TAMPA, Fla. – The national championship matchup is set after commanding wins from South Carolina and UConn in the Final Four on Friday.
It’ll be a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Championship game on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC) at Amalie Arena. The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (35-3) beat Texas 74-57, and the No. 2 seed Huskies (36-3) beat UCLA 85-51 to advance.
South Carolina beat UConn 64-49 in the 2022 final, the only other time they met in the championship game.
UConn handed the Gamecocks a 87-58 loss during the regular season, snapping their 71-game win streak in Columbia, South Carolina. It was also the largest margin in a home loss for South Carolina since 2008.
Here’s what you need to know about the rematch.
Battle of the freshmen: Joyce Edwards vs. Sarah Strong
The championship matchup with feature arguably the two best freshmen in the country. UConn’s Sarah Strong and South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards both play significant roles for their teams.
It’s no surprise the freshmen have helped lead their teams to the national championship game — there were signs a year ago of the dominance to come. Strong, the No. 1 recruit of the 2024 class, and Edwards, the No. 3 recruit in the 2024 class, were co-MVPs of the McDonald’s All-American game last April.
Strong is the second-leading scorer for the Huskies, behind senior star Paige Bueckers. The 6-foot-2 forward averages 16.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Strong had 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block Friday.
Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring off the bench. The 6-3 forward averages 12.7 points, five rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 21 minutes per game. Edwards bounced back from a three-game slump Friday, logging 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a steal.
Both players are confident with the ball in their hands and impact every area of the game. How each freshman performs in the first national championship game of their careers will heavily influence the outcome.
Can South Carolina become first repeat champion since 2016?
No team has repeated as national champions since UConn won four straight titles from 2013-16.
South Carolina had the chance to repeat during the 2022-23 season, but it fell in the Final Four. After going undefeated last season en route to their third national championship, the Gamecocks have another opportunity to repeat. They would become only the fourth program in NCAA history to win back-to-back national titles, joining an elite group with USC, Tennessee and UConn.
Some might look at the Final Four results and think UConn will blow out the Gamecocks again. But South Carolina was playing Texas for a fourth time this season, and it still won by 17 points.
South Carolina’s tournament run hasn’t been as dominant as last season’s, but the Gamecocks looked like a championship team again as they dismantled Texas on Friday.
Will Paige Bueckers leave UConn with a national championship?
If UConn doesn’t win Sunday, Paige Bueckers would leave the program as the only player to win National Player of the Year and not a national championship. She would be the best player by far to leave UConn without adding to the program’s 11 national titles.
Bueckers was hampered by injuries throughout her career, and her team as a whole has suffered injuries that prevented championship runs. But now, the Huskies have all the pieces to win a title, and they looked like it when they throttled UCLA on Friday.
Bueckers had a slower night offensively against the Bruins, scoring 16 points on 7-for-17 shooting, but she has been on a tear during the NCAA tournament. Going into the Final Four, Bueckers was averaging 29 points on 58.7% shooting. Even with a slower scoring night, Bueckers had 16 points, adding five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
South Carolina will have to contain Bueckers, who is more than capable of rising to another level with a championship on the line.
Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma square off in NCAA final again
The matchup is a clash between one of the original dynasties of women’s basketball and the one taking hold in the modern era. It’s also a coaching battle between two of the most accomplished coaches in the sport.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma was undefeated in national championship games before losing to South Carolina and Dawn Staley in 2022. He was 11-0 in NCAA finals prior to the loss, and now Staley holds the mantle of being undefeated in national championship games (3-0).
Auriemma holds a 9-5 overall head-to-head record against Staley. South Carolina has won four of the five last matchups with the Huskies, who won the first seven matchups against the Gamecocks under Staley.
Auriemma has won 11 national championships, but hasn’t won a title since 2016. Staley has won three NCAA championships, all of them since 2017.