The Women’s Final Four tips off Friday night in Tampa at Amalie Arena, and college basketball’s top seeds have held up strong in this bracket, just like the men’s. Three of the remaining teams are No. 1 seeds, and the lone exception is second-seeded Connecticut, hardly a long shot.
These teams know each other well from head-to-head meetings – South Carolina and Texas will meet for the fourth time this season.
Here’s a look at how the four squads competing for the right to hoist a championship trophy stack up heading into the Final Four.
No. 1 UCLA Bruins
AP: 1
NET: 4
Record: 34-2
Record vs. Final Four teams: 1-0 (Beat South Carolina)
How they got here: The Bruins had the easiest path to the Final Four, needing to beat fifth-seeded Ole Miss and third-seeded LSU. They won their four games by a combined 76 points, the lowest winning margin of the four remaining teams.
Star power: Junior center Lauren Betts is 6-foot-7 and can dominate inside — she nearly averaged a double-double at 20.0 points and 9.6 points per game and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with three blocks a game. She’s a big part of why the Bruins ranked second in the nation in rebounding margin this season.
Final Four history: This is the first Final Four in UCLA women’s basketball history. The Bruins made the Elite Eight in 1999 and 2018, but that was the farthest they’d made it in the tournament. They’ve made the Sweet 16 three years in a row now, so the team has postseason experience, just not this far along.
UCLA star Lauren Betts was named a first-team All-American after nearly averaging a double-double this season. (Photo by Tyler McFarland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks
AP: 2
NET: 2
Record: 34-3
Record vs. Final Four teams: 2-3 (2-1 vs. Texas, 0-1 vs. UCLA, 0-1 vs. UConn)
How they got here: The two closest games for Final Four teams this year both belong to the Gamecocks, who beat fourth-seeded Maryland and second-seeded Duke by just four points each. After a 60-point opening-round win, they’ve won the last three by a combined 19 points, easily the closest of the four teams.
Star power: The Gamecocks don’t have a dominant star — freshman forward Joyce Edwards was their only contribution to the 10-player All-SEC first team, averaging 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. South Carolina can hit you with their depth, as the Gamecocks led the nation in bench scoring by a full 9.3 points per game, averaging 40.6 on the season.
Final Four history: The Gamecocks seek to be the first repeat national champs since UConn in 2015-16, and a title would give them three in four years. They’ve now made the Final Four five years in a row under Dawn Staley, after doing so only twice in their history before that.
Dawn Staley has South Carolina back in the Final Four, making her seventh trip there and fourth straight appearance. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
No. 3 Texas Longhorns
AP: 5
NET: 3
Record: 35-3
Record vs. Final Four teams: 1-2 (Lost 2 of 3 to South Carolina).
How they got here: Texas pulled out low-scoring wins over fifth-seeded Tennessee and second-seeded TCU, winning by an average margin of 20 points per game in their four tournament games
Star power: Sophomore forward Madison Booker averages 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is a finalist for the Wooden Award, given to college basketball’s top player. She was named SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore and was an AP first-team All-American.
Final Four history: This is just the fourth Final Four in Texas’ history and its first since 2003. The Longhorns won a national title in 1986, but they’ve already passed their biggest hurdle as of late, having reached the Elite Eight and lost there in three of the four previous seasons.
SEC Player of the Year and first-team All-American Madison Booker is averaging 18.8 points and eight rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
No. 4 UConn Huskies
AP: 3
NET: 1
Record: 35-3
Record vs. Final Four teams: 1-0 (Beat South Carolina)
How they got here: The only remaining team that isn’t a No. 1 seed, the second-seeded Huskies beat top-seeded USC (missing star JuJu Watkins) by 14 points, easily their closest of four tournament wins. Their combined margin of victory is 140 points, a full 60 points better than the next closest team remaining in the field.
Star power: Senior guard Paige Bueckers has scored at least 30 points in each of UConn’s last three wins, including matching her career-high of 40 points in a win over Oklahoma. She ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and she’ll lead the Huskies as they seek their first national title in nine years. Bueckers is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft.
Final Four history: The Huskies have been to 16 of the last 17 Final Fours and are pursing their 12th national title under coach Geno Auriemma. UConn hasn’t won a championship since 2016.
UConn star Paige Bueckers made program history in its Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, scoring 40 points. That’s the most ever in an NCAA Tournament game by a UConn player. (Photo by Myk Crawford/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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