Final Four 2026: Low-scoring semifinals were 'not pretty in any way, shape or form.' Will NCAA championship be any different?
PHOENIX — Oh, you thought the four best teams in women’s college basketball over the past two seasons would show up at the Final Four and put on an offensive clinic? That’s hilarious. The consequence of a sport that prides itself on defensive buy-in is that matchups of the elite come down to which team can crack 50.
Whether fans can stomach it is less concrete a mark than those involved recognize. “I wanted to apologize to all the fans for the rugby match and the 23 turnovers,” was the first thing UCLA head coach Cori Close said in the post-game press conference . Asked later if she thought it would be that much of a defensive battle, she scoffed her denial.
UCLA advanced to its first NCAA national championship game with a 51-44 victory over Texas that barely crossed the scoring threshold. South Carolina moved forward in a 62-48 win over UConn that didn’t develop an offensive attitude until the second half. UCLA defeats Texas to advance to its first-ever NCAA title game!
🎥 ESPN pic. twitter. com/IOYVnedeRO — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 4, 2026 There were more bodies on the floor than made field goals, an embellishment that might actually be true for the UCLA-Texas nightcap in which they combined for 35 turnovers, 10 more than the first game.
The ugly showing lodged itself into various record slots. And not the fun kind. The six points UCLA held Texas to in the first quarter are tied for the fewest in any quarter in a national semifinal game, and the second-fewest in a quarter of a Final Four game.
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