PHOENIX — It’s been three years since UCLA and South Carolina first met in the NCAA tournament. Defending champion South Carolina was expected to easily win that Sweet 16 matchup in 2023, and it did, 59–43. The Bruins were still looking for their first NCAA women’s Final Four. And that game against the Gamecocks, who already had two championships under coach Dawn Staley and has since added a third, felt like a glimpse of a potential blueprint for UCLA.
“If you want to be a championship-level program, you have to have that kind of championship-level commitment and loyalty, and commitment to the long haul and not just the short-term,” UCLA coach Cori Close said before that Sweet 16 game in 2023. “Credit to them for having that be an embedded part of their culture.”
Three years later, Close and Staley are both still in place at their respective schools, with a handful of players who have stayed along with them. South Carolina remains a powerhouse. UCLA has fought its way up to sit alongside them here. They are remarkably evenly matched in a number of ways. And they will play each other for a national championship Sunday.
“It’s kind of full circle, playing South Carolina,” said UCLA senior Gabriela Jaquez, who logged 13 minutes off the bench as a freshman in that Sweet 16 game and shot 0-for-4. She is now a key part of this starting lineup, one of the savvy, veteran guards who make this roster so tough on the perimeter. “Just super excited to go up against them this time.”
Much has changed since that 2023 Sweet 16 matchup between these programs, and since the last regular season matchup in November 2024, too. UCLA won that game, 77–62—a statement victory that showed it was seriously building on that long-term, big-picture vision of Close’s. It was a crucial win for UCLA en route to making the Final Four for the first time in 2025.
But neither coach will be able to draw too much from that last matchup. These rosters both look quite different from that point last season.
South Carolina has integrated a host of new pieces this season. Much of the focus has been on a critical pair of senior transfers. Ta’Niya Latson has added a shot-creating, playmaking ability here that can be very hard to counter. (The Florida State transfer was the leading scorer in Division I last year.) In the paint, 6' 6" Madina Okot has added critical size and an automatic nightly threat for a double-double. But one of the most crucial additions here is freshman Agot Makeer.
The willowy guard brings speed and length that make her very difficult to face on both ends of the court. She was not a key piece of game-planning against South Carolina earlier in this season: Staley does not often trust freshmen in the starting lineup. Makeer has come off the bench in a role that has gradually expanded as the season has worn on. But she has been impossible to ignore over the last few weeks. Makeer had never scored more than 12 points in a college game before the NCAA tournament. She has passed that mark in four of South Carolina’s five tournament games so far, dropping 18 against TCU in the Elite Eight and 14 against UConn in the Final Four, along with taking on tough defensive matchups in both games.
But UCLA looks nearly just as different as South Carolina does. The Bruins have added a pair of key transfer guards in Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker. They have both slotted into the starting lineup and have made for a group that is far savvier and more balanced around 6' 7" center Lauren Betts. And Betts herself is a much tougher, more confident player than she was even last season.
“A couple years ago, you could kind of be real physical with her, she would kind of back down a little bit,” Staley said of Betts. “Now she embraces it, right? Now she welcomes it. She can play off of it so well.”
Betts is a dominant scorer in the paint. Yet she is an excellent passer, too, and if you take away her shot, Betts can easily kick it out to a teammate. UCLA’s guards are too skilled to leave open if you choose to double- or triple-team Betts: Kneepkens and Jaquez are both averaging in double figures, and Kiki Rice is, too. There will be considerable focus on the paint matchup between Betts and Okot. (South Carolina sophomore forward Joyce Edwards will also be key here.) But much of this game will be won or lost on what happens on the perimeter.
“That’s the biggest difference from last year to this year, is that everybody’s understanding how they can contribute,” Close said. “We’re not all just standing around staring at Lauren.”
UCLA entered March Madness with a higher ranking. (Both are No. 1 seeds, but the Bruins were the second No. 1, and the Gamecocks were the fourth.) South Carolina now sits as the favorite. UCLA had the better record in the regular season. South Carolina has won more overwhelmingly in the tournament. UCLA has the more singular focus of dominance in Betts. South Carolina has the more experienced championship perspective on the sideline in Staley.
In other words, there is enough here for a serious, compelling matchup. Three years ago, Close and UCLA spoke about Staley and South Carolina as a blueprint to follow. Now, the construction project is over.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- Yaxel Lendeborg Vows to Be Ready for Michigan’s Men’s Hoops Title Game
- Michigan Looks Unstoppable Barreling Into Men’s Hoops Title Game Against UConn
- Five Wild Stats Show Just How Badly Michigan Basketball Dominated Arizona in Final Four Matchup
- UConn Embraces Underdog Role as March Madness Machine Rolls Into Title Game
- Five-Star Recruit Used Fab Five Interview During Final Four to Make Ultimate Michigan Commitment
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Following South Carolina’s Blueprint, UCLA Is a Formidable National Championship Opponent.
