South Carolina-UCLA: Preview, prediction for 2026 NCAA women’s national championship game
Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson (25) celebrates after scoring against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images PHOENIX — The NCAA women’s basketball national championship game is set as South Carolina will take on UCLA for the trophy and bragging rights as the ultimate winner. Tip is set for 3:30 p.
m. ET and the game will air on ABC. South Carolina handed UConn its first loss of the season on Friday night in Phoenix, defeating the Huskies 62-48 to earn a spot in the 2026 national championship game.
Despite the win being overshadowed by the tense argument between head coaches , it was a strong defensive performance for the Gamecocks, who were able to keep UConn’s star Azzi Fudd and Naismith Player of the Year award winner Sarah Strong in check. UCLA went up against a Texas team who seriously struggled shooting in the semifinal game, and was able to sneak out the win over the 2026 SEC tournament championship winner. The Bruins defeated Texas 51-44, to earn its first ever championship appearance in the NCAA Tournament era.
UCLA’s only loss of the season was back on November 27 when they played Texas at the Players Era Championship. The Bruins are led by their star center Lauren Betts, who leads the team in points and rebounds per game. Betts can certainly cause problems for many teams, often creating fouls for opponents and at 6-foot-7 is a presence in the paint on defense.
UCLA also has solid guards in Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker, who can each create scoring and passing opportunties if Betts is under pressure. “We’re going to be challenged because they are pretty methodical in how they want to cut you apart,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said on Saturday when asked about UCLA. “So they got bigs, they got shooters, they got a point guard that’s super smart.