First look at 2026 Women's Final Four: Who will win, X-factors, more

The Final Four was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1996 and featured Tennessee, Georgia, UConn and Stanford — the same four teams that played in the national semifinals in the previous year. It was the only time in the history of the Women’s NCAA Tournament the same four teams played in back-to-back Final Fours.

Until now.

The UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks are the four teams still standing out of this season's the 68-team March Madness field. A year ago, these teams coached by Geno Auriemma, Cori Close, Vic Schaefer and Dawn Staley clashed in Tampa, Florida, with UConn winning its 12th national title behind Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

Now, all four teams will take the floor in Phoenix, Arizona, this Friday. UConn will face South Carolina and UCLA takes on Texas.

The undefeated Huskies got this far by outlasting Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame in the Fort Worth 1 regional final and UCLA erased a double-digit deficit to defeat Duke in the Sacramento 2 Elite Eight. Texas absolutely stomped Michigan in a lopsided victory and South Carolina beat TCU to punch its sixth straight ticket to the national semifinals.

Here’s a closer look at each of the Final Four teams: 

UConn (38-0)

• Trips to the Final Four: 25
• National championships: 12
• Reason they will win: The Huskies have been the most dominant team in the country all season, capturing all but one of their 38 wins by double digits. UConn’s deficiencies in 3-point defense and rebounding haven’t been an issue yet. The Huskies haven’t been in serious danger of losing since trailing Villanova at halftime in February — a game Geno Auriemma’s team went on to win by 14 points. No opponent has figured out a recipe for stopping the duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd. If they play well in Phoenix, UConn will capture its 13th championship.
• X-factor: Sarah Strong is likely going to sweep the National Player of the Year awards, but Azzi Fudd has developed a knack for playing well in big games. In November, Fudd scored 31 points to power UConn to its narrowest margin of victory this season, a three-point win over Michigan. For the first time in a while, the Huskies are about to face that caliber of team again. They’ll need Fudd — last year’s Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four — to hit big shots.

UCLA (35-1)

• Trips to the Final Four: 2
• National championships: 0 in NCAA era, won AIAW title in 1978
• Reason they will win: The Bruins trailed Duke by double figures in the first half of their Elite Eight game, then switched things up in the second half. They mixed in some zone defense, leaned on Lauren Betts’ proficiency in the post, hammered Duke in the paint and let veterans like Angela Dugalić set the tone. While UCLA has been great at 3-point shooting this season, the Bruins proved against the Blue Devils they can still win when their deep shots aren’t falling. If Betts continues to be dominant, Cori Close’s team will be tough to beat.
• X-factor: Betts is the All-American on this team and likely a top-five pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, but Gianna Kneepkens