EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFor the second season in a row, South Carolina, Texas, UCLA and UConn have reached the Final Four. And it's no surprise.From the moment UConn cut down the nets in Tampa a year ago, the Gamecocks, Longhorns, Bruins and Huskies were deemed the four best teams headed into this season -- and they lived up to it. They have run up a combined record of 143-7, and the closest game any of them has had in the NCAA tournament is UConn's 12-point win over Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. That's the same Huskies team that has won 54 times in a row.This marks the second time in women's NCAA tournament history that all four teams ran it back to the Final Four. This is also just the fifth time all four No. 1 seeds made it through the bracket; it also happened in 1989, 2012, 2015 and 2018.And while Friday's UConn-South Carolina national semifinal (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) is a rematch of the 2025 NCAA title game, the UCLA-Texas semifinal is a rematch from earlier this season. The Longhorns beat the Bruins on Nov. 26 at the inaugural Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.Having familiar matchups or the same quartet in the semifinals doesn't mean we will have the same results. It also doesn't mean our rankings have stayed the same. Here is one last look at how the remaining teams in the field stack up heading into Phoenix.1. UConn HuskiesOriginal seed: No. 1 overall (Fort Worth 1)Results: Def. No. 16 UTSA 90-52 (first round); def. No. 9 Syracuse 98-45 (round of 32); def. No. 4 North Carolina 63-42 (Sweet 16); def. No. 6 Notre Dame 70-52 (Elite Eight)Geno Auriemma was vocal about the setup at the regionals and how he believed it was impacting offense. His Huskies, who entered the NCAA tournament as the second-most accurate 3-point shooting team in the country, went 10-of-37 from deep in Fort Worth. But all that talk distracted from just how good the Huskies were on defense. They allowed 94 total points in two games and added 32 steals to their Division I-leading total. UConn logged its two lowest-scoring games of the season versus North Carolina and Notre Dame and still won by an average of 19.5 points. The Huskies needed every one of Sarah Strong's 21 points to keep the Fighting Irish at a distance on Sunday, but her 15 total blocks and steals in the two regional games punctuated why she is the highest-rated individual defensive player in the country.Dispatch from Fort Worth: What was the No. 1 factor that helped the Huskies reach the Final Four? Depth really came through against Notre Dame. The defense was very good, as it usually is. But it was a relatively quiet outing for Azzi Fudd (13 points). Strong was not necessarily superhuman (21 points on 6-of-13 shooting), although she was still the regional's most outstanding player. However, the Huskies still had what they needed to win. Freshman Blanca Quionez put up 20 points, with 12 coming in the first quarter when she set the tone for the Huskies, while sophomore Jana El Alfy played just seven minutes but made an impact with four points and four rebounds.In all, the bench players -- Quionez, El Alfy, Kayleigh Heckel and Allie Ziebell -- had 32 of UConn's 70 points against the Irish. -- Michael VoepelUp next: vs. South Carolina (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)2. Texas LonghornsOriginal seed: No. 1 (Fort Worth 3)Results: Def. No. 16 Missouri State 87-45 (first round); def. No. 8 Oregon 100-58 (round of 32); def. No. 5 Kentucky 76-54 (Sweet 16); def. No. 2 Michigan 77-41 (Elite Eight)The time has come to elevate Texas. All the No. 1 seeds have been impressive, but the Longhorns have been thoroughly dominant. Michigan played both UConn and UCLA to within three points this season. Texas never let the Wolverines breathe Monday. While the Longhorns made their first nine shots of the game, Michigan missed 11 straight field goal attempts and Texas' lead was 18-4. The game was already effectively over -- and Texas never let up. Madison Booker looked unguardable and finished with 19 points in 29 minutes. Texas was physically superior. That was also the case when the Longhorns played UCLA, their national semifinal opponent, in November during a 76-65 Texas victory in Las Vegas. The Longhorns' guards overwhelmed the Bruins' backcourt, and Texas cruised to an easy win after taking a 20-point halftime lead.Dispatch from Fort Worth: What's the