University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 1 UConn, No. 1 South Carolina to Face Off in Final Four
4/2/2026 6:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHOENIX – The top-seeded UConn women's basketball team (38-0) faces No. 1-seed South Carolina (35-3) in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Final Four on Friday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT in Mortgage Matchup Center. The game will air on ESPN, Westwood One and the UConn Sports Network from Learfield (FOX Sports 97.9).
UConn entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the 23rd time in program history and as the No. 1 overall seed for the 15th time in program history. The Huskies have advanced to the Final Four for a record 25th time. UConn is 13-11 all-time in the Final Four.
UConn is 146-24 overall in the NCAA Tournament, which is the winningest record in the sport. The Huskies won the 2025 NCAA Championship, the program's 12th title.
UConn advanced to the Final Four with a 70-52 win over No. 6-seed Notre Dame. Sophomore Sarah Strong led the Huskies with 21 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Freshman Blanca Quiñonez had 20 points off the bench vs. the Irish.
Strong was named the region's Most Outstanding Player while Quiñonez and graduate student Azzi Fudd were named to the All-Tournament Team.
UConn is 11-5 all-time vs. South Carolina. The teams last faced off in the 2025 NCAA Championship game, which UConn won 82-59 for the program's record 13th national title.
UConn and South Carolina have faced off in the NCAA Tournament three times before. This is the first meeting between the teams in the Final Four game. UConn assistant coach Tonya Cardoza and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley were teammates at Virginia.
South Carolina advanced to the Final Four with a 78-52 win over No. 2-seed TCU. This season, Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks with 19.7 points per game. Five players are averaging double-digit points. Staley is in her 18th season at South Carolina.
