Overview
- The national semifinals, which begin Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, feature No. 1 UConn vs. No. 1 South Carolina followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 UCLA at 9:30 p.m. at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center.
- All four teams are top seeds for only the fifth time in the women’s tournament, with UConn, South Carolina, Texas, and UCLA returning from last year’s Final Four.
- UConn enters as the reigning champion at 38-0 with Naismith winner Sarah Strong, and sportsbooks list the Huskies around -6.5 over South Carolina with moneyline prices near -320.
- Texas is a slight favorite over UCLA (roughly -1.5 to -2.5) after beating the Bruins in November, setting up a contrast between the Longhorns’ guard pressure and UCLA center Lauren Betts’ inside game.
- A Jordan’s Furniture promotion promises refunds on about $50 million in purchases if both UConn programs reach their title games, and the company says it insured the risk.