Women's March Madness: Elite Eight Recap

 

In an absolutely stacked Elite Eight, the four No. 1 seeds remain with zero upsets. As all of the No. 1 seeds took an Elite Eight and advanced to the Final Four, each squad showed that they're the best of the best.

Elite Talent on Display

The Texas Longhorns

Showing complete dominance in their 36-point victory over No. 2 Michigan, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns dance to the Final Four with momentum. In a game where shutting down Michigan's Syla Swords and Olivia Olson was crucial, not only was Texas successful in that, but also in the scoring column. The Longhorns seemed patient and relaxed in this matchup with the Wolverines, they didn't force anything unnecessary, letting the game play itself. Madison Booker once again led the team in scoring with 19 points. Although she didn't necessarily put up a crazy stat-line this game, the large lead Texas was able to maintain throughout the game allowed for three other Texas Longhorns to score in double figures: Justice Carlton, Kyla Oldacre, and Breya Cunningham. Not only that, but many players such as Sarah Graves who don't typically see much time on the court had opportunities to play in the Elite Eight as well as score. Sarah Graves, the senior fan favorite from Keller, Texas contributed 2 points of her own, bringing true joy and light to this matchup. Texas played as a team and it showed in their 21 assists as a team, absolutely blowing Michigan's 5 assists out of the water. Although Texas won by over 30 points without a mind-blowing performance from someone like Madison Booker or Rori Harmon, they were able to capitalize on Michigan's shooting struggles. In a Final Four matchup with UCLA where Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts can get hot shooting, will the Texas Longhorns be able to keep up and defend against one of the best duos in the country?

The South Carolina Gamecocks

Taking good shots and hustling on both ends of the court are keys to successful basketball and something Coach Dawn Staley capitalizes on with her South Carolina squad. The Gamecocks displayed this perfectly in their Elite Eight matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs, shooting 67% from three on just nine attempts. Taking such a statement win doesn't always have to be flashy, and in South Carolina's 78-52 victory over TCU, their hard work and consistency paid off. Led by sophomore forward, Joyce Edwards with a 24-point 12-rebound double-double, South Carolina was able to punch their ticket to the Final Four. That said, it didn't come particularly easy. TCU stayed tight with South Carolina in the first half, with 11 of Olivia Miles' 18 points coming in the first and second quarters. However, once the second half began, TCU began to struggle. Once Miles' scoring slowed, the Horned Frogs started to unravel and let the Gamecocks put up a 29-point fourth quarter. With TCU shooting a 33% field-goal percentage and 33% from three, South Carolina easily picked up the pace and put them to work. Looking forward to their Final Four matchup with UConn, facing off for the first time this season, South Carolina hopes to dethrone the defending champs for their chance at the National Championship.

Final Four Outlook

With the two Final Four matchups set, and no upsets possible as only the No. 1 seeds remain, these two games will truly be a test of who is truly No. 1.

No. 1 Overall UConn Huskies vs. No. 1 South Carolina

Facing off Friday, April 3, 2026, at 7:00 pm EST, the defending champions UConn Huskies will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Tournament yet again. The Huskies vs. the Gamecocks is a classic contest that will have everyone on the edge of their seats. Not only will this be a great matchup in terms of players and skills, but also coaches. The winningest coach in college basketball, Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies will be facing the only coach to ever dethrone him in the National Championship: Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks. With no doubt, this matchup between the two will put on display the best coaching in the country. In terms of players, the Huskies and Gamecocks match up really well, hopefully leading to a great game. National Player of the Year finalist, Sarah Strong of the UConn Huskies will without a doubt give South Carolina trouble. The sophomore forward averages 18.6 points per game, just below South Carolina's Joyce Edwards with 19.7 ppg. The matchup between Strong and Edwards will be interesting to see who prevails, and who may fall under the defensive force they both are. The Huskies and the Gamecocks both also have great supporting casts around their lead scorers (Strong and Edwards). Arguably the best duo in the country is UConn's Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, players that have immense experience in the NCAA Tournament. With the post-work of Strong and efficient shooting of Fudd, UConn can get hot and unstoppable when the two are both on the mark. The only way South Carolina can counter such a great duo is with a full team effort to back Edwards if she has a bad game. Coach Staley has remained confident in her team game after game to step up and score. Players like Tessa Johnson, Ta'Niya Latson, and Raven Johnson are ones that can really shake up the game to make UConn work for their ticket to the National Championship. Will Strong, Fudd, and UConn triumph over South Carolina, or will Coach Staley's squad do enough to spoil the Huskies' back-to-back championships?

No. 1 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns

Following the first Final Four game in Phoenix, Arizona, the UCLA Bruins will face off against the Texas Longhorns Friday, April 3, 2026, at 9:30 pm EST. This matchup will be particularly interesting as the two teams are somewhat opposites. UCLA has a lethal duo in Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts and Texas the same in Madison Booker and Rori Harmon. However, UCLA's Lauren Betts is 6'7", controlling not only the paint on defense, but also serving as an absolute force on offense with the assists and ability to play off the ball from Kiki Rice. Differing in terms of size, Texas' Madison Booker and Rori Harmon are a deadly backcourt duo that can shoot it from beyond the arc or attack the basket with ease. This matchup will be interesting to see playout for multiple reasons. First, Texas does not have a forward or center that can counter the scoring ability of Betts. Although Texas has height from 6'6" Kyla Oldacre, she is not their go-to center/forward, leaving Breya Cunningham to put in every last ounce of effort in attempt to stop Betts. To maximize chances to score, Texas must step up in their rebounding as guard Madison Booker leads the team in rebounding. Will Texas' bigs be able to elevate their game and make a difference in their rebounding to offset the ability of Lauren Betts? The second reason this matchup will be interesting is because although Betts is a force on one side of the court no matter if it's offense or defense, she isn't the fastest. If Texas' Booker and Harmon can get steals and control the pace, they can run UCLA up and down the court with numbers if Betts isn't there in time. No matter what happens in this game, it will absolutely be a battle between two of the best teams in the country with rising programs in the world of women's college basketball.