Charlie Creme | Mar 30, 2026
For the second straight season the same quartet — South Carolina, Texas, UCLA and UConn — has advanced to the Final Four. Since UConn celebrated a title in Tampa a year ago, these four programs were widely regarded as the class of women’s college basketball, and their regular-season credentials have held up: combined they are 143-7, and the closest of their NCAA games was UConn’s 12-point Elite Eight win over Notre Dame. UConn’s winning streak sits at 54 games.
This marks only the second time in tournament history that the identical four teams returned to the Final Four, and it’s the fifth occasion that all four No. 1 seeds reached the semifinals (1989, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2026). Friday’s matchups in Phoenix are UConn vs. South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET — a rematch of the 2025 title game — and UCLA vs. Texas at 9:30 p.m. ET, a rematch of a Nov. 26 meeting in Las Vegas that Texas won. Here’s a look at each team and how they stack up heading into the weekend.
1) UConn Huskies
Original seed: No. 1 overall (Fort Worth 1)
Tournament path: UTSA 90-52 (R1); Syracuse 98-45 (R2); North Carolina 63-42 (S16); Notre Dame 70-52 (E8)
Geno Auriemma publicly questioned some regional arrangements that he felt hindered spacing and offense, and UConn’s 3-point volume slipped (10-for-37 in Fort Worth). What remained dominant was their defense: across the two regional rounds they yielded just 94 points and collected 32 steals. UConn posted its two lowest point totals of the season in the wins over North Carolina and Notre Dame and still prevailed by nearly 20 points on average.
Sarah Strong’s 21 points against Notre Dame were pivotal, and her regional totals — including a combined 15 blocks and steals — reinforced her standing as the nation’s premier individual defender. Freshman Blanca Quiñonez’s 20-point outburst (12 in the first quarter) and 32 bench points in that game underscored UConn’s depth. The Huskies remain a defensive powerhouse with multiple ways to score.
Up next: vs. South Carolina (Friday, 7 p.m. ET)
2) Texas Longhorns
Original seed: No. 1 (Fort Worth 3)
Tournament path: Missouri State 87-45 (R1); Oregon 100-58 (R2); Kentucky 76-54 (S16); Michigan 77-41 (E8)
Texas has steamrolled through its bracket. The Longhorns built a quick lead and never trailed against Michigan, a squad that had pushed both UConn and UCLA during the season. Madison Booker led the way with 19 points as Texas’ physicality, roster depth and transition offense overwhelmed opponents. After some rough patches midseason and a public admonition from coach Vic Schaefer, Texas appears to be playing its best basketball of the year.
Their combination of experience, balanced scoring and defensive toughness makes them a real title threat and a favorite to finally break through for a championship the program hasn’t won since 1986.
Up next: vs. UCLA (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET)
3) UCLA Bruins
Original seed: No. 1 (Sacramento 2)
Tournament path: Cal Baptist 96-43 (R1); Oklahoma State 87-68 (R2); Minnesota 80-56 (S16); Duke 70-58 (E8)
Lauren Betts has been the steadying force for UCLA’s back-to-back Final Four runs, producing under pressure and shouldering a heavy offensive and rebounding load. Across four tournament games she’s averaged 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, and her efficiency has mirrored last season’s performance. She dominated the second half against Duke, contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the final 20 minutes to help fuel a huge comeback.
UCLA’s identity is built on interior scoring: they’ve scored at least 50 paint points in each NCAA game and logged 26 games this season with 40-plus paint points, matching UConn and South Carolina for the Division I lead. Their size and downhill guards make the Bruins’ frontcourt a matchup headache.
Up next: vs. Texas (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET)
4) South Carolina Gamecocks
Original seed: No. 1 (Sacramento 4)
Tournament path: Southern 103-34 (R1); USC 101-61 (R2); Oklahoma 94-68 (S16); TCU 78-52 (E8)
South Carolina is in its sixth straight Final Four, the program’s longest streak aside from UConn’s 14 in a row. The Gamecocks outscored their four NCAA opponents by a combined 161 points — the fourth-largest margin in tournament history. Their size and depth physically wore down TCU, producing a 52-24 rebounding advantage and a decisive fourth-quarter stretch.
Joyce Edwards posted 24 points and 12 rebounds in the regional final, and Agot Makeer continued to emerge with some of her best scoring outputs of the tournament. South Carolina’s inside strength, offensive efficiency and rebounding keep them among the favorites, though a few regular-season blemishes and a comparatively tighter Elite Eight win slot them just behind the other three in this close hierarchy.
Up next: vs. UConn (Friday, 7 p.m. ET)
Bottom line: These four teams validated pre-season expectations by reaching Phoenix, and the tournament has underscored how slim the margins are among them. UConn’s perfection and defensive dominance, Texas’ balance and recent surge, UCLA’s paint power and South Carolina’s size and depth set up two compelling semifinal games with national-championship implications.
