National Championship Preview: UConn vs. South Carolina | 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

UConn women’s basketball is back in the NCAA title game for the first time since 2016 taking down Stanford 63-58 in the Final Four on Friday night. The No. 2 seed UConn team will wear its away national flag blue uniforms as they take on the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the national championship game.

The Huskies and Gamecocks faced off earlier this fall, where South Carolina dismantled a full strength UConn team in the Bahamas, 73-56 in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game on Nov. 22. The two schools were also supposed to face off on Jan. 27 in Columbia, South Carolina, but that game was cancelled as both schools elected to make up conference games as the Huskies recovered from their COVID-19 pause. Since then, South Carolina has established itself as the best team in the country with a stifling defense, holding three of their NCAA Tournament opponents to 50 points or less.

On Sunday night, they will face off in the title game, where UConn seeks the program’s 12th national championship. A win for the Gamecocks would give them their second title in program history and their second championship in the last five NCAA Tournaments.

How to watch

Where: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: Sunday, April 3 — 8:00 p.m. ET

TV info: ESPN; Alternate broadcast with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi on ESPN2

Who to follow

Our writers Daniel Connolly and Megan Gauer will be tweeting throughout the game with their thoughts and analysis — give them a follow on Twitter if you haven’t already. We will also be tweeting and posting on Instagram from The UConn Blog accounts!

Our photographer Ian Bethune is also in Minneapolis — be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram for great shots of the Huskies’ tournament run.

How they got here

UConn rolled past No. 15 seed Mercer in the first round before struggling with but eventually surpassing a UCF squad that boasted one of the best defenses in the country to advance past the first weekend. After that, they handled No. 3 seed Indiana with ease in Bridgeport before taking down No. 1 seed NC State in an instant classic, winning 91-87 in double overtime and advancing to the program’s 14th-straight Final Four. Once the Huskies arrived in Minneapolis, they hit just enough shots to get by Stanford to reach this year’s title game.

The Gamecocks received the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament despite a surprising SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky, but immediately showed why they are one of the top teams in the country with a 79-21 win over No. 16 Howard and a 49-33 win over Miami. SC struggled with North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen, but won 69-61 and punched their ticket to the Final Four with a 80-50 blowout over a cinderella Creighton squad.

While Louisville did manage to keep things close with a run to close out the first half, the Gamecocks were too much for the Cardinals in the Final Four, and Dawn Staley’s squad walked away with a 72-59 win to give SC a chance to win the second title in program history.

NCAA Tournament coverage

Championship game preview

• Chasing Perfection: Championship game bound
• Opponent Preview: No. 1 South Carolina
• Game Preview: The week of hell in November that set the foundation for UConn’s run to the national championship game
• After difficult season, Aaliyah Edwards becoming UConn’s fourth quarter closer
• Photo gallery: UConn Women’s Basketball Open Practice (NCAA Championship)

Stanford coverage

• UConn women’s basketball defeats Stanford to advance to national title game, 63-58
• How UConn women’s basketball willed its way to Final Four win over Stanford
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa steps up down the stretch to send UConn to the national championship
• Photo gallery: UConn women’s basketball vs Stanford Cardinal (NCAA Final Four) - 4/1/22
• UConn women’s basketball’s rivalry with Stanford built on mutual respect, not bad blood
• Azzi Fudd is more than just a shooter