Geno Auriemma vs. Dawn Staley. Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and the nation’s top offense on the road against the steely reigning champions. A Sunday “College GameDay” game with a federal holiday on Monday. Don’t mind if we do.
How to watch No. 7 UConn at No. 4 South Carolina
Venue: Colonial Life Arena — Columbia, S.C.
Time: 1 p.m. ET Sunday
TV: ABC
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub
Sunday’s showdown puts the winningest coach in the NCAA (Auriemma) alongside the highest-paid coach in women’s basketball (Staley). Geno’s Huskies were the standard-bearers of the sport, with a four-peat from 2012-16 and 11 championships since 1995. The Gamecocks are the incumbent dynasty — two national titles, one perfect season and five total losses in the last four seasons.
Bueckers is a full-blown sensation as a senior, on the floor and in the ratings. She’s a few made free throws shy of a 50/40/90 season on team-high usage. She has the lowest turnover percentage in the Big East and the best offensive rating in the country. She does buoyant, swaggering stuff like this:
If opponents fixate on Bueckers, an increasingly steady and ambitious playmaker, there are many other stressors to handle. Even amid a mini-slump, freshman phenom Sarah Strong leads the conference in both effective shooting and defensive rating — that is really, really cool. And senior heat-check Azzi Fudd is indeed heating up. She was balling out in UConn’s last game, a blowout of St. John’s, and is 63 percent (!) behind the arc on seven tries per game (!!) in her last five games.
South Carolina’s Feb. 9 loss to Texas was a tough one, but this is still the singular team to beat come tourney time. The Gamecocks are first in Basketball Reference’s simple rating system, with a swarming defense and seemingly endless depth. Even with junior forward Ashlyn Watkins out, eight different players are playing at least 19 minutes a game. The top two leading scorers (freshman Joyce Edwards and sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley) don’t even start.
Staley’s squad took the Texas loss out on the misfortunate Florida Gators last time out:
Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike will be on ESPN, live from Columbia, S.C., two hours prior to tip-off. The broadcast shifts over to ABC at game time.
UConn leads the all-time series 9-5, but South Carolina has won the last four meetings. Connecticut took eight straight from 2007-19.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
South Carolina Gamecocks, Connecticut Huskies, Women’s College Basketball, Sports Betting
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