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After a thrilling Elite Eight round, the women’s March Madness Final Four is set: South Carolina took down Duke, UCLA beat LSU, Texas topped TCU and UConn defeated USC. With the Final Four tipping off in Tampa on Friday, let’s take a look at some of the lessons we picked up from their Elite Eight games over the weekend.
There were moments during Sunday’s game between South Carolina and Duke when it seemed like Duke’s suffocating defense could be enough to stop the Gamecocks' incredible run at four Final Fours in a row. But they had been there before, and knew that if they stayed calm and played their game, they could win.
“It was a really calm environment. We at halftime just came together and talked about different things we saw out there that we felt like we needed to do different,” said South Carolina guard Bree Hall. “At one point it was 2 to 10 and they just kept coming back and kept coming back. I felt like we had to change a few things and it was our calm energy that helped a lot. Coach is always calm with us in telling us what we need to do, and I think we did a good job executing."
South Carolina actually trailed Duke in most of the defensive categories, but the Gamecocks were able to force more turnovers (19-16) and earn more points off those turnovers (14 to Duke's 9). If they have another close game in the Final Four, that skill can make the difference in the final score.
Late in the first quarter of Sunday's win, Lauren Betts got into foul trouble and ended up sitting on the bench for the entire second quarter. This could have been a huge trap for the Bruins because not only were they without their star, but they also had struggled in second quarters in previous games. But in the Elite Eight, they broke their previous patterns.
“It wasn't even just about without Lauren. It was like, we want to play better all the way through this stretch,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “And so I thought they were very locked in to what that looked like, and we talked about the adjustments we needed to make and how we needed to go about it, and I think we got two kills in that period of time, which is three stops in a row, and that sort of fueled us and got us going with some momentum.”
To be clear, they still would prefer to have Betts on the court. She had 17 points and six — yes, six — blocks in just three quarters. Her size and skill in the paint are among the reasons UCLA netted the top overall seed. But other players like Gabriela Jaquez (18 points) and Timea Gardiner (15 points off the bench) stepped up, and it’s quite a confidence boost for UCLA to know they can play well without their star.
The numbers do not lie from Texas' win over TCU. The Horned Frogs had a hard time finding the basket thanks to the Longhorns’ nonstop defense, shooting just 25.3 percent from the field. Hailey Van Lith was the only TCU player to score in double digits with 17. Sedona Prince had more fouls (5) than points (4). Texas forced 21 turnovers and scored 17 points from those TOs.
“I expect these things, I expect all my teammates to step up. I think the thing is, kinda like throughout this tournament, everybody stepped up. Everybody,” Longhorns forward Madison Booker said. “It's been like this throughout the season. Throughout conference, we had different people step up, and me and Rori [Harmon], we're just being leaders. We're just talking, trying to set an example for the team. But I expect it. It's been like this all season so, why not keep doing it?”
Booker and her teammates did an impressive job defending against TCU, but don’t let that obscure what Texas can do on the offensive side of the ball. Booker had 18 points, and Rori Harmon had 13. Texas owned the paint, outscoring TCU 24-8.
In every championship run, regardless of the sport, unlikely heroes have to step up. Think of how Leonie Fiebich played in the New York Liberty’s title run in 2024, or how the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive linemen have become superstars because of how they shined in the Super Bowl. For UConn, Paige Bueckers is a superstar with a ton of endorsements who backs up her name with incredible play. She followed up her 40-point Sweet 16 performance with a 31-point game against USC on Monday night. Freshman phenom Sarah Strong turned in a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
But they can’t win it by themselves, and Kaitlyn Chen is the player who stepped up against USC. A grad student who brought the Princeton Tigers to the NCAA tournament twice, Chen averaged 6.9 points per game during her one season with UConn. But she scored 15 points on Monday, including a key and-1 late in the game.
South Carolina beat Duke 54-50, while Texas defeated TCU 58-47. These games were up-tempo, defensive masterpieces. Sure, some of the 100-plus-point wins in the first weekend of the tournament were a blast to watch, to see the many ways teams found to score.
The Gamecocks' 108-48 win over Tennessee Tech in the first round saw every single player on South Carolina’s roster scoring at least two points. Texas' 105-61 win against William and Mary featured a 20-14 double-double from Madison Booker. What these very different sorts of wins show is that there’s no one right way to win a game in the NCAA tournament. For South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and UConn on Friday, they just need to win.
