Eric Gay/Associated Press
The South Carolina Gamecocks and Connecticut Huskies square off on Sunday night for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament title.
South Carolina and UConn have been the two most effective programs in the nation over the last decade.
Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team has three Final Four berths since 2014 and it won the championship in 2017.
UConn has 11 national titles under head coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies have been a regular in the Final Four, but they have not cut down the nets since 2016.
South Carolina has been the No. 1 team in the country for most of the season and its resume holds victories over some of the best programs in the sport, including UConn.
The Gamecocks beat the Huskies by 16 points on November 22 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Sunday marks the second neutral-site meeting between the two programs this season.
NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Info
Date: Sunday, April 3
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app
Top Storylines to Watch
Can UConn Contain Aliyah Boston?
South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston produced 22 points and 15 rebounds in the first meeting with UConn in November.
The Gamecocks finished with an overwhelming advantage in the paint. Their forwards outscored UConn’s forwards 25-14.
Boston has been at her best against South Carolina’s toughest opponents in the NCAA tournament.
Boston produced 23 points and 18 rebounds in the Final Four victory over the Louisville Cardinals and she totaled 28 points and 22 boards versus the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet 16.
She has been a double-double machine since the start of December. There was only one instance in which Boston did not hit double figures in points and rebounds.
UConn needs to contain Boston’s production in order to gain an advantage on the floor against the No. 1 overall seed.
The Huskies won the overall rebounding battle by nine against Stanford in the national semifinal.
If they can rebound as a team and limit Boston’s ability to create second-chance opportunities, the Huskies have a shot of winning the title.
Will South Carolina Hand UConn Its First Title Game Loss?
UConn is 11-0 in national championship games.
All of those victories occurred under Geno Auriemma, starting with the 1995 national title.
UConn’s last triumph came in 2016, a win that extended a four-year run at the top of the sport.
South Carolina ended the Huskies’ title streak in 2017, but it did have a shot at UConn on the way to that championship.
The two squads were on a collision course for the national title game in 2017, but UConn was upset by Mississippi State in the Final Four.
Neither program has been back to the championship game since the Gamecocks cut down the nets in 2017.
South Carolina holds the edge going into Sunday because it beat UConn by 16 points in November on a neutral court.
The Gamecocks and Huskies will be playing in a much larger arena in Minneapolis compared to the small ballroom at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.
Coaching against Auriemma in a national title game is a different animal and there is no doubt UConn will be more prepared than it was in November.
Staley needs to match the adjustments made by Auriemma and play to her team’s strengths, just like the Gamecocks have all season.
South Carolina should be the favorite, but do not be surprised if this is a close game because of Auriemma’s lengthy experience.
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