Rivals UConn & South Carolina fan the Final Four flames

There is a season (turn, turn, turn).

Rivals UConn & South Carolina fan the Final Four flames

An epic rematch takes the court tonight, as 2025 NCAA title contenders South Carolina and UConn tip off the Final Four in Phoenix.

• Riding a perfect 38-0 record, the Huskies are facing the Gamecocks for the first time since pulling off last year’s 82-59 championship win.

• “This is a different South Carolina team than the one we played last year,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “Our two wins against them last year don’t really mean anything going into tomorrow.”

Butting heads: While UConn chases its 13th national title as the odds-on favorite, coach Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to three championships over the last eight seasons — including 2024’s legendary unbeaten squad.

• “It’s become a rivalry, and everybody wants to see,” Staley said of tonight’s rematch. “It’s two programs battling for supremacy.”

• “We’re going to treat the game like it’s the biggest game we’ve played all year — and it is,” said UConn guard Azzi Fudd. “We respect this team a lot.”

Tune in: South Carolina takes on UConn today at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN.

UCLA & Texas hunt Final Four revenge

UCLA and Texas are on a mission, looking to avenge last year’s Final Four exits in tonight’s high-stakes closer — with only one championship ticket up for grabs.

• While semifinal losses saw both teams’ 2025 March Madness dreams cut short, UCLA enters tonight’s matchup with even more to prove, after Texas handed the Bruins their only regular-season defeat last November.

• A fierce frontcourt clash is primed to steal the spotlight, as UCLA powerhouse Lauren Betts contends with Longhorns stars Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker.

How it happened: The No. 1 seeds have cruised through the NCAA tournament thus far, with Texas coming off a 36-point Elite Eight blowout over No. 2 seed Michigan.

• “This team right here, we’re playing our best basketball, and we’re doing it while having fun — we’re doing it as a sisterhood,” Booker said from Phoenix. “Win or lose, I’ll be so proud of this group.”

• “I knew I just wanted to get back here again,” Betts said. “This is not the end goal. We want to keep playing.”

Tune in: UCLA battles Texas tonight at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.

KC & Gotham fight to right the early-season ship

It’s a battle of the 2025 titans, as reigning NWSL champion Gotham visits defending Shield winner Kansas City on Saturday with both clubs looking to reverse early-season skids.

• The No. 13 Current enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak, while No. 9 Gotham has managed to register just one goal on the season.

• “We’re trying to build, and the games came fast and furious,” said Kansas City manager Chris Armas. “We’re excited to get back home.” (See full standings)

Down one: The Bats will fly to KC without their leader, as head coach Juan Carlos Amorós hangs back awaiting the birth of his second child.

• Lead assistant coach Shaun Harris will serve as acting head coach in the pair’s first meeting since Gotham upset Kansas City in the 2025 playoffs.

• “We’re two teams right now that are both playing with our backs against the wall and something to prove,” said Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle. “So it’s a game we’re going to have to be really, really, really, really ready for.”

Tune in: Kansas City takes on Gotham tomorrow at 4 PM ET, live on CBS.

PRESENTED BY JWS & SINCLAIR
Don’t miss ‘Post Moves’ with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston

This week on Post Moves, Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston recap a huge week in hoops, from college to the pros and everything in between.

• They first dive into the WNBA CBA, breaking down all the key issues — including what Candace could’ve earned under the new deal — before unpacking this week’s two-team expansion draft.

• The duo also taps into March Madness as both tournaments heat up, previewing the Final Four, reacting to viral moments, and checking in on this year’s cutthroat Post Moves Bracket Challenge.

Tune in: Catch Post Moves: Fingers Crossed They Protect Me on YouTube.

UConn’s Sarah Strong wins 2026 Player of the Year

UConn’s Sarah Strong cleaned up this week, winning both Naismith National Player of the Year and AP National Player of the Year in a 2026 sweep.

• The sophomore forward leads the undefeated Huskies in average points (18.6), rebounds (7.6), steals (3.4), and blocks (1.6) per game, returning to the Final Four for the second time in her young college career.

• “Anybody that’s watched us play would probably tell you that she’s the heart and soul of our team,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Strong. “She elevates the play of everyone on our team.”

Taking stock: Notre Dame’s 5-foot-6 Hannah Hidalgo also broke the mold, becoming the first guard since 2020 to win Naismith Defensive Player of the Year — as well as its shortest-ever recipient.

• Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph took home Naismith Coach of the Year, after the Commodores tied their program-best conference record this season.

WNBA expansion teams stock up

The WNBA expansion draft has arrived, with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo set to claim their first players as preseason tipoff nears.

• The Fire will pick first, kicking off a two-round draft with each team selecting from a designated pool of unprotected current players.

• Only Chicago’s roster will be off limits, after the Sky traded off its 2026 second-round college draft picks in exchange for immunity.

How it works: Each team can draft only one unrestricted free agent, with each new squad allotted up to six selections while no single existing team can lose more than two unprotected players total.

• Existing teams can protect up to five players each, as long as those players remain under active contracts, have reserved rights, or are entering restricted or core-able free agency. (See full rules)

Tune in: The WNBA expansion draft tips off today at 3:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Quote of the day

UConn senior Azzi Fudd
on closing out her UConn Huskies career at this weekend’s Final Four.