The women’s NCAA tournament Final Four bracket is set.
The Elite Eight was quite a ride as teams pushed for a chance to play in Tampa, Florida. South Carolina survived another scare in the NCAA tournament with a nail-biting win against a fiery Duke team. LSU got its rematch with UCLA, but the Bruins steamrolled the Tigers en route to their first-ever Final Four appearance.
The Battle of Texas between No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed TCU wasn’t pretty, but the Longhorns’ defense powered them through to the next round, ending the Horned Frogs’ storybook journey. Also, without JuJu Watkins, USC couldn’t handle Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and the UConn Huskies.
The Elite Eight is over. Let’s look at which teams leveled up ahead of a deeper national championship run and which teams went home with pain and heartbreak.
Here are the winners and losers from the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA tournament.
Winner: UCLA without Lauren Betts vs. LSU
During UCLA’s 72-67 win over the No. 3 seed LSU Tigers, star center Lauren Betts was in foul trouble early and sat the entire second quarter. Surprisingly, Betts didn’t return to the court until late in the third, and by then, the Bruins were not just surviving without Betts; they were thriving. Forward Timea Gardiner had 15 points off the bench during the matchup, and guard Gabriela Jaquez added 18 points during a breakout March Madness performance. Jacquez was on fire, hitting five of seven shots from the field and four 3-point baskets, which doomed the Tigers.
Jaquez’s efforts helped propel the Bruins into the Final Four. Fittingly, UCLA’s Kiki Rice recently told USA TODAY’s ‘For The Win’ that Jaquez deserves more recognition. ‘I think she’s really just a glue player for our team,’ Rice shared. ‘She does so many little things … competes at the highest level, does whatever it takes to help us win. I think she’s just someone who, you can’t always tell on the stat sheet, but she’s just so impactful in a lot of different ways.’
Loser: Sedona Prince and her potential WNBA draft stock
If Monday evening’s matchup against the Texas Longhorns was the final college game for TCU center Sedona Prince, it did her no favors. Prince had perhaps one of the roughest games of her college career. She struggled most of the matchup, often out-hustled for rebounds and positioning. Her first points (free throws) came in the third quarter, and she surprisingly only made one field goal all night.
Prince also brutally fouled out around the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but not before she let Texas center Kyla Oldcare pick her pockets and score on the other end of the court. If the Horned Frogs center planned to declare for the WNBA draft, she might not want to use the tape from the matchup against the Longhorns in her film. She should promptly punt it into the ocean and never speak of it again.
Winner: South Carolina’s 4th quarter defense
The South Carolina Gamecocks have pulled out three consecutive jaw-clenching wins during their March Madness run against Indiana, Maryland, and the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils. (Someone should check on Gamecocks fans. They might be unwell.) None of the games looked particularly pretty, and some Herculean efforts were required to escape. Sunday’s matchup against felt the most significant as Duke’s defense was sweltering, and baskets were hard to come by. After being down by four points at the start of the fourth quarter, South Carolina generated an 8-0 run to take the lead late.
With just over four minutes remaining, the Gamecocks clamped down defensively and received impeccably timed contributions from forward Sania Feagin and guards Raven Johnson and Bree Hall. The trio grabbed five critical rebounds to keep the basketball away from Duke and added three steals, too. Forward Chloe Kitts, who’s been so good throughout the NCAA tournament, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with extra points to seal the win. South Carolina won 54-50 and is on to its fifth consecutive Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
Loser: LSU and Aneesah Morrow’s nose injury
LSU had plenty of motivation heading into a 2024 NCAA Tournament rematch with No. 1 seed UCLA.
‘I’m really happy LSU won. I’m excited to play against them. It’ll be a good rematch,’ Bruins forward Angela Dugalić said ahead of another March Madness matchup. ‘They’re a great team; I just don’t think they have enough to stop us.’ Dugalić likely gave the Tigers bulletin board material, but she was right. They didn’t have enough. The Bruins controlled most of the momentum, though LSU tried incredibly hard to break through.
Kim Mulkey’s team erased a double-digit deficit, getting the lead down to three points. However, UCLA returned with more baskets that LSU had no answer for. By the time the Tigers reached deep into their offensive bags for more, star forward Aneesah Morrow, who suffered a third quarter bloody nose, fouled out. And star guard Flau’Jae Johnson, who had a game-high 28 points, didn’t have enough late-game shots to will the Tigers to victory.
Winner: Rori Harmon and Texas’ sweltering defense
The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns needed a solid performance from guard Rori Harmon to make it to the Final Four, and on Monday, they got it. Harmon put up 13 points, five assists and two steals in a 58-47 win against TCU. What won’t show up on the stat sheet is Harmon’s frenetic energy defensively. She cut off lanes, put a ton of pressure on the basketball handlers and was part of a Longhorns defense that forced 21 turnovers, including eight in the first quarter..Texas also scored 17 points off turnovers and held TCU to 26.7% shooting. The Longhorns will play No. 1 South Carolina in Tampa for a Final Four game that’s a rematch of the 2025 SEC conference championship, which the Gamecocks won 64-45.
Loser: LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s purple magnolia jacket
LSU coach Kim Mulkey brought out the flair for LSU’s Elite Eight matchup against the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins. Mulkey arrived at the arena in Birmingham wearing a purple sequined jacket with velvet lapels and massive magnolias, Louisana’s state flower.
Unfortunately, her glorious jacket was all for nothing. The Tigers fell to the Bruins, and fans might never see the magnificent look again. Please take a moment of silence for Kim Mulkey’s March Madness wardrobe. Sequins, flowers, beads, patterns and neon colors everywhere just fell to their knees.
Winner: UConn freshman Sarah Strong
UConn forward Sarah Strong proved why she is the best freshman in the country against the No. 1 seed Trojans. Strong, who has been so good all season long, put up a blistering 22 points and 17 rebounds, as well as four assists and a steal.
Head coach Geno Auriemma recently challenged Strong to be more aggressive. So, during her huge night, Strong unleashed a casual spin move against USC’s Kiki Iriafen and four shots from beyond the arc.
Loser: TCU’s storybook season ending on a sour note
The question for the TCU Horned Frogs was always: How long would their tremendous season last? On Monday, the answer was revealed. TCU’s historic year, which included the program’s first Elite Eight appearance, a Big 12 championship and a Hailey Van Lith redemption arc, ended against the Texas Longhorns. Unfortunately, Texas’ vaunted defense made it a very long night for everyone involved, and despite being down just two at halftime, the Horned Frogs couldn’t overcome its mountain of missed shots and turnovers.
If that ended Van Lith’s college career, there is nothing to hang her head about. Her journey of resiliency was worth every word written or spoken about it. The senior guard’s WNBA draft stock also got a serious bump along the way, and now, she’ll likely get first-round consideration.