BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — If a No. 2 seed crashes the Final Four party and it’s Connecticut, does it really count as a surprise?
UConn is the lone non-No. 1 seed in a heavyweight Final Four that otherwise consists of No. 1 seeds South Carolina, Texas and UCLA. Actually, the Huskies are the lowest seed left in either tournament since all four No. 1 seeds on the men’s side made it through for the second time in history.
It’s far more common on the women’s side, but no less exciting given the matchups at hand.
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UConn will meet No. 1 overall seed UCLA in a clash of cross-country legacy programs and National Player of the Year finalists Paige Bueckers and Lauren Betts.
The Huskies are record 11-time national champions but have not won since 2016. In Connecticut, that’s an eternity. UCLA has never won the NCAA women’s tournament and until this week, had never reached a Final Four. Yet, the Bruins won an Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship in 1978, before the NCAA took over governing of women’s sports in 1982.
And on the other side, an SEC rematch awaits between regular season co-champions South Carolina and Texas. They split the regular season series, 1-1, but South Carolina beat Texas in the SEC tournament final. With the Longhorns playing their first season in the SEC, it’s the perfect beginning to a rivalry that should go the distance.
“We have tons of experiences to draw from and learn from, but, again, we’ve gotta learn and we’ve gotta be different,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after clinching the Final Four bid. The Longhorns have one national championship to their name in 1986.
Who will cut down the nets in Tampa on April 6? (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
The 20-year head coach has yet to win a title despite leading Mississippi State to back-to-back national title game appearances in 2017 and 2018. The ’17 squad pulled off one of the biggest upsets in women’s college basketball history by ending UConn’s 111-game winning streak with a buzzer-beater in the Final Four.
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The Bulldogs lost in the final to none other than South Carolina, their SEC foes, for the first of head coach Dawn Staley’s three titles. Staley and the Gamecocks are seeking a rare repeat championship that would put the program and coach in line with the greats from UConn (Geno Auriemma), Tennessee (Pat Summitt) and USC (Linda Sharp).
There are conference bragging rights at stake. Only one team has won under the Big Ten banner, and it’s Purdue in the last century (1999). There were high hopes for the conference, which sent the most teams to the NCAA tournament, to see a rematch in the Final Four between UCLA and USC. But Trojans star JuJu Watkins tore her ACL in the second round, and USC couldn’t get past UConn in the Elite Eight.
The SEC is the standard-bearer, boasting 12 national championships over the 42 years. The conference is on a three-year win streak with victories from South Carolina (’22, ’24) and LSU (‘23). The next closest is the Big East (nine), fueled almost entirely by UConn.
About those Huskies. They’ve been ravaged by injuries to their biggest stars, and even their reserves, over the years. Finally, they have a healthy squad led by a rejuvenated Bueckers tearing up the tournament. It is her final year and last chance to win a national championship. The time to secure her legacy is now.
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The team will first have to slow 6-foot-7 UCLA center Lauren Betts, who posted back-to-back 30-point double-doubles in the tournament. Her presence in the paint causes matchup problems, and when teammates are shooting the ball well, it’s tough to stop it all. Huskies guard Azzi Fudd, who will return to school next year, needs to answer with her own 3s. UConn and UCLA are two of the most efficient offenses in the game.
On the other side of the bracket, expect a whole lot of defense. Texas lives by it, and South Carolina prides itself on it. That’s the SEC way. The teams enter the game ninth (South Carolina) and third (Texas) in average opposing points. Teams rarely shoot well against either of them.
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But someone has to score, and both sides have a bevy of options. South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley can flash moves, while Texas’ Madison Booker eats in the mid-range. Longhorns guard Rori Harmon can lock up as a defender and hit the clutch closing shot, and South Carolina senior Te-Hina Paopao joined the team’s seatbelt club with her D this week.
All could be WNBA stars soon alongside Bueckers, and they’ll all want to leave Tampa with a trophy on Sunday.
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