No. 1 factor that helped the Longhorns reach the Final Four? Texas coach Vic Schaefer said Texas is playing its best basketball of the season after the Longhorns' Sweet 16 win. This is only a little more than six weeks after he called out the team for having "no heart" and being "probably the softest team I've had in years" after its 86-70 loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 12.Is it time to consider Texas the best team left in the field? The Longhorns' combination of experience, depth, defensive tenacity and offensive firepower could lead Texas to its first national title since 1986. -- Alexa PhilippouUp next: vs. UCLA (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)3. UCLA BruinsOriginal seed: No. 1 (Sacramento 2)Results: Def. No. 16 Cal Baptist 96-43 (first round); def. No. 8 Oklahoma State 87-68 (round of 32); def. No. 4 Minnesota 80-56 (Sweet 16); def. No. 3 Duke 70-58 (Elite Eight)It's no secret that Lauren Betts has been the key player in UCLA's Final Four runs the past two years. What is astounding is how consistent she is in the most pressurized point of each season. Betts' 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds through the first four games of this NCAA tournament are one point and half a rebound better than last spring. Her shooting percentage was 71.6% in 2025. It's 70.2% this time. If the Bruins win in Phoenix, what Betts did in the second half against Duke on Sunday might be what most stands out. With UCLA down by eight points at halftime -- and no stretch of her career carrying more weight -- Betts registered 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the final 20 minutes, a half the Bruins won by 20 in the comeback.Dispatch from Sacramento: What's the No. 1 factor that helped the Bruins reach the Final Four? UCLA's dominance in the paint is its identity. The Bruins have scored at least 50 paint points in all four of their tournament games so far, including 54 against Duke. It was their 26th game this season with at least 40 paint points, matching UConn and South Carolina for the most in Division I.It's not just Betts who makes UCLA so good down low. The Bruins' guards get downhill and cut to the basket. UCLA is one of the tallest teams in the country, and the frontcourt dominance will continue to be the Bruins' identity as they head back to the Final Four. -- Kendra AndrewsUp next: vs. Texas (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)4. South Carolina GamecocksOriginal seed: No. 1 (Sacramento 4)Results: Def. No. 16 Southern 103-34 (first round); defeated No. 9 USC 101-61 (round of 32); def. No. 4. Oklahoma 94-68 (Sweet 16); def. No. 3 TCU 78-52 (Elite Eight)The Gamecocks are in their sixth straight Final Four. That is the second-longest such streak all time, behind UConn's 14 from 2008 to 2022. And this version of South Carolina did it as impressively as any of the previous five. The Gamecocks won their four games in the NCAA tournament by a combined point differential of 161, the fourth largest total in history. Beating TCU wasn't as easy as the 26-point margin appears, but South Carolina's size and depth wore down the Horned Frogs, as reflected by a 52-24 advantage on the boards. That show of physical force explains the 29-11 fourth-quarter advantage and the big final margin. When all four No. 1 seeds make the Final Four, the differences between them are small. Because Monday's contest was close into the final quarter, and because the Gamecocks have three losses on the season, they remain fourth in the very narrow pecking order.Dispatch from Sacramento: What's the No. 1 factor that helped the Gamecocks reach the Final Four: South Carolina plays to its strengths. And on Monday night, it was Agot Makeer and Joyce Edwards. Before the game was close to over, Edwards had secured a double-double. Finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds, Edwards led the Gamecocks to some of the biggest offensive opportunities of the evening. Meanwhile, Makeer continues to shine on the biggest stages. This NCAA tournament, Makeer has recorded the highest-scoring games of her career; against TCU, she finished with 18 points. The young players were the difference in the matchup against TCU, and if the Gamecocks continues to lean on their strengths and feed into their players who go on hot streaks, they can be unstoppable in the Final Four.-- Charlotte Gibson Up next: vs. UConn (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
