In a state where college basketball normally belongs to the Sun Devils and Wildcats, the desert gave the spotlight to the four No. 1 seeds in the women's tournament on April 3.
Tipping off the tournament in Phoenix were the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks, followed by the UCLA Bruins and the Texas Longhorns.
UConn vs. South Carolina
After falling to UConn in the 2025 NCAA championship game, head coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina got their revenge, spoiling the Huskies' undefeated 38-0 season with a 62-48 win.
In the first quarter, UConn struggled to secure a bucket; South Carolina also out-hustled UConn at the rim, securing 11 boards to the Huskies' six.
The quarter ended 15-15, with sophomore forward Sarah Strong and South Carolina's freshman guard Agot Makeer leading their respective teams with five points.
In the second, Connecticut out-scored South Carolina 11-9, despite shooting 33.3% from the field and going 0-5 from beyond the arc. The No.1 seeds held each other to the lowest-scoring halves of the season, with strong defense contributing to the intensity of the game.
"They (South Carolina) were super aggressive on defense," UConn senior guard Azzi Fudd said. "I thought some of our shots were a little rushed, some of our offense was a little rushed, out of pace."
Instead of the Huskies turning things around in the second half, they let the Gamecocks finish with 22 free throw attempts, while only shooting six of their own.
A lack of foul calls for UConn and a torn jersey for Strong sent their head coach, Geno Auriemma, into an undeniable state of frustration.
"There was not a single foul called on them in the third quarter," Auriemma said. "I have a kid that's one of the best players in the country and has got the ball a lot and is trying to get something done, and you mean to tell me there was never a time when she got fouled? Find that hard to believe."
The Gamecocks had the undefeated Huskies at 39 points going into the fourth, the first time this season that UConn trailed ahead of the final quarter.
South Carolina's lead only increased in the fourth, as UConn failed to make layups and jumpers, allowing the Gamecocks to secure an 11-point scoring run. Including the run, the Gamecocks scored 18 points in the fourth.
South Carolina's dominance on defense, 34 points in the paint and 16 points off fast breaks, enabled Staley to secure her trip to the championship.
Once time ran out, Auriemma headed straight to the tunnel, avoiding Staley and leaving his Huskies to shake hands by themselves.
"The game wasn't played the way we want to play it," Auriemma said. "It was played the way South Carolina wanted to play it. I think they did a great job of doing that."
UCLA vs. Texas
UCLA will make its first NCAA championship title game appearance after defeating Texas 51-44.
The Bruins and Longhorns combined for 20 points to end the first, contributing to the night's low-scoring theme.
UCLA's senior center Lauren Betts was the game's leading scorer with 16 points.
Texas' junior guard and forward Madison Booker went 3-23, ending the game with just six points compared to her season average of 18.9.
When asked about holding Booker to just six points, graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens applauded her opponent's skill.
"She's just one of the best players in college basketball," Kneepkens said. "All the respect to her. But Gabs (Gabriela Jaquez) and all my teammates that played on her, Angela (Dugalić) played on her, all the scouts switched on to her, just did an incredible job pressing up, making those shots difficult."
Despite securing 15 points from turnovers, 11 points from second chances and 16 points off the bench, the Longhorns couldn't overcome the Bruins.
The championship
The Gamecocks and Bruins will face each other Sunday, April 5, at 12:30 p.m., with South Carolina motivated by redemption following last year's title defeat and UCLA driven by its first trip to the finals.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Sophia Braccio and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
