Chloe Kitts will miss her senior season after tearing her ACL in her right knee, South Carolina announced Monday. The No. 2 Gamecocks will certainly miss Kitts on the court, but Dawn Staley said at Tuesday’s SEC Tipoff media event in Birmingham, Alabama that she’s not letting it affect her team’s outlook and expectations.

The 2025-26 NCAA Women’s Basketball season was shaping up to be a battle between powerhouses UConn, South Carolina, LSU, and USC, led by iconic stars. But the season-ending injuries to Watkins and Kitts have redrawn the map. The title race, once narrow, is now wide open.