UConn and South Carolina will compete for the National Championship
USA TODAY’s Meghan Hall breaks down the upcoming matchup between the Gamecocks and the Huskies for the National Championship.
Sports Seriously
It’s UConn and South Carolina in the women’s basketball NCAA championship game today. And what a March Madness matchup it is.
It’s Paige Bueckers chasing her first national championship ring while South Carolina seniors Bree Hall, Raven Johnson and Sania Feagin hunt their third ring and back-to-back titles, a feat not achieved in nearly a decade.
Watch South Carolina vs. UConn on Fubo (free trial)
It’s a battle of Dawn Staley‘s modern dynasty, the Gamecocks going for a third NCAA title in four years and fourth overall under Staley, and Geno Auriemma’s historic dynasty, the Huskies going for their 12th championship and first since 2016.
USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, scores, highlights and analysis throughout the game. Follow along.
The Gamecocks and Huskies tip off at 3 p.m. ET.
ABC is airing the game. You can stream Gamecocks vs. Huskies on Fubo with a free trial.
Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to three: 2017, 2022, 2024.
UConn women’s basketball national championships
Geno Auriemma has led the Huskies to a record 11 national championships: 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. The program recently shared a photo of him wearing all his rings on social media. Auriemma has been at the helm since 1985.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is rocking a black Louis Vuitton set, embellished with what looks to be blue pearls.
Superstar UConn guard Paige Bueckers has been on a tear this March Madness. She dropped three consecutive 30-point games, including a career-high 40-point outing against Oklahoma in the Sweet 16, to average 26.4 points per game during the NCAA Tournament. On the season, she averages 20 points, 4.4 boards, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game and she shoots 53.9% from the floor and 42.4% from 3.
No, the superstar fifth-year senior is chasing her first national championship ring. This is her second appearance in the NCAA title game. The first was in 2022, also against South Carolina, which UConn lost 64-49.
As UConn meets South Carolina in the national championship Sunday, there are some who would argue there is still a “hole” in Paige Bueckers’ considerable resume. Bueckers, however, isn’t one of them.
“I’m not worried about that at all,” she said Saturday. “The thing I take great joy and great pride in is the relationships, the experiences, the journeys we’ve gone on throughout the team. Just the bonds I’ve been able to create with my teammates, the memories, the close-knit stuff that you can’t really experience without sports. How it’s brought us all together and how much we’ve grown as individuals, grown as a team. All the stuff we’ve been through and how much it’s made us stronger.
“Really, the journey is the reward for me. Talk of legacy and whatever, that’s not up to me. All I can worry about and control is who I am every single day and who we are as a team.” Read Nancy Armour’s full column on Paige Bueckers’ impact.
South Carolina women’s basketball roster
The Gamecocks have depth and defense on their side, ranking first in the nation in bench points per game (40.5) and fifth in blocks per game (5.8). Here’s a look at the full South Carolina women’s basketball roster.
UConn women’s basketball roster
The Huskies score 81.7 points per game (ninth in the country) and shoot 51% from the floor, tops in women’s college basketball. In addition to touting Paige Bueckers and her 20 points per game, the Huskies get 16.2 points from Sarah Strong and 13.3 points from Azzi Fudd per game. Here is the full UConn women’s basketball roster.
Odds via BetMGM as of Sunday, April 6.
- Spread: UConn -6.5
- Moneyline Favorite: UConn -305
- Moneyline Underdog: South Carolina +245
- Total: 133.5
Geno Auriemma vs. Dawn Staley
UConn coach Geno Auriemma was 11-0 in national championship games before losing to South Carolina and Dawn Staley in 2022. Now Staley holds the mantle of being undefeated in national championship games (3-0). Auriemma holds a 9-5 overall head-to-head record against Staley. South Carolina has won four of the five last matchups with the Huskies, who won the first seven matchups against the Gamecocks under Staley. — Cora Hall
What is a Gamecock? South Carolina players take a guess
South Carolina players are quizzed on what kind of bird a Gamecock is during Final Four weekend.
Sports Seriously
Sarah Strong’s mother, Allison Feaster, is a friend and former Charlotte Sting teammate of Dawn Staley’s. Staley watched Strong grow up and saw her work up close when the Gamecocks lost to the Huskies in mid-February. She is all the more impressed with the forward, who is averaging a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament and joined Maya Moore as the only freshman in UConn history to score more than 600 points in a season.
“The (basketball) IQ is off the charts,” Staley said Saturday. “The skill set, off the charts. Big play after big play after big play.”
“In the next three years, she might be the best player to come out of UConn,” Staley said. Read our full story on UConn freshman Sarah Strong.
The trio of Bree Hall, Raven Johnson and Sania Feagin have been at the core of South Carolina making five consecutive trips to the Final Four, a feat only UConn and Stanford have achieved.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called the seniors who spent their entire careers on her team the epitome of sacrifice. They embraced the path she put before them and didn’t transfer when they didn’t play heavy minutes as underclassmen.
“They’re winners … They’re playing the biggest role for us in this championship run,” Staley said. “The way they just sacrifice and held out, and now they position themselves to do something that very few classes are able to do – and that’s try to win a third.” Read Cora Hall’s full story on South Carolina’s championship core.
- 2020s: South Carolina (2024), LSU (2023), South Carolina (2022), Stanford (2021)
- 2010s: Baylor (2019), Notre Dame (2018), South Carolina (2017), UConn (2013-16), Baylor (2012), Texas A&M (2011)
- 2000s: UConn (2009-10), Tennessee (2007-08), Maryland (2006), Baylor (2005), UConn (2002-04), Notre Dame (2001), UConn (2000)
- 1990s: Purdue (1999), Tennessee (1996-98), UConn (1995), UNC (1994), Texas Tech (1993), Stanford (1992), Tennessee (1991), Stanford (1990),
- 1980s: Tennessee (1989), Louisiana Tech (1988), Tennessee (1987), Texas (1986), Old Dominion (1985), USC (1983-84), Louisianna Tech (1982)
The Gamecocks and Huskies are playing at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
