Sometimes “March Madness” is mad because of its unpredictability—its thrilling upsets, buzzer beaters and Cinderella runs. But the women’s final between The University of Connecticut’s Huskies and the University of South Carolina’s Gamecocks was “mad” for a different reason: It was a blow out, with the Huskies trouncing the Gamecocks 82-59 to secure an even dozen NCAA tournament wins, all under longtime head coach Geno Auriemma.
It was a storybook affair, really. Paige Bueckers, UConn star and No. 1 WNBA draft pick for the Dallas Wings, had not yet won a national championship. The team lost to South Carolina in the 2022 final 49-64. But Bueckers, who has the highest points-per-game in the squad’s history, now joins the ranks of Husky greats like Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, who all sport multiple rings. And she got revenge after UConn’s 2022 loss during her sophomore season.
Brewer forward Ava Gurley ’26 picked the Gamecocks for the win, but was excited for Bueckers: “I do think just as a women’s basketball fan, it’s impossible not to be happy for Paige and her getting to finish her college career with a championship. She’s worked so hard and done so much to help grow the sport, so every win for her is very well-deserved,” she wrote in an email to The Miscellany News.
“The final Paige in the book of Bueckers,” to quote announcer Ryan Ruocco, was also the first page in a new book—that of forward Sarah Strong. Strong won Freshman of the Year and is scarily great pretty much anywhere on the court. What heights could she reach in these next few years? Legendary South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley said it best: “She might [become] the best player to come out of UConn.”
Strong, alongside guard Azzi Fudd, makes a solid case for a potential championship repeat, a feat UConn is much more familiar with than the Gamecocks. For evidence of her future stardom, see Strong sink a three-pointer to open UConn’s win against the University of Southern California, or when she battled through the paint to score UConn’s first points in the final.
The first quarter of the final matchup was quick and close. But cracks in South Carolina began to show as the Gamecocks were unable to respond to UConn’s solid defense. A brutal block from Strong denied Gamecocks guard Bree Hall from tying the game 13-13. Fudd stole at midcourt to give UConn a 17-14 lead. And then Strong stole while falling to the ground to deny the Gamecocks a response. The quarter continued almost scoreless, until a Bueckers jump shot widened the gap to 19-14.
UConn’s lead doubled to 10 points by halftime. And then things crumbled for the 2024 championship winning school. Coach Staley took a seat on the bench within a minute of the third quarter’s start. She was hard to look away from on the sidelines, in a blue beaded tracksuit, visibly defeated. But like her beaded suit, blue was the theme of the night, from the “Final Four” court logo featuring Tampa Bay to the navy UConn jerseys that streamed by during breakways.
After a few good runs from South Carolina—see guard MiLaysia Fulwiley’s epic break—the game stood at 50-39. Auriemma then called a time out, immediately stopping any momentum in its tracks. The move showed his wealth of experience—at 71, he is the oldest coach to lead a team to a national championship. From around the three minute mark in the third quarter, to the three minute mark in the fourth, UConn scored 30 points. The Gamecocks scored just nine, putting the total at 80-48. From there, it was just a matter of running out the clock. The star lineup was pulled with more than a minute left. Cameras panned to catch Bueckers hugging Auriemma while the game continued. And then the confetti fell.
Fudd appeared composed in a post game sideline interview with Holly Rowe, my favorite sideline fixture in the tournament and in the WNBA. Rowe asked how the Huskies controlled the tone of the night, given the Gamecocks were on a 71 home game winning streak. “Playing UConn basketball and staying confident, staying poised, staying smart,” said Fudd. She would then go on her own media tour, gracing Good Morning America, and even a local Raising Cane’s with sophomore guard KK Arnold. I for one wish I could have crossed state lines and been there ordering a Caniac combo.
While the NCAA continues to soul search amid the new transfer portal and new name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, the women’s tournament managed to craft an interesting, if not “mad,” narrative with Bueckers at the helm. It was not as exciting as the last two years, but viewership doubled since the last time South Carolina and UConn met in the national championship final in 2022. And there were other stand out moments. Gurley wishes the final four matchups were not blowouts, but she states “It was very cool to see the run Texas made and Lauren Betts made with UCLA after both of those teams hadn’t been top contenders in a long time.”
Who knows who will become top contenders next year? Perhaps UConn’s dominance is a tale that will not end. But for now, it meant this year’s final was still a compelling watch, regardless of the lopsided game. Who knows if the Huskies’s victory lap will see them win another title. But this Brewer is hoping the UCLA Bruins come out on top, if only because of our exciting interview with guard Avary Cain.