Betting favorite UConn joins top seeds in Final Four

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The women’s Final Four is full of star players, top seeds and historic programs.

There will be no Cinderellas in Tampa, Florida, this week with No. 1 seeds South Carolina, UCLA and Texas in the national semifinals. They are joined by the betting favorite to win it all, second-seeded UConn, which has been playing the best of any team over the past month and knocked off a top-seeded Southern California team that was missing its best player.

Coach Dawn Staley and the defending champion Gamecocks are making their fifth straight trip to the Final Four and are two victories away from becoming the first to repeat since UConn won four straight from 2013-16.

South Carolina will face Southeastern Conference foe Texas for the fourth time this season in one semifinal Friday night. UConn will play UCLA in the other.

The Huskies are back in the Final Four for the second straight year and and a record 24th time overall, and star Paige Bueckers is looking to bring coach Geno Auriemma his 12th title and first since that four-peat.

Top overall seed UCLA is playing in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Bruins won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball, led by Ann Meyers Drysdale, and returned to the Final Four the next year.

That success hadn’t carried over to the NCAA before this season.

No program has been to the Final Four more than Auriemma’s Huskies, who had a record run of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances snapped in 2023. Their 11 national titles are the most of any team.

Here’s a look at the matchups:

South Carolina vs. Texas

The teams split two regular-season meetings, winning on their home courts. The Gamecocks took the rubber match, winning the SEC Tournament title by 17 points. The Gamecocks have won three titles in the past eight years, but this year’s squad has been tested in the postseason. They won both games in the Birmingham Regional by four points, topping Maryland and Duke.

In their victories over Texas this season, the Gamecocks held the Longhorns under 30% shooting. In South Carolina’s loss, Texas shot 44%.

“Ton of experiences to draw from and learn from,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “Got to learn and be different. That’s the thing about their team, Dawn’s teams. You know you’ll get the same from them that you try to impart on others too. They are going to be tough, aggressive, physical. If you don’t bring an edge with you at the fight it won’t be much fun.”

There’s plenty of star power on both teams with Rori Harmon and Madison Booker leading Texas while Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and MiLaysia Fulwiley are the top players for the Gamecocks.

Texas is in the Final Four for the first time since 2003. Schaefer became the fifth coach to take at least two teams to the Final Four, joining Marianne Stanley, Gary Blair and Kim Mulkey. C. Vivian Stringer took three schools to the national semifinals. Schaefer led Mississippi State to the championship games in 2017 and 2018.

UConn vs. UCLA

The Bruins have a dominant post player in 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts who has been unstoppable in the tournament. She had consecutive 30-point, 10-rebound games in the second round and the Sweet 16. She played through foul trouble in the Elite Eight and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks.

UConn will have to figure out a way to slow her down. While Betts has been dominant, no player has been better than Bueckers, who’s clearly driven to conclude her incredible college career with a national championship.

She’s had a bit of help with the stellar play of Azzi Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong, who has put together one of the best seasons for a first-year player in school history.