Will the 2026 Women’s NCAA Final Four be a repeat of last year?
USAT’s Sam Cardona Norberg and Megan Hall share their thoughts on the No. 1 seed for this year’s women’s NCAA March Madness tournament.
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The Final Four was held in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1996 and included Tennessee, Georgia, UW, and Stanford. These four teams are the same as those who played in the national semifinals the previous year. This was the only time in the history of the women’s NCAA Tournament that the same four teams reached the Final Four in consecutive years.
Until now.
Four teams remain from this season’s 68-team March Madness field: the UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks. A year ago, these teams, coached by Geno Auriemma, Cori Crouse, Vic Schaefer and Dawn Staley, clashed in Tampa, Fla., as UConn won its 12th national title behind Paige Bueckers and Azzie Fudd.
Now, all four teams will be in Phoenix, Arizona this Friday. UW will play South Carolina, and UCLA will play Texas.
The undefeated Huskies advanced to this point by defeating Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame in the Fort Worth 1 District final, and UCLA erased a double-digit lead to defeat Duke in the Sacramento 2 Elite Eight. Texas completely defeated Michigan with a lopsided victory, and South Carolina defeated TCU to earn a ticket to the national semifinals for the sixth straight year.
Here, we take a closer look at each team in the Final Four.
University College (38-0)
- Reaching the Final Four: twenty five
- National Championship: 12
- Why they win: The Huskies have been the most dominant team in the country all season, with all but one of their 38 wins coming by double digits. College’s deficiencies in 3-point defense and rebounding are still not an issue. The Huskies haven’t been in serious danger of losing since leading Villanova at halftime in February. Geno Auriemma’s team won the game by 14 points. No opponent has figured out the recipe to stop the combination of Sarah Strong and Azi Fudd. A strong performance in Phoenix will give UW its 13th championship.
- X factor: Sarah Strong will likely sweep the National Player of the Year award, but Azi Fuad has a knack for playing well in big games. In November, Fudd scored 31 points to lead UW to its closest victory of the season and a three-point win over Michigan. For the first time in a while, the Huskies are about to face a talented team again. They’re going to need Fudd (Most Valuable Player of last year’s Final Four) to take the big shots.
University of California, Los Angeles (35-1)
- Reaching the Final Four: 2
- National Championship: 0 points in NCAA era, won AIAW title in 1978
- Why they win: The Bruins trailed Duke by double digits in the first half of the Elite Eight game, but changed their tune in the second half. They mixed up a zone defense, relied on Lauren Betts’ post proficiency to pound Duke in the paint, and let veterans like Angela Dugalic set the tone. UCLA has excelled at 3-point shooting this season, but the Bruins proved against the Blue Devils that they can still win if their deep shots don’t fall. Cori Close’s side will be hard to beat if Betts continues to dominate.
- X factor: Betts is the team’s All-American and will likely be a top-five pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, but Gianna Neepkens is the team’s leading 3-point shooter, making 42.9 percent of her shots from behind the basket. The transfer from Utah was a big blow in the second half of the game against Duke, when the tide seemed to be changing. Kneepkens wasn’t with the Bruins in last year’s Final Four, but could be a difference-maker this season.
Texas (35-3)
- Reaching the Final Four: 5
- National Championship: 1
- Why they win: If the Longhorns start the game well and can build a double-digit lead in the first quarter, like they did against South Carolina in the SEC title game, Kentucky in the Sweet 16, and Michigan in the Elite Eight, they tend to win easily. The Longhorns rank in the top 10 in the nation in defensive rating, points allowed per play and opponent assist-turnover ratio. Their defensive power can suffocate opponents.
- X factor: There are few players better than Madison Booker in March. Since the start of the SEC Tournament, she is averaging 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 60 percent from the floor. If Booker cooks like he has throughout the postseason, the Longhorns will be tough to beat.
South Carolina (35-3)
- Reaching the Final Four: 8
- National Championship: 3
- Why they win: The Shamcox are 10th in the nation in rebounding, fifth in opponent effective field goal percentage and fourth in the Her Hoop Stats Rating, which ticks all the boxes for what a national championship team should be. South Carolina takes care of the ball, defends well and plays efficiently. It’s also the sixth straight Final Four appearance for Dawn Staley’s team, so they’ve been on this stage often lately. Gamecocks are not afraid of the moment.
- X factor: Raven Johnson has long been the Gamecocks’ spiritual leader and defensive stopper. But if needed, she proved this month that she can also be South Carolina’s go-to scorer. The senior guard, who is playing in his fourth consecutive Final Four, had a career-high 22 points and eight assists in the SEC Tournament win over LSU, and dropped 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the Gamecocks’ Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma. Johnson has the fourth-best assist turnover rate in the country and ranks 25th in the nation in win shares. She will be motivated to finish her storied career at the University of South Carolina on a high note.
