“UCLA!! you’ve just won the Super Bowl!”: College hoops fans react to Cori Close's take on winning vs Dawn Staley’s South Carolina

Cori Close was brimming with confidence after the UCLA Bruins handed the reigning national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, their first loss of the 2024-25 season this Sunday. The Bruins produced a clinical display to come out on top, recording an impressive 77-62 victory over Dawn Staley's side.

In the post game conference, Close expressed immense respect towards Staley and her work as the Gamecocks' head coach. However, the Bruins' head coach also admitted that she expected her team to emerge victorious.

"This means a lot because Dawn Staley has set the tone of what women's basketball excellence should be over the last several years, and I just have so much respect for her, for her staff, for the way they have a global view of the game. So, this obviously means a lot, because of the respect we have. That being said, we expected to win," said Close.

A clip of Close's comments has been doing the rounds on social media, catching the attention of college basketball fans. They took to Instagram to express their opinions, with some of them mocking her final comment despite their resounding success at Los Angeles.

Fans were quick to take a dig at UCLA head coach Cori Close' comments.

One fan said, "UCLA!! you’ve just won the Super Bowl! what’re you going to do next??"

"Little do she know this just lit a fire under South Carolina a**. Keep that same energy," said another.

Another fan added, "Now why you sit up there and lie like that at the end ??"

Other fans saw the comments from Cori Close as a sign of immense confidence, supporting her with kind messages after the Bruins' emphatic win.

Other fans were pleased with Close's confidence following UCLA's win over South Carolina.

One fan said, "“That being said… we expected to win…” MIC DROP!!!!!!!!"

"Love the confidence in your team. They played like they expected to win for sure," said another.

Another fan added, "Talk that talk coach! It’s getting SPICY, I love it."

Cori Close scripts history with UCLA

Cori Close and the Bruins' win over the Gamecocks powered them to top spot in the AP Top 25 in its latest update, making this the first such instance in program history. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks, who previously held that top spot, slipped three places to fourth in yesterday's update.

The Bruins, now 5-0, will travel to Hawaii to take part in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown. They will begin the tournament with a game against UT Martin on Nov. 29 at 5:30PM ET.