South Carolina women's basketball will play in its sixth consecutive Final Four on Friday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Gamecocks will attempt to snap top overall seeded UConn's 54-game win streak to earn a trip to the national championship game.
For the second time ever, the Final Four will feature the same teams from the previous season. For the fifth time ever, all four No. 1 seeds won their region.
Last season, UCLA was defeated by UConn, while Texas was defeated by South Carolina, followed by Connecticut earning its 12th national championship in a dominant 82-59 win over head coach Dawn Staley's team. This year will feature opposite preliminary matchups, with the Longhorns and Bruins facing off for a chance to play either the Huskies or Gamecocks in the championship.
South Carolina vs UConn
South Carolina enters the Final Four off a 78-52 win in the Elite Eight over No. 3 seeded TCU. After earning the lowest of the four No. 1 seeds with a loss to Texas in the SEC Championship, the Gamecocks played both its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups in Sacramento, California.
Sitting opposite the Gamecocks is UConn and head coach Geno Auriemma, the winningest women's basketball program in history. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 12 national titles over the last 30 seasons, winning three straight from 2002-04 and four straight from 2013-16. The team hasn't lost a game since Feb. 6, 2025, winning out en route to last year's championship, then posting a 38-0 record in the 2025-26 season.
Auriemma holds an all-time head-to-head record of 9-5 over Staley, including a 2-1 advantage in postseason play. The 72-year-old coach was hired to lead the Huskies in 1985, having brought the team to 25 Final Fours in his tenure. Of the last 31 national champions, South Carolina and UConn have been 15 of them.
This season, the Huskies have posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.85, the highest mark in the nation. The team's offense is fueled by sophomore forward Sarah Strong, who leads the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks this season. Her field goal percentage of 59.4% has aided a team rate of 52%, the highest of all teams in the nation.
The Gamecocks aren't far behind, with a team field goal percentage of 50.8%, the third highest rate in the country. The team also ranks sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.44. South Carolina's leading scorer is also a sophomore forward, with Joyce Edwards averaging 19.7 points per game this year.
The rematch
The two historical programs haven't met since the 2025 National Championship that saw UConn dominate the floor from start to finish. Strong and then-junior guard Azzi Fudd each scored 24 points to power the 23-point victory, with Strong adding 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in the process.
That Huskies' championship team lost then-senior guard Paige Bueckers to the WNBA Draft, but still returned 10 of its 13 players from last season. South Carolina's starting lineup in the championship game loss consisted of four players (Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts) that didn't play a minute for the team this season, with senior guard Raven Johnson as the only returning starter.
Edwards came off the bench in that game, tying then-sophomore guard Tessa Johnson's team-high of 10 points. The only two Gamecocks to shoot over 50% in the game are no longer with the team. Edwards has boosted her averages across the boards, with her scoring increasing by 7 points per game and her rebounds jumping from 5.0 to 6.7 per game.
Senior center Madina Okot has averaged a double-double this season with 13.2 points and a team-high 10.8 rebounds per game, an improvement from Chloe Kitts' team-high 7.7 boards per game last season. Comparatively, Strong led the Huskies with 7.6 rebounds per game, with no other player on the team averaging more than five.
UConn ranks 39th in the nation in total rebound margin at 6.1, compared to South Carolina's rank of 10th best at 9.8. If the Gamecocks plan to keep pace with the nation's top ranked team, this season's newfound paint presence will be vital to their success in the semifinal.
UCLA vs Texas
On the other side of the bracket lies the Longhorns and the Bruins, one of which will redeem themselves after falling one game short of the championship last season. The two star-studded teams are headlined by Texas junior forward Madison Booker and UCLA senior center Lauren Betts, who each lead their respective teams in points and rebounding.
The Gamecocks are all too familiar with the Longhorns, having played the team three times this season. Texas won two of three matchups, including the SEC Championship. The win was head coach Vic Schaefer’s first over Staley in postseason play, previously 0-8 all-time.
The Bruins won the Big Ten this season with a record of 35-1, their only loss coming in November to none other than the Longhorns. Betts was held to just 8 points and seven rebounds, while Booker posted 16 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.
The last time South Carolina faced UCLA was on Nov. 24, 2024, in California, where the Bruins handed the Gamecocks their first loss of the season in a 77-62 win. The victory was the first by UCLA over South Carolina in program history.
Last season, the Gamecocks played the Longhorns four times: twice in conference play, once in the SEC Championship and lastly in the Final Four. If each team were to win on Friday, the two would face off for an eighth time in just two seasons.
How to watch
South Carolina will tip off against UConn on Friday at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. Afterwards, Texas will tip off against UCLA at 9:30 p.m. on the same network. The national championship will be played on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.