COLUMBIA — It's the dawn of a new era for South Carolina women's basketball after the departure of the iconic "Freshies" class of 2019, but the sweeping changes are invigorating for coach Dawn Staley.

"It's a totally new starting five starting from scratch, so I'm excited," Staley said. "I'm excited to see how they come out and play, and what they can do when they're put under that pressure."

The Gamecocks came in at No. 4 in the preseason USA TODAY coaches' poll and No. 6 in the preseason AP Top 25, ending a 37-week streak at No. 1 dating back to the end of the 2020-21 season. The team brought in three freshmen all ranked among the top 40 prospects in the class of 2023 and signed two key transfers: Former Oregon standout Te-hina Paopao and juco star Sakima Walker.

Here are five storylines we're watching as the Gamecocks prepare to tip off the season against No. 10 Notre Dame in Paris on Nov. 6 (1 p.m., ESPN).

Dawn Staley working out new starting lineup

South Carolina graduated its entire starting lineup, headlined by WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. Boston, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal started nearly every game since their freshman seasons in 2019, and the seven returners on the 2023-24 roster have a combined three starts in their South Carolina careers.

Senior center Kamilla Cardoso, junior point guard Raven Johnson and junior guard Bree Hall are likely locked into the lineup, but the other two spots appear up for grabs. Staley started Paopao and junior forward Sania Feagin in the exhibition game against Rutgers last week, but both were outperformed by players off the bench. Sophomore forward Chloe Kitts logged a double-double and sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins logged a team-high four blocks plus 16 points and six rebounds. Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley also showed off her superstar potential, headlined by a long range, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half.

Kamilla Cardoso shoulders the load of leadership

Cardoso was South Carolina's punch off the bench last season, averaging 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. She benefitted in her first two seasons with the Gamecocks from playing behind and learning from Boston, but Cardoso is now the most senior player on the roster and has a new expectation of leadership on her shoulders.

Cardoso was the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year last season, and the expectations increase this year with her preseason first-team All-SEC selection. The 6-foot-7 center has never been a particularly vocal leader — her first language is Portuguese — but Staley said Cardoso is slowly but surely building her confidence.

"Kamilla has to step into the role of being our dominant post on the inside," Staley said. "She's very very unselfish, and at times, much like Aliyah, she'll pass out to people who shoot half her field goal percentage, and you can't do that. You have to bet on yourself sometimes ... We want Kamilla to be a leader."

MiLaysia Fulwiley's SEC Newcomer of the Year campaign

Fulwiley, a Columbia native, was the No. 13 prospect in the Class of 2023, and Staley has described her as a generational talent. It was easy to see why against Rutgers: Fulwiley scored a team-high 24 points, adding six rebounds, five assists and three steals. She also shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range, providing a deep outside threat that South Carolina lacked last season.

Fulwiley is still raw — she had five turnovers and three fouls against Rutgers — but is easily one of the most electric guards in the conference. She looks like a shoe-in for the All-SEC freshman team, but she could also make a play for Newcomer of the Year if she can earn minutes to match top transfers like LSU's Haley Van Lith or Tennessee's Jewel Spear.

FRESHMAN SCOUTING REPORT: Scouting Milaysia Fulwiley and South Carolina basketball's other freshmen for Dawn Staley

Gamecocks aim for fourth SEC championship in five years

For the first time since 2018, South Carolina is not the favorite to win the SEC. That honor went to LSU, the reigning national champion that added Van Lith and former DePaul star Aneesah Morrow in the transfer portal. Staley has lost just twice to Tigers coach Kim Mulkey in her career, both during the 2018-19 season when Mulkey won a national championship at Baylor.

LSU has struggled in the SEC tournament since Mulkey took over, making an early exit in the first round in 2022 and the semifinals in 2023. South Carolina has won the tournament in three of the last four seasons, only losing in 2022 to Kentucky before going on to win the national championship. They also won the tournament every season from 2015-18 despite not winning the regular season title in two of those years.

Chloe Kitts' improvement after early enrollment

Kitts originally signed as a member of South Carolina's 2023 recruiting class, but the 6-2 forward opted to enroll early with the Gamecocks last December and appeared in 18 games in the second half of the season. Outside of an impressive debut against Charleston Southern, Kitts struggled to contend with the physicality of the SEC and lacked confidence in her limited minutes.

CHLOE KITTS: How a semester with South Carolina, Dawn Staley helped Chloe Kitts thrive at FIBA U19 World Cup

The sophomore showed off a massive leap forward playing with Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup in July, averaging 10.7 points and eight rebounds. That improvement continued against Rutgers: Kitts scored 10 points shooting 5-of-9 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds with three blocks. The scrappiness that Staley lauded after Kitts' commitment is finally emerging, and she has the potential to become a secret weapon for the Gamecocks.

Follow South Carolina women's basketball reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gamecocks content: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women's basketball's biggest storylines for 2023-24