PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma have met on women's basketball's biggest stage the past few years with a national championship on the line.
Now they'll play a game earlier as South Carolina and UConn tip off in the Final Four on Friday. UCLA and Texas play in the second national semifinal game of March Madness.
The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 rout for the school's 12th national
championship. UConn also beat South Carolina during the 2024-25 regular season.
“This is a different South Carolina team than the one we played last year,” Auriemma said. “Our two wins against them last year don’t really mean anything going into tomorrow. The way (the championship game) was played has no bearing on tomorrow. They have added some really key pieces. I think they’re a much better team than they were last year.”
The Gamecocks also feel last season's games are in the past and don't have much bearing on Friday's rematch. The two teams didn't play during the regular season for the first time in more than a decade.
“I just remember getting beat by 20, honestly,” South Carolina guard Raven Johnson said. "We got new players in. This is their first time experiencing the Final Four. I think Coach Staley, the other coaches, are doing a good job of keeping the main thing the main thing and keeping us ready when the moment is here."
UConn has continued winning since the championship game, going 38-0 this season so far. They enter the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time and are riding a 54-game winning streak. Sensational sophomore Sarah Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, is a big reason why.
Azzi Fudd is trying not to think about how her UConn career will end this weekend either with another championship or a loss. She's focused on staying in the moment. The All-America guard will be a potential lottery pick in the WNBA draft in a few weeks.
“I feel like I’ve been kind of in denial thinking about how this is my last weekend. I know, but I haven’t really accepted that yet,” said Fudd, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four last year. “I’m really just trying to enjoy every single moment. ... I’m trying not to think about that. I mean, I feel like this program has left such an impact on me, I can’t even begin. I don’t know. I don’t know. I have no idea (smiling).”
Fudd has been healthy this season and has been one of the faces of the tournament. She's averaging 17.5 points while shooting 48.5% from the field, 45.5% from the 3-point line and 95.5% from the foul line.
“If we win tomorrow and if we win Sunday, Azzi will be crowned one of the greatest of all time. If we don’t win tomorrow and we don’t even get a chance to play on Sunday, she’s going to feel like this was a disappointing year for her,” Auriemma said. “I try to make it that it’s November, don’t think about January. Hey, it’s January, don’t think about March. Let’s just enjoy what we’ve got right now.”
For the Hall of Fame coach, getting to the Final Four was all that Fudd had to really do.
“Once we won, once we beat Notre Dame to get here, to me Azzi’s job was done,” he said. “What happens here the next game, that’s all just bonus. ’Cause getting here is the hard part, you know?”
UConn's Blanca Quinonez and South Carolina's Agot Makeer have raised their play in the NCAA Tournament. Quinonez is averaging 17.3 points in the NCAAs — second to Strong. She also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks. Auriemma has been impressed with her confidence.
“Her belief in herself I think is one of the things that separates her. I think a lot of kids today, they don’t necessarily have that belief. They don’t necessarily have that level of confidence,” Auriemma said. “They walk around like they do, but they really don’t. Hers is real. I think it’s infectious, you know?”
Staley sees similar characteristics in Makeer, who had a career-high 18 points in the Elite Eight win over TCU.
“For us, Gotti thinks highly of herself and her talents, which she should,” Staley said. 'I think that is the thing that propelled her to play like she’s playing, is she thinks very highly of herself."
Both Quinonez and Makeer missed time this season with injuries. UConn's young star had shoulder issues and Makeer had ankle problems and a concussion. Now they are healthy and playing well.
“I feel like my mindset changed. Starting in the SEC Tournament, I just started approaching games differently,” Makeer said. “And I feel like it wasn’t just one-dimensional thinking. I just wanted to go and do whatever I can to get the team to win. So just in this tournament, I’ve just thought whatever I can do to get this team a win is what I need to do.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
