PHOENIX — Just when you think this game has shown you everything, it always has a way of surprising you when you least expect it.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Despite entering Friday’s semifinal against South Carolina as decisive favorites to win the whole thing, No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten UConn looked completely overmatched on both ends of the floor by Dawn Staley’s veteran-laden crew of Gamecocks. As a result, Staley and company are set to play in a third consecutive national championship game (and fourth in five years). They open as 2.5-point favorites to win what would be their fourth title within a decade against UCLA.
March Madness Coverage: Texas vs. UCLA Final Four Preview | UConn vs. South Carolina Final Four Preview | Fort 1 Region Preview | Fort 3 Region Preview | Sacramento Region 2 Preview | Sacramento Region 4 Preview
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The lasting image from that game, however, hasn’t been the dominance of South Carolina’s defense or Staley’s borderline Belichickian game plan. The leading topic of conversation has been the behavior of UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who confronted and exchanged words with Staley with a tenth of a second remaining, and then stormed into the locker room before the buzzer sounded. Auriemma’s side of the story is that Staley snubbed him at midcourt before the game and bucked the usual tradition, although video evidence later surfaced that Staley did, in fact, shake his hand.
Geno Auriemma exchanged words with Dawn Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina and UConn’s Final Four matchup. pic.twitter.com/S6anlPKqwe
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2026
In slight defense of Auriemma’s antics, it makes complete sense why his frustration boiled over. South Carolina’s defense had suffocated UConn’s offense entirely for the better part of the game, holding consensus National POY Sarah Strong and potential No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Azzi Fudd to a total of 20 points on a combined 7-of-31 from the field. The star of the show was (of course) Raven Johnson, who spent the first half shadowing Strong inside and the second half giving Fudd all she could handle on the perimeter.
Stepping Up
Regarding the decision to trust Johnson with the assignment of a much bigger and physically stronger player in Strong, Staley made it clear that she trusts her defensive stalwart with any assignment in any scenario.
“We went to a smaller lineup just to match what they were doing out there,” Staley said. “I mean, Raven thrives on any matchup, right? Sarah Strong is not the tallest player that she guarded. We were put in the position where she guarded Kentucky’s big, (Clara) Strack. We know Raven is fearless when it comes to who she’s guarding. She takes really great pride in not letting people score on her. When you have a guard like that that has elite defensive skills, you let ’em be great.”
The Gamecocks also received a timely performance from senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds and was crucial in keeping the team afloat while Raven Johnson spent a chunk of the second half on the bench due to foul trouble.
“It started on the defensive end,” Latson said. “We had to get stops. We knew Raven was out there. She couldn’t really run the show, but we had to have her back. Keep it as close as possible till we got her back. I think we just stayed closer during those times. We stayed together, and we fought until Raven got back … I knew I had to impact the game in any way I could. I wanted this win. Whether that was rebounding, scoring, assisting, I was going to do what I had to do.”
NCAA Women’s Title Game: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. UCLA Bruins
South Carolina will face UCLA in Sunday’s national title game, after the Bruins downed Texas 51-44 in what was another hard-nosed defensive showdown in Friday’s second semifinal. It wasn’t the most inspiring offensive performance for UCLA, and coach Cori Close and her staff have less than 48 hours to prepare for what is likely to be a similarly physical game against another defensive-minded team.
Lauren Betts of @UCLAWBB is the first player to have:
15+ points
10+ rebounds
3+ blocks
70% FG shooting
…in a Final Four game (semis or championship, men’s or women’s) since Kentucky’s Anthony Davis did so in 2012 against Louisville. pic.twitter.com/3dTkmQgypg
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 4, 2026
“(Texas’) pressure really got the best of us in that way,” Close said. “I think every game you have to go back and go, okay, what did that one teach us? What adjustments do we need to make? If I’m South Carolina, I would imagine we’re going to see a lot of pressure. How do we, in a quick turnaround, really attack this film and have a growth mindset and see if we can come back and earn that?”
The NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game tips off at 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST on ABC, live from the Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix.
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