South Carolina Aims to Dethrone UConn in Final Four Thriller

South Carolina Aims to Dethrone UConn in Final Four Thriller

The stage is set for a monumental showdown as South Carolina prepares to face UConn in a 2025 Final Four clash that could rewrite women’s basketball history. The Huskies, aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back national titles since their own dominant run from 2013 to 2016, face a formidable Gamecocks squad looking to end UConn’s staggering 54-game winning streak.

A Standard of Excellence

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley acknowledged UConn’s long-standing reign, stating, “Yukon has been the standard in women’s basketball for a very long time and everyone has to measure up to their standard.” She believes this pursuit helps all programs grow, forcing them to strategize and elevate their own play. “When you have a traditionally rich program like that, I think it helps us all grow,” Staley added. “It helps us all try to game plan and figure out ways to just measure ourselves up to them and then possibly beat them.”

New Champion or Repeat Dynasty?

The question on everyone’s mind is whether the sports world will witness another UConn dynasty or the crowning of a new champion. “Both outcomes are good for the game,” commented ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike. However, she leaned towards a new champion emerging. “I think that would be a bigger storyline having a new champion just because we saw Yukon. They performed at the highest level. They won. They got that championship after eight years.” Ogwumike highlighted the motivation derived from past losses for other top seeds like UCLA and Texas, noting how their pain has forced them to elevate their game.

The Other Contenders

Ogwumike praised UCLA’s offensive prowess, calling them “humming like a machine” and the best offense remaining by adjusted metrics. She pointed to their All-American Lauren Betts, the conference player and defensive player of the year, and the addition of sharp-shooter Gina Nypneus, alongside Kiki Rice playing her best basketball.

Texas, historically known for defense, is also showing strong offensive capabilities. “They lost last year in the Final Four and they wanted to get back and fight back,” Ogwumike explained. Rory Harmon, described as the heart and soul of the team, echoed this sentiment: “We’re here to win. We know what that we got a taste of it last year. Now we want to win.”

South Carolina, under Staley, has a legacy of dominant post players, from A’ja Wilson to Aliyah Boston. Now, Joyce Edwards has stepped up with 22 games scoring 20-plus points this season, the most for an underclassman. Medina Okot, a 6’7″ player, has recorded 22 double-doubles. The Gamecocks’ backcourt also showed surprising strength, shooting 70% from three in their Sacramento regional games.

Stephen A.’s Take: Send a Message

Stephen A. Smith emphasized the significance of a new champion emerging. “Parity is what makes the world go ’round,” he argued. “We all see what the NFL has become…because every year, there’s practically a new champion.” Smith reminded viewers of UConn’s incredible tournament history: 37 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, 32 straight Sweet 16s, 25 Final Fours, and 12 national championships. He noted that UConn’s 2022 loss to South Carolina, avenged last year, fuels their current 54-game winning streak.

“A win by anybody else says hold the horses. UConn ain’t the only big fish in this pond,” Smith declared. He sees a win by South Carolina, UCLA, or Texas as sending a powerful message. “You’re not going anywhere. You got FUD, you got strong, we get all that, but we ain’t going no damn place. You going to have to deal with us.” Smith believes knocking off UConn is the way to send that message to the women’s basketball landscape. “The dominance that you have witnessed, UConn, we respect them. We revere them. They don’t scare us. We ain’t no joke either. Y’all better recognize that is the message somebody in this tournament is going to have to send.”

Smith added that for the sport’s health, UConn cannot simply annihilate their opponents in the Final Four. “If they do that, that’s not going to be good for the sport. It’ll be great for Yukon.”

UConn Shows Humanity, Creates Hope

Despite UConn’s dominance, exemplified by their 37-point average margin of victory, their Elite Eight game against Hannah Hidalgo showed glimpses of their vulnerability. Hidalgo, who set a D1 record with 16 steals and broke the all-time steals record in that game, proved that even UConn can be tested. “When Hannah Hidalgo is up on you, who set, you know, the D1 record with 16 steals in a game and broke the all-time steals record in that same game versus Vanderbilt, which was wild,” Ogwumike observed. “But overall, you look at Yukon and they we were at their practice yesterday and Gino [Auriemma] is a master of the details. He does not tolerate mistakes.”

This competitive showing by other teams against UConn has created a belief that they can be beaten. “If they can be competitive with them, we know we absolutely can,” Ogwumike stated. South Carolina, in particular, seems motivated not just by UConn’s past success, but by their own recent losses, including one to Texas in the SEC tournament.

A Tossup in Phoenix

As for South Carolina’s chances, Ogwumike described the game as a true coin flip. “Before I was saying that like Yukon is the heavy favorite right now. I think it can go either way. I think it’s a coin flip.” She noted that even UConn’s star player, A’ja Wilson, didn’t shoot well in the Elite Eight, and her supporting cast had a quiet scoring night. Sarah Strong had to step up, motivating her teammates and taking control. Smith believes Strong will need to continue that aggressive play against South Carolina’s size advantage. “Is it going to be the outside style of Sarah Strong who can knock down threes or the bigs that are going to try to control the boards? That to me is fascinating and it’s why I think it’s truly a tossup, which is good for the game,” Smith concluded.

Final Four Details

ESPN is the exclusive home of the Women’s Final Four. The night’s action features all four No. 1 seeds. South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards will face UConn’s A’ja Wilson and Sarah Strong at 7 p.m. ET. In the other game, Texas’s Rennia Davis and Booker will take on UCLA’s Lauren Betts. The Final Four pregame special from Phoenix begins at 6 p.m. ET, with courtside presentations available on ESPN2 and the ESPN app.

Source: Stephen A. calls for South Carolina to send a message to UConn in the Final Four 🗣️ | First Take (YouTube)