Paige Bueckers doesn’t remember much from the 2022 National Championship Game – perhaps by choice after the Huskies lost by 15 to snap its undefeated record in title games – but the redshirt senior remembers the opponent and program that handed Connecticut a demoralizing 64-49 loss in Minneapolis.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have been a bastion women’s basketball stardom for the better part of the last decade, winning three national titles since 2017 (including two of the last three) while ultimately rivaling Geno Auriemma’s Huskies at the mountain top of the sport.
“A lot of respect for them, the program, the coaching staff – sustained excellence is extremely hard, especially with the parody in women’s college basketball today,” Bueckers said during Super Saturday media availability. “It just speaks to the discipline and the attention to detail and the demanded excellence Coach Dawn has for her players, and we have great respect for her and the entire program.”
The Husky-Gamecock rivalry has evolved into one of the sport’s most revered over the last decade, with the teams splitting the last 10 matchups since 2017. UConn won the series’ first six games before South Carolina drubbed the Huskies in Columbia back in February of 2020.
The teams’ most recent matchup, a 29-point Husky hammering of South Carolina inside Colonial Life Arena in February of this year, was the largest margin of victory in the series since Connecticut defeated South Carolina in the 2018 Elite 8 (29 points).
“We don’t want to think whatever we did in the past – good or bad – will help us tomorrow,” Bueckers told the media.
So, what will help the Huskies hoist a 12th National Championship this afternoon?
The answer lies in an all-too-familiar formula for the Huskies, one predicated on getting the ball into the hands of its playmakers. The three headed monster of Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong have developed a penchant for scoring in earnest when it matters the most.
Fudd most recently continued the trend, pouring on 19 first half points in UConn’s detonation of UCLA on Friday night. Strong has complied six double-doubles in her last eight outings, including 22 points and 17 rebounds in an Elite 8 matchup with USC. Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points against Oklahoma in the Sweet 16, raising her 2025 NCAA Tournament average to 26.4 points per game.
The three stars combined for 56 points in February’s game against the Gamecocks, with Bueckers and Strong notching double-doubles, respectively.
But the game revolves around more than just three players. Fellow starters Kaitlyn Chen and Jana El Alfy were instrumental in Connecticut’s demolition of UCLA, with El Alfy playing a key role as a defensive rebounder and Chen serving as the grand facilitator of an offense firing on all cylinders.
The redshirt freshman center should find success against the Gamecocks, who rank 275th in America in offensive rebounds per game. Limiting shots in the paint should also be of the highest priority for the Huskies, with South Carolina ranking number one in America in paint points per game.
Other areas of potential exploitation for the Huskies? Forcing turnovers. The Gamecocks have demonstrated at times a lack of care for the ball, ranking 150th in turnover percentage nationally. Disrupting an offense rigid in its structure should open the game up for Connecticut to run rampant in transition, similarly to February’s contest in Columbia.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. on ESPN. Follow @mccrevenjake on X for live game updates.