PHOENIX ― Nearly a year after losing to UConn in the national championship, the South Carolina women's basketball team returned to the Final Four as something it wasn't the 362 days prior: fearless.
On April 6, 2025, UConn beat South Carolina 82-59 in the national championship game, but it wasn't that the Gamecocks lost; it was how they uncharacteristically folded when the lights were the brightest. UConn coach Geno Auriemma had coached circles around South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who was 3-0 in national championship games before her 2025 postseason matchup with Auriemma.
Auriemma's game plan was a masterclass. The Huskies pounded the paint with their bigs, leaving the Gamecocks reeling with every made basket. After South Carolina was exhausted from trying to stay in stride with UConn's post players, the Huskies kicked the ball out, sinking punishing 3-pointers that South Carolina couldn't stop. To finish the mission, UConn's defense stifled South Carolina's usually prolific offense and cruised to a 23-point victory.
Staley watched in agony, play sheet mercilessly clinched in her hands, as her quest for back-to-back championships faded. However, South Carolina entered the Final Four on Friday with more size, more scoring options and an infinite amount of confidence.
