that won a title, is done for the season with an ACL injury. Her injury significantly complicates the Gamecocks' chances at another title. South Carolina was already adjusting to life without Kamilla Cardoso, attempting her length and production with Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin after she moved on to the WNBA.

But no Watkins to lead the bench unit or fill in the starting lineup when needed puts a dent in how the team operates. "In the games, we might need to play small ball," head coach Dawn Staley told the media earlier this week. "The last time that we lost a big such as Ashlyn, we played small ball, and it worked out for us. And we might have to pull that rabbit out [of] our hat."

Transparently, losing Watkins' length and size (6 foot-3) for the remainder of the season will hurt the Gamecocks when they play teams with similar or larger physical attributes.

There's also this to consider: South Carolina's sheer amount of roster continuity is also impacted. When the NCAA Tournament arrives, teams with more chemistry, experience and ability to produce at those levels typically have longer post-season runs.

With this in mind, if South Carolina wants another ring, Dawn Staley might have to go so deep into her coaching bag that she finds Tic Tacs at the bottom.

More NCAAW!

Kiyomi McMiller playing status update: When will the Rutgers star return?

Paige Bueckers injury update: When will the UConn star return?

Rutgers star freshman Kiyomi McMiller's strange benching, explained

This article originally appeared on For The Win: How Ashlyn Watkins' injury strains South Carolina's championship repeat chances