It's appropriate that South Carolina's second national championship came against UConn, because the Gamecocks are building the next great dynasty in women's college basketball, nrarmour writes.
MINNEAPOLIS -- How fitting that South Carolina’s title came at UConn’s expense. A new dynasty, ushered in over the old.South Carolina handed UConn its first loss in 12 national championship games. Had it not been for the tournament cancellation in 2020, and last-second misses in last year’s national semifinal, this could be three in a row for the Gamecocks.
And next year is likely to be more of the same. National player of the year Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal and Zia Cooke all return, and South Carolina will also get back freshman phenom Raven Johnson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-November. For years, decades really, UConn has been the standard by which every other team measured itself, a dynasty in every sense of the word. Its 11 titles are a record, and it has the two longest winning streaks in Division I college basketball. Some of the biggest names in the game – Taurasi, Bird, Moore, Stewart – played for UConn.South Carolina was the best team all year, ranked No. 1 since the preseason.
Asked before the Final Four whether the Gamecocks needed to win to validate their spectacular season, Staley said no. “Whoever it is that's standing -- the last team that's standing on Sunday night, it's divine order,” Staley said Thursday. “I truly believe that. So if it's not us, it's not us. We'll get another shot at it when it's our turn.”Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NCAA: UConn, South Carolina women meet for title gameBoth teams have improved since that early season meeting. They both have major star power with the Gamecocks led by AP Player of the Year Aliyah Boston and the Huskies by last season’s award winner Paige Bueckers.
Read more »
No. 1 South Carolina faces old guard UConn for NCAA women’s hoops titleGeno Auriemma’s Huskies are 11-0 in NCAA title games, but Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks have been top ranked all season
Read more »
UConn, South Carolina meet for women's NCAA championshipThe Huskies will look to continue their unbeaten streak in NCAA championship games when they face South Carolina for the women's basketball title on Sunday night.
Read more »
FrontPageBets' best bets for Sunday's NCAA women's national championship game: UConn vs. South CarolinaSouth Carolina is looking for its second title in program history, while UConn is playing for its 12th.
Read more »
Photos: South Carolina and UConn in NCAA finalA champion will be crowned tonight in women's college basketball. The South Carolina Gamecocks and the UConn Huskies are facing off in the final of the NCAA Tournament.
Read more »