UConn, meanwhile, is leading second-year guard Paige Bueckers, last year’s national team player of the year. He missed much of the season with an injury to his left knee, but returned in February and is a member of a trio of star guards. The title game is a rematch. South Carolina beat UConn 73-57 in November at Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, based on 22 points from Boston and a suffocating defense that kept the Huskies at just 3 points in the 4th quarter. UConn, the leading women’s basketball program for almost three decades, is in the strange position of an underdog. As a 2-seed in the tournament, UConn had 11 starting line-ups this season due to a combination of injuries and Covid disease. Nevertheless, UConn reached the Final Four by defeating NC State 1-seed in an epic 91-87 victory in the extra time, for the first time in NCAA women’s tournament history for a game in the Elite Eight or beyond needed a double extension. They followed with a 63-58 victory over another 1-seed at Stanford on Friday night to reach the title game. South Carolina is the first team from the preparation period and has 34-2 per year, with each defeat coming from 2 points or less. The Gamecocks reached the Final Four, beating Creighton 80-50 and then losing Louisville 72-59 with 10 seeds on Friday to reach the title game. In the victory over Louisville, Boston and its pink and purple braids scored 23 points and scored 18 rebounds, the 29th double-double of its amazing season. UConn, coached by Geno Auriemma, leads the backyard trio of Bueckers, Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd, who each average more than 12 points per game per season. The title game will be played in Minneapolis and is a comeback for Bookers, who grew up in the suburb of Hopkins. This is UConn’s 14th consecutive appearance in the Final Four dating back to 2007. The Huskies have won the league 11 times in their illustrious history – and have made a perfect 11-0 in those games. South Carolina, under coach Dawn Staley, has been making the Sweet 16 every year since 2014 and won its first national championship in 2017. It was the top team in the country in 2020 when the tournament was canceled due to Covid-19 and last year lost in the Final Four. The two teams last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2018, when UConn beat South Carolina 94-65 to advance to the Final Four.
