Special Edition: Watch them dance

The GIST: Death, taxes, and the Huskies in the Final Four — UConn’s been one of the last four teams standing in 17 of 18 tourneys dating back to 2008. Given that championship pedigree, it’s no wonder expectations are always sky high in Storrs.

📌 How they got here: The defending champs are back in the Final Four thanks to four straight double-digit tourney victories, just the latest in their incredible 54-game win streak. They crushed No. 16 UTSA and No. 9 Syracuse in the first two rounds before dismantling No. 4 UNC in the Sweet 16 and pulling away from No. 6 Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.

✅ Why they’ll win it all: Rostering two of the country’s best hoopers — sophomore Sarah Strong and grad student Azzi Fudd — certainly helps, but the Huskies boast more than starpower. Their biggest asset is unselfish play: UConn just set the single-season assist record, passing their own mark from 2016–17. Sharing is caring and in this program’s DNA.

❌ Why they won’t: They’re not as battle-tested as the rest of the field. UConn rolled through the Big East and their non-conference tilts, with just one game decided by fewer than 15 points all season. That said, strength of schedule isn’t a new concern for a head coach (HC) Geno Auriemma–led squad, and the Huskies have silenced those critics before.

The GIST: The Bruins are back in the Final Four for the second straight season, this time with arguably the best roster UCLA’s ever assembled. On the hunt for the program’s first-ever national championship, this stacked team might be the one to do it.

📌 How they got here: The first two rounds went exactly as planned for the Bruins, who doubled up No. 16 Cal Baptist and trounced No. 8 Oklahoma State. The Sweet 16 was a little spicier…until UCLA used a dominant fourth quarter to silence resilient No. 4 Minnesota before outlasting No. 3 Duke in the Elite Eight.

✅ Why they’ll win it all: With five players on the board for next week’s WNBA Draft, the Bruins boast a lethal combination of veteran leadership and elite talent. And they really leaned on it against Duke — down eight at the half, UCLA made key adjustments that turned the tide, dominating the final two quarters with senior Lauren Betts setting the tone in the paint.

❌ Why they won’t: Free throws. It’s not a fatal flaw per se, but simply put, the Bruins don’t shoot enough of ’em, averaging just over 15 attempts per game. For context, the Texas Longhorns, UCLA’s Final Four opponent, average nearly 20, and that margin could make all the difference.

The GIST: It’s been 40 years since the Longhorns hoisted the hardware, but Texas has been building toward a return to the pinnacle of college hoops, especially since the arrival of All-American junior Madison Booker in 2023. Look out — this squad is peaking at exactly the right time.

📌 How they got here: Complete and utter domination. The Longhorns have been winning games by a whopping 35.5 points on average during this stellar tourney run, leaving No. 16 Missouri State, No. 8 Oregon, No. 5 Kentucky, and No. 2 Michigan in their wake.

✅ Why they’ll win it all: They’re playing the best basketball in the country right now. Full stop. The Longhorns have rattled off 12 straight wins, including a convincing dub over South Carolina in last month’s SEC championship. Using a mix of hard-nosed defense and complimentary basketball (see grad student Rori Harmon’s 13 assists against Michigan), this team is locked in.

❌ Why they won’t: Texas doesn’t shoot a lot of threes, taking only 12.6 per game compared to the NCAA average of nearly 20. But that might not matter as their juggernaut defense limits even the best three-point shooting squads. Case in point? Their Elite Eight masterclass.

The GIST: HC Dawn Staley would be the first to say there were a lot of unknowns for South Carolina ahead of this season, and yet the Gamecocks find themselves in a familiar place as they shimmy into their sixth straight Final Four appearance.

📌 How they got here: South Carolina replaced almost their entire veteran core, but their Big Dance consistency prevailed. The Gamecocks crushed No. 16 Southern U in the first round, beat No. 9 USC by 40 points in the second, and easily dismantled No. 4 Oklahoma in the Sweet 16. Then in the Elite Eight, last year’s runners-up used a second-half clinic to bounce No. 3 TCU.

✅ Why they’ll win it all: The metrics that make a championship caliber team? South Carolina has all of them. They can score, their defense and rebounding is elite, and they’re efficient as heck. But most importantly, they’re not scared of the moment, be it their veteran leaders like senior Raven Johnson or their young stars, like sophomore Joyce Edwards and breakout freshman Agot Makeer.

❌ Why they won’t: Bet against Staley at your own risk, but if there’s one thing that could be South Carolina’s undoing, it’s their lack of consistent three-point shooting. It’s not that they don’t make threes (the Gamecocks shoot 37% from beyond the arc); it’s that they don’t take a lot of them. And that could prove costly with margins this thin.