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Duke’s defense was impressive, but South Carolina’s experience and fight are tough to match
There were moments during Sunday’s game between South Carolina and Duke when it seemed like Duke’s suffocating defense could be enough to stop the Gamecocks' incredible run at four Final Fours in a row. But they had been there before, and knew that if they stayed calm and played their game, they could win.
“It was a really calm environment. We at halftime just came together and talked about different things we saw out there that we felt like we needed to do different,” said South Carolina guard Bree Hall. “At one point it was 2 to 10 and they just kept coming back and kept coming back. I felt like we had to change a few things and it was our calm energy that helped a lot. Coach is always calm with us in telling us what we need to do, and I think we did a good job executing."
South Carolina actually trailed Duke in most of the defensive categories, but the Gamecocks were able to force more turnovers (19-16) and earn more points off those turnovers (14 to Duke's 9). If they have another close game in the Final Four, that skill can make the difference in the final score.
UCLA can survive without Lauren Betts on the court, but life is better with the 6-foot-7 star
Late in the first quarter of Sunday's win, Lauren Betts got into foul trouble and ended up sitting on the bench for the entire second quarter. This could have been a huge trap for the Bruins because not only were they without their star, but they also had struggled in second quarters in previous games. But in the Elite Eight, they broke their previous patterns.
“It wasn't even just about without Lauren. It was like, we want to play better all the way through this stretch,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “And so I thought they were very locked in to what that looked like, and we talked about the adjustments we needed to make and how we needed to go about it, and I think we got two kills in that period of time, which is three stops in a row, and that sort of fueled us and got us going with some momentum.”
To be clear, they still would prefer to have Betts on the court. She had 17 points and six — yes, six — blocks in just three quarters. Her size and skill in the paint are among the reasons UCLA netted the top overall seed. But other players like Gabriela Jaquez (18 points) and Timea Gardiner (15 points off the bench) stepped up, and it’s quite a confidence boost for UCLA to know they can play well without their star.
Texas’ defense is so good you might overlook their offense. Don’t.
The numbers do not lie from Texas' win over TCU. The Horned Frogs had a hard time finding the basket thanks to the Longhorns’ nonstop defense, shooting just 25.3 percent from the field. Hailey Van Lith was the only TCU player to score in double digits with 17. Sedona Prince had more fouls (5) than points (4). Texas forced 21 turnovers and scored 17 points from those TOs.
“I expect these things, I expect all my teammates to step up. I think the thing is, kinda like throughout this tournament, everybody stepped up. Everybody,” Longhorns forward Madison Booker said. “It's been like this throughout the season. Throughout conference, we had different people step up, and me and Rori [Harmon], we're just being leaders. We're just talking, trying to set an example for the team. But I expect it. It's been like this all season so, why not keep doing it?”
Booker and her teammates did an impressive job defending against TCU, but don’t let that obscure what Texas can do on the offensive side of the ball. Booker had 18 points, and Rori Harmon had 13. Texas owned the paint, outscoring TCU 24-8.
UConn’s depth makes them a national title favorite
In every championship run, regardless of the sport, unlikely heroes have to step up. Think of how Leonie Fiebich played in the New York Liberty’s title run in 2024, or how the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive linemen have become superstars because of how they shined in the Super Bowl. For UConn, Paige Bueckers is a superstar with a ton of endorsements who backs up her name with incredible play. She followed up her 40-point Sweet 16 performance with a 31-point game against USC on Monday night. Freshman phenom Sarah Strong turned in a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
But they can’t win it by themselves, and Kaitlyn Chen is the player who stepped up against USC. A grad student who brought the Princeton Tigers to the NCAA tournament twice, Chen averaged 6.9 points per game during her one season with UConn. But she scored 15 points on Monday, including a key and-1 late in the game.
Games don’t have to be high-scoring to be a whole lot of fun
South Carolina beat Duke 54-50, while Texas defeated TCU 58-47. These games were up-tempo, defensive masterpieces. Sure, some of the 100-plus-point wins in the first weekend of the tournament were a blast to watch, to see the many ways teams found to score.
The Gamecocks' 108-48 win over Tennessee Tech in the first round saw every single player on South Carolina’s roster scoring at least two points. Texas' 105-61 win against William and Mary featured a 20-14 double-double from Madison Booker. What these very different sorts of wins show is that there’s no one right way to win a game in the NCAA tournament. For South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and UConn on Friday, they just need to win.
Continue reading...
