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PINNED 4:33 pm, April 1, 2025
Here is everything you need to know to watch the Final Four matchup:
- 📅 Date: Friday, April 4
- ⏰ Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- 📺 TV: ESPN
- 📍Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
- 📊 Follow: Live scores and stats
What does the Final Four mean to the Bruins and Huskies?
For UConn, it’s the norm. This storied program is playing in its 24th Final Four and expects to advance this far every year. But for UCLA, this is uncharted territory. The Bruins had only advanced as far as the Elite Eight prior to knocking off TCU.
UConn
The Huskies (35-3) are looking to erase the sour taste left in their mouth after bowing out to Iowa in last year’s Final Four. UConn hasn’t raised a trophy since the 2015-16 season. That’s proven to be enough time to give rise to a new dominant program in South Carolina, who won the title in 2024, 2022 and 2017. We’ve also seen Kim Mulkey win two titles at two different schools — Baylor in 2019 and LSU in 2023.
This time, UConn is armed with a healthy duo of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who are looking to finally return the program to championship glory.
UCLA
The Bruins have beaten, every team on their schedule this year. Sure, they have only two losses — both to cross-town rival Southern Cal — but those losses were avenged when UCLA beat the Trojans in the Big Ten Championship game. With this type of season, is it any wonder the Associate Press voted the Bruins as the No. 1 team in the country for most of the year? Is it any wonder they became the committee’s No. 1 overall seed?
Lauren Betts has been a force all tournament long, putting up 30-point performances against South Dakota State in the second round and Oklahoma in the Sweet 16. She leads the team in points (20) and rebounds (9.6) per game and is top 10 in the nation with 19 double-doubles on the year.
The matchup
Statistically, UConn has fared better in scoring, defense, three-point percentage, ball security and free throw percentage. But do the Huskies have an answer for Betts in the paint? The 6’7 center is a huge reason the Bruins have had the type of year they’ve had.
We have the top-seeded team in the tournament taking on the lone No. 2 seed to crack the Final Four. Here’s a look at (1) UCLA vs. (2) UConn by the numbers:
UCLA Category UConn 78.7 Points per game 81.6 57.9 Points allowed per game 52.0 33.7 3-point percentage 38.3 72.8 FT percentage 76.4 15.1 Turnovers per game 10.7 Lauren Betts, 20.0 (C) PPG leader Paige Bueckers, 20.1 (G) Kiki Rice, 5.1 (G) APG leader Paige Bueckers, 4.8 (G) Lauren Betts, 9.6 (C) RPG leader Sarah Strong, 8.8 (F) 👉 Click or tap here to see all stats
