South Carolina Gamecocks (35-3)
South Carolina has won four straight games. The Gamecocks, making their sixth straight Final Four appearance, are also a top-5 offensive and defensive team. They join UConn, LSU, and Texas as teams ranked in the top 5 on both ends of the floor.
USC is the third-highest scoring team in the nation at 87.1 points a game. The Gamecocks are also an outstanding shooting club, ranking in the nation in shooting percentage (50.8%), including connecting on 55.2% from inside the arc. While the Gamecocks don’t make many threes (6.2), when they do, they go in, connecting on 37.7% of their attempts (fourth best). They are a fantastic offensive rebounding team, an excellent passing team, get to the free throw line a ton, and don’t turn the ball over.
Defensively, USC is 26th nationally, allowing 57.5 points per game. However, the Gamecocks have been terrific on that end, holding opponents to 34.7% shooting from the field and limiting 6.2 threes per contest to 28.6%. Like the Huskies, the Gamecocks force a ton of turnovers, are outstanding at protecting the rim, and they don’t foul. They are also a solid defensive rebounding team (71%)
Joyce Edwards, a second-team All-American selection in 2025-26, is a monster inside and leads a well-balanced offensive attack. Edwards, who has tallied 20 points in three of her four NCAA Tournament appearances, averages 19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. She is also a strong defensive post player with 1.8 blocks and 1.1 assists.
Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, and Tessa Johnson give the Gamecocks one of the top backcourts in women’s basketball. Tessa Johnson is third in the NCAA in 3-point percentage at 45.9%, and Raven Johnson, a third-team All-American choice, is an efficient shooter and strong facilitator. Meanwhile, 6-5 Madina Okot is a top-20 rebounder nationally at 10.6 per game.
Prediction
Expect a hard-fought, exciting game between UConn and South Carolina. Both squads go nine players deep and excel on both ends of the floor. The Edwards -Strong matchup is the most intriguing; the winner of the game will likely be the one who controls the paint and wins the battle of the backboards.
I have UConn as a nine-point favorite with 140 points scored. UConn is 13-0 versus quality opponents and 9-0 on a neutral court. Similarly, South Carolina is 20-3 against quality opponents, though two of its three setbacks have come on neutral courts.
