Friday’s Final Four featuring UConn and South Carolina is the premier rivalry in the sport and is a rematch of last season’s title game.
Led by Raven Johnson and Joyce Edwards, the Gamecocks bring the Tournament’s highest point differential into the semifinal as they look to exact a measure of revenge against the defending champion Huskies. This is the sixth consecutive Final Four for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
Gaining a little payback will be difficult, though, as the defending champion Huskies take the court undefeated on the season and a sizable favorite to earn a birth in the national title game Sunday. UConn is 38-0 powered by Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.
The matchup hinges on the frontcourt battle. As a result, no question Staley will throw a number of defenders on Strong in an effort to wear her down. UConn does not have much depth up front. Strong can ill afford to get into foul trouble. South Carolina has dominated the boards all season. They need to limit Strong and prevent second chances for UConn as a team. The Huskies are shooting 52% for the season. Limiting second chances will help lessen that percentage and keep the Gamecocks in the game.
These teams met back in February and UConn smacked South Carolina, 87-58. Friday will be the 16th time Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma have done battle.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch Live: UConn vs. South Carolina
- Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
- Time: 7PM EST
- Site: Mortgage Matchup Center
- City: Phoenix, AZ
- Network/Streaming: ESPN
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Game Odds: UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: South Carolina Gamecocks (+245), UConn Huskies (-305)
- Spread: UConn -6.5
- Total: 136.5
This game opened UConn -6.5 with the Total set at 136.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NCAA Basketball schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: UConn vs. South Carolina
UConn Huskies
- G Ashlynn Shade
- G Azzi Fudd
- G KK Arnold
- F Serah Williams
- F Sarah Strong
South Carolina Gamecocks
G Tessa Johnson
- G Ta’Niya Latson
- G Raven Johnson
- F Joyce Edwards
- C Madina Okot
Important stats, trends and insights: UConn vs. South Carolina
- Raven Johnson is averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the NCAA Tournament
- The Gamecocks have won their four Tournament games by an average of 40.25 points per game
- Joyce Edwards is averaging 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament
- The Huskies have won their four Tournament games by an average of 35 points per game
- Sarah Strong is averaging 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament
- Azzi Fudd is averaging 16 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s game between South Carolina and UConn:
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on UConn -6.5
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 136.5
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