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TAMPA, Fla. — Three of the four No. 1 seeds made it to the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament, with UCLA, South Carolina and Texas still dancing. The odd one out is No. 2 seed UConn, a team that should by no means be considered an underdog.
Geno Auriemma has guided the Huskies to 11 national championships and the team has more motivation than ever to get another before Paige Bueckers’ decorated college career comes to a close. The Huskies are Final Four regulars, and Friday will mark their 16th appearance in 17 years.
They’ve been here before, and that’s just one of many reasons why they are the top team in our Final Four rankings. Here are the full rankings and explanations:
1. UConn
UConn was inconsistent early in the season, particularly in the front court. However, the Huskies are looking like the most complete team at both ends of the floor right now. The key moment for them this season was their 87-58 win against South Carolina on Feb. 16. It showed how dangerous the Huskies can be when they are the aggressors.
Bueckers is turning up the heat while chasing a national championship in her final college basketball season. She has a high basketball IQ and is solid on both sides of the court. She is averaging 20 points per game this season, but her average rose to 35 points while shooting 59.1% from the field and 61.9% from 3 in her last three outings.
But this team is dangerous because it has bonafide offense beyond Bueckers in the form of freshman Sarah Strong and senior Azzi Fudd. Though Fudd struggled in the Elite Eight, she has had some very strong games, including in the first round of the tournament against Arkansas State when she led UConn with 27 points.
There are also other players who can be the spark. Kaitlin Chen was one of the key players against USC, and KK Arnold does a lot of impactful things that don’t show up in the box score while coming off the bench.
2. UCLA
The Bruins are competing as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed while having the best season in program history. They have only lost to one team, their Los Angeles rival USC, and they got their revenge in dominant fashion during the Big Ten tournament championship. The Bruins are extremely motivated to prove themselves, and they showed it by taking down a very strong LSU team in the Elite Eight.
UCLA has a lot of height and is one of the top rebounding teams in the country. The Bruins are led by Lauren Betts, a difficult player to face in the paint who is averaging 23 points and 9.3 rebounds during tournament play.
Betts is the primary scorer, but much like UConn, this roster has several players who can hurt opponents. Kiki Rice is the second-leading scorer on the team and knows how to create opportunities for her teammates. Gabriela Jaquez doesn’t always get talked about as much, but she has become a more vocal leader and knows how to show up in big moments. In the win over LSU, she scored 18 points and went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.
3. South Carolina
For the most part, the top teams usually have a good mixture of a star they can rely on and multiple key players who can take over when needed. South Carolina is different because there is not one key player on the roster, and that makes this a difficult team to scout.
The Gamecocks’ bench is averaging 40 points per game, more than any other bench in the nation. Two key non-starters are freshman Joyce Edwards and sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley — who is often described as a walking highlight reel. In the starting lineup, Chloe Kitts has leveled up this season, and Te-Hina Paopao is a level-headed leader.
That being said, not having a primary scorer to lean on in critical moments has led to some games in which South Carolina really struggles to find its offense. The Gamecocks only scored 54 points against Duke in the Elite Eight, and despite getting 71 points against Maryland in the Sweet 16, they did so while shooting well under 40% from the field with some very rough stretches.
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4. Texas
The Longhorns are another team whose offense has been struggling, and that’s probably the biggest question for them coming into the Final Four, especially because they do not shoot 3-pointers well.
They do have potential to do well on offense with Rori Harmon, who has impressive court vision as she has the third-most overall assists this season, and is averaging 5.9 per game. Texas also does have a go-to leader in Madison Booker, who is averaging 16.5 points per game. Taylor Jones gives the Longhorns 12.1 points per game while leading the team in blocks with 1.9 per game. Jones is one half of the team’s “two-headed monster,” which is what coach Vic Schaefer calls Jones and Kyla Oldacre.
Despite some lackluster offensive performances, this team is tough mentally and knows how to make adjustments. They also have a suffocating defense that can disrupt even the toughest opponents as evidenced by their 66-62 win over South Carolina on Feb. 9.
