The Ladies’s Last 4 area is ready and the groups nonetheless alive will battle in Phoenix on Friday, April 3 for a spot within the 2026 nationwide championship recreation. It’s all No. 1 seeds left on this 12 months’s ladies’s Last 4. The final time that occurred was again within the 2018 NCAA event when Notre Dame took residence the trophy.
The primary semifinal matchup is UConn vs. South Carolina, with tip off set for 7 p.m. ET. UCLA takes on Texas within the second recreation, set for 9:30 p.m. ET. Each video games will air on ESPN.
The Gamecocks might be seeking to avenge their nationwide championship loss towards UConn final season, after they fell to the Huskies 82-59 in Tampa, Florida.
That is the primary time this season South Carolina will face UConn, as the 2 applications have usually met in the course of the common season prior to now.
When requested in regards to the variations between final 12 months’s nationwide championship recreation and South Carolina’s upcoming semifinals matchup, fifth 12 months senior and star defender Raven Johnson spoke about how this crew seems totally different and was additionally candid about her reminiscences from final April.
“I simply bear in mind getting beat by 20, truthfully,” Johnson stated. “We acquired new gamers. That is their first time experiencing the Last 4. I believe Coach Staley, and the opposite coaches, are doing an excellent job of conserving the primary factor the primary factor and conserving us prepared when the second is right here.”
South Carolina might be dealing with not one, however two Participant of the Yr finalists in Sarah Robust and Azzi Fudd.
“Whenever you consider UConn you concentrate on the dynasty they’ve, you may’t even depend in your hand what number of championships they’ve,” Johnson stated. “Inspirations like Diana Taursi, Sue Hen, Sarah Robust too, she’s an inspiration too at her younger age and the issues she’s doing.”
Fudd and Robust have mixed for a complete of 1,352 factors this season. One of many essential keys for South Carolina’s success on Friday evening might be containing UConn’s stars. Nonetheless, the Huskies do stay a nicely balanced crew and have seen sparks from others all through the NCAA event. Freshman ahead Blanca Quiñonez, who has put up double digit factors in every 2026 NCAA event recreation to date, has been an ideal postseason participant for the Huskies. A key for the Gamecocks might be how they will preserve UConn’s stars and never let different function gamers take over an excessive amount of.
As Johnson identified, the Huskies might be dealing with a special crew then they did a 12 months in the past. Fudd agreed with that sentiment on Thursday in Arizona, stating how it’s a utterly totally different scenario this time round.
“This South Carolina crew is actually proficient, Fudd stated. “They’re enjoying very well individually, but in addition as a crew. Their transition recreation, they’re enjoying extra assured and extra collectively. It’s going to be a tricky recreation.”
One essential distinction for this South Carolina crew is the addition of Ta’Niya Latson, a senior guard who transferred from Florida State final season.
“Latson is a very expert guard and actually onerous to protect,” Fudd stated. “She does somewhat little bit of the whole lot, so she helps unfold the ground for them and makes issues tough for us on the defensive finish, she provides us extra to fret about.”
Total, South Carolina is a well-balanced crew, with a minimum of 5 gamers averaging double digits factors per recreation this season. The Gamecocks even have a bonus in dimension towards the Huskies and rebounds and foul hassle might be a essential key for UConn to maintain the sport in management.
“Clearly this can be a totally different South Carolina crew than the one we performed final 12 months,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma stated. “Our two wins towards them final 12 months don’t actually imply something going into (Friday)…They’ve added some actually key items. I believe they’re a a lot better crew than they had been final 12 months. Actually onerous to arrange for. They’ve shot the ball exceptionally nicely this 12 months. They’ve added the scale that’s onerous to match up with. Defensively we’ve got our challenges with them.”
UConn finally leads the head-to-head collection 11-5. Nonetheless, South Carolina is equally a crew with depth and expertise too, which ought to make this matchup a must-watch.
Again within the Last 4 once more for the second consecutive season, the Texas Longhorns are on the lookout for a candy ending this time round after falling within the semifinals final 12 months to SEC opponent South Carolina.
Texas and UCLA battled again in November. In that recreation, the Longhorns defeated the Bruins 76-65 and had been capable of management UCLA star Lauren Betts.
Texas is on a 12 recreation win-streak since falling to Vanderbilt in convention play again on Feb. 12. Led by stars junior Madison Booker and fifth-year senior Rori Harmon, Texas said at Thursday’s media day that scout preparation is vital to its success within the semifinals. Like each crew that has to tackle UCLA, there may be give attention to the way to comprise the Bruins’ essential weapon Betts.
“We discuss guarding 30 ft out from the rim, enjoying crew protection, not essentially simply leaving it as much as our 5 gamers to protect her alone,” Harmon stated.
The Longhorns will lean on heart Kyla Oldacre and ahead Breya Cunningham to be disruptive to Betts, who’s averaging 17.2 factors, 8.6 rebounds and two blocks per recreation. Together with defensive success, Texas should keep out of foul hassle as nicely.
“It’s not simply Lauren Betts, they’ve an ideal general crew and that’s what makes them harmful and that’s why they’re right here and a 1-seed. To make them unsuccessful we’ve got to place stress on (their guards),” Harmon stated. “They’re the perfect crew on offensive effectivity and I might say we’re fairly good defensively, so we actually must put stress on that offense.”
On Thursday, Harmon and different teammates defined how the squad has shifted its mentality this season in comparison with final to higher put together for when the lights are the brightest.
“There may be nothing in March you may actually do to win video games apart from ensuring your crew is collected, high-energy and ensuring you’re really sizzling, and that’s the one factor I actually took away from final 12 months,” Booker, the Longhorns’ scoring chief this season, stated. “Hopefully this 12 months we’re nonetheless sizzling and high-energy, however I believe we’re,” Booker stated laughing.
The Bruins, together with their opponent Texas, know what it’s prefer to virtually style a nationwide championship recreation, as UCLA fell to the eventual champion UConn final 12 months in Tampa, 85-51.
“I believe what we discovered final 12 months has been a motivating issue this entire 12 months within the sense that we’ve got taken what we discovered final 12 months and utilized it to this 12 months,” senior guard Gabriela Jaquez stated. “Being right here and having the expertise goes to assist us…It does really feel totally different, I really feel extra calm and I’m extra ready for what’s to come back.”
As Texas could have its eyes on Betts, the middle might be on the lookout for a stronger efficiency this time round towards the Longhorns. The senior was held to simply eight factors and 7 rebounds throughout their common season assembly.
“I believe the largest distinction trying again on the movie is simply creating alternatives to get the ball as a lot as I can,” Betts stated. “I believe simply creating simpler catches. [Texas] is a very wonderful defensive crew. I believe because the guards are getting pressured on the perimeter, simply attempting to turn into so open that they simply can’t like not give me the ball. I believe attempting to assist out my teammates as a lot as I can. It’s not one individual versus Texas, it’s a full crew.”
Undoubtedly, the extent of competitors, expertise and play must be very excessive come Friday night in Arizona. As the game continues to develop, sees elevated scores and income, this 2026 Last 4 may very well be historic and memorable for a lot of causes.
