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When the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament tipped off with the First Four games back on March 19, 68 teams had dreams of cutting down the nets and lifting the trophy. Now a few weeks later, only two teams remain: No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 UConn.
South Carolina has struggled at times during this tournament, but had no issues against Texas in the Final Four, as they cruised to a 17-point win. If that sounds impressive, you should have seen UConn. They destroyed UCLA by 34 points on the other side of the bracket for the biggest Final Four win ever.
Now, the two dominant forces in college basketball over the last decade will meet Sunday in a rematch of the 2022 championship game, which went the Gamecocks’ way. That, by the way, is the ony time the Huskies have ever lost a title game.
South Carolina is hoping to become the first team since UConnn (2013-16) to repeat as national champions and win its third title in the last four years. UConn, meanwhile, is out to get back on top for the first time since 2016. Nine years is the Huskies’ longest “drought” since they won their first title back in 1995.
When the two programs met back in February, UConn cruised to a 27-point win that ended South Carolina’s 71-game home winning streak. Was that just a great night for the Huskies and a bad one for the Gamecocks? Or was it a sign of what’s to come on Sunday? We’ll soon find out.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 UConn
- Date: Sunday, April 6 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Amalie Arena — Tampa, Florida
- Watch: ABC | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Players to watch
South Carolina: Joyce Edwards
Edwards was the Gamecocks’ leading scorer this season off the bench and is one of the most versatile forwards in the country. She struggled for much of the tournament, but was back to her best against Texas with 13 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six assists. The Gamecocks will need that version of Edwards to show up Sunday if they want to complete the repeat.
UConn: Paige Bueckers
Bueckers is a borderline perfect player on the offensive end of the floor. She can score efficiently at all three levels, and if you send help her way she’ll pick you apart with her passing. Her 7 of 17 outing in the Final Four was an outlier after back-to-back-to-back 30-point games prior, including a career-high 40 points in the Sweet 16. She appears to be on a mission in her final college season.
Three keys to the game
3-point battle
UConn is the best offensive team in the country by a wide margin. They’re first in offensive rating (119.6), second in effective field goal % (57.8) and fifth in 3-point % (38.3). Simply put, they can really shoot the ball, and that is perhaps the biggest separator between them and South Carolina on the offensive end.
StatUConnSouth Carolina3-point rate (rank)
36.2 (117th)
26.2 (317th)
3-point % (rank)
38.3 (5th)
33.7 (75th)
Season-high in 3s
20
12
Games with double-digit 3s
16
5
Players with 50+ 3s
4
1
During the first meeting between these teams, UConn went 13 of 28 from 3-point range, while South Carolina was 3 of 17. The 30-point difference was nearly identical to the final margin of 29.
There’s no question the Huskies are the better shooting team, but weird things can happen in winner-take-all games like this. If the Huskies outshoot the Gamecocks again like they did in February, the game won’t be close. But if the Gamecocks can keep the 3-point margin to a manageable number, they’ll have a chance.
Who will step up for South Carolina?
South Carolina is the deepest team in the country, and its wealth of talent allows the team to outwork and overwhelm most opponents. However, there is a drawback to the Gamecocks’ by-committee approach on the offensive end, which has nearly cost them on multiple occasions during the tournament: the team lacks a true go-to scorer and No. 1 option.
Freshman forward Joyce Edwards is their leading scorer at 12.7 points per game, which would be the lowest average by a national champion’s top scorer in the last 20 years. They have eight healthy players — Ashlyn Watkins is out for the season with a torn ACL — taking between five and 11 shots per game and six players averaging between eight and 13 points per game.
That’s great when everything’s rolling and they can get out and run and share the ball around. But when the game slows down and they have to play in the halfcourt, who will get them a bucket? Against Maryland and Duke, there were long stretches where they didn’t have an answer to that question.
The Gamecocks’ incredible defense saved them in those rounds, and could do so again Sunday, but it won’t be as easy against a high-powered Huskies team. If Bueckers and Co. start putting the ball in the basket, someone is going to have to step up to match them. Who will it be?
Taking care of the ball
Both of these teams thrive off forcing turnovers and getting out in transition for easy baskets. We saw as much during the Final Four, as South Carolina scored 14 points off 14 Texas turnovers, and UConn converted 19 UCLA turnovers into 27 points.
At the same time, both teams are among the best in the country in taking care of the ball.
StatSouth CarolinaUConnTOV% (rank)
14.6 (9th)
13.6 (4th)
Opp. TOV% (rank)
20.0 (150th)
24.1 (25th)
Points off turnovers (rank)
19.4 (89th)
22.7 (11th)
The outcome Sunday may very well come down to which team wins the turnover battle. Not just in terms of forcing turnovers, but capitalizing off of them. In the February showdown in Columbia, UConn had 10 turnovers to South Carolina’s 12, but the Huskies scored 13 points off of turnovers compared to just four for the Gamecocks.
Given the two team’s discrepency in halfcourt efficiency — 41.% shooting for South Carolina on halfcourt possessions, compared to 47.4% for UConn — creating turnovers feels especially crucial for the Gamecocks. Can they knock the Huskies’ elite offense off balance and get some easy points as a result?
Prediction
UConn has been the best team in the tournament and that won’t change Sunday. They have the best player in Paige Bueckers, and a deep supporting cast that seems particularly motivated to help their star win her first national championship. This game won’t be as easy for the Huskies as the February meeting was, but they’ll be victorious. Pick: UConn
