How This Year’s Women’s Final Four Has A Lot Of History Behind It
By DJ Harding
With the NCAA Women’s Final Four beginning on Friday April 3rd bringing the 2025-26 basketball season to a close the last four teams remaining all have a bit of history riding on them. For Texas, South Carolina, UConn, and UCLA this weekend in Phoenix Arizona could be one that etches their names in history forever.
The Second Time Around
The Final Four may look familiar to some and that’s because it’s the exact same teams that appeared last which marks the first time with the same four teams appearing back to back since 1995-1996 (UConn, Tennessee, Georgia, Stanford) which was the last time we’ve seen the same four teams in consecutive years.
This time around though the four teams all entered the tournament as the number one seed in each of their respective regions which is only the fifth time this has happened with the other four times being in the years 1989, 2012, 2015 and 2018.
Winning In Remarkable Fashion
The elite eight round this year saw each game decided by an average of 23 points which was the largest point differential in the elite eight round ever.
For the two teams representing the Southeastern Conference Texas and South Carolina both teams won every game in the previous four rounds by at least 20 points each. This marks the first time two different teams have had four 20 plus point win in tournament history
For the South Carolina Gamecocks their 78-52 win over TCU booked their ticket to the Final Four but also gave there a +161 point differential through the first four rounds of the tournament which is the largest in history for the Southeastern Conference
A Historic Achievement
For some players and coaches reaching the final four is something they never see but for South Carolina guard Raven Johnson her last season of college will be memorable as she has made the final four every year of her college career.
Meanwhile for the South Carolina program at large this will be their sixth straight Final Four and for coach Dawn Staley gives her the second longest streak by a coach only trailing UConn’s Geno Auriemma (14 straight Final Fours 2008-2022)
The UConn Huskies this will be their third straight Final Four and 25th in program history which is the current record. Auriemma has been with UConn through all 25 Final Fours and looks to bring the Huskies to win their 13th National Championship which would extend the record for most National Titles.
Also making history in this tournament is Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer who after coaching the Longhorns to back to back Final Fours becomes the first coach in history to bring multiple teams to multiple final fours after bringing Mississippi State in 2017 and 2018.
For All The Marbles
With a lot of history and achievements on the line the only that is certain is that it all comes down to these final four teams all with one goal of winning a national championship which makes the stakes high and the pressure higher as they play for a chance to forever be remembered as a National Champion.
D.J. Harding is a sports reporter for HUNewsService.com.
