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The Gamecocks (34-2) will face UConn (30-5) in the women's
national championship game Sunday at the Target Center in
Minneapolis. The Huskies have won all 11 of their previous
national title games.
South Carolina, which won the championship in 2017 in its only
title game appearance, topped Louisville 72-59 in the
semifinals. Consensus national player of the year Aliyah Boston
collected 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Gamecocks.
UConn, whose last title in 2016 capped a run of four consecutive
championships, ousted defending champion Stanford 63-58 in the
other semifinal. The Huskies won their first national title in
Minneapolis in 1995.
South Carolina has held steady as a 3.5-point favorite at BetMGM,
where the one-sided action favored the Gamecocks with 70 percent
of the spread bets and 79 percent of the handle. However,
UConn's +150 moneyline had drawn 70 percent of the bets and 55
percent of the handle.
"I think we're going to duke it out," Staley said. "There's no
edge. We can talk about the numbers, but the numbers give them
no edge, like the numbers aren't going to give us an edge. Our
season, the great season that we had, is not going to give us an
edge tomorrow. We've got to play it. They've got to play it."
South Carolina lost to Stanford in the semifinals last season,
66-65.
In the NCAA tournament this year, the Gamecocks are holding
opponents to 44.8 points per game.
"I think this game is going to come down to the intangible
things," Boston said. "The hustle plays and all the small
things. I think this is going to be a great matchup."
The Over/Under opened at 126.5 points at BetMGM but shifted to
125.5 with split action - 70 percent of the bets backing the
Over while 72 percent of the handle supporting the Under.
Boston, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, is averaging 18.0 points and
15.0 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament and has 29 double-doubles
this season. All five starters scored in double figures against
Louisville.
"I don't think it's a stretch to say that she might be the
hardest person in America to guard," UConn coach Geno Auriemma
said. "She scores if there's one, two, three, four people on
her. It doesn't matter."
UConn, appearing in its 14th consecutive Final Four, was
bolstered by the return of Paige Bueckers, the player of the
year last season as a freshman. She missed 19 games following
knee surgery.
Bueckers, a high school standout at Hopkins, Minn., about 10
miles from the Target Center, had a team-high 14 points and five
assists in the win over Stanford.
In UConn's 91-87 double-overtime victory over No. 1 seed North
Carolina State in the regional final, Bueckers scored 27 points,
with 15 coming in the two overtimes.
"Even if she's 70 percent, you've got to guard her, you've got
to pay attention to her," Staley said.
Bueckers and Christyn Williams each average 14.6 points.
Freshman guard Azzi Fudd averages 12.5.
UConn is without 6-5 forward Dorka Juhasz, who sustained a
season-ending broken wrist against North Carolina State.
The Huskies outrebounded Stanford 46-37, but South Carolina
leads the nation with a 17.5 rebound margin - and 19.4 in the
tournament. UConn limited Stanford to 4 of 23 from 3-point
range.
South Carolina defeated UConn 73-57 in the Bahamas tournament on
Nov. 22. Boston collected 22 points and 15 rebounds for the
Gamecocks, who held the Huskies to three points in the fourth
quarter. Bueckers scored 19 for UConn.
"I don't think I've won one national championship and I don't
think Dawn's going to win any, either," Auriemma said. "I think
her team has a great chance to win a national championship, and
I think my team has a chance to win a national championship."
--By Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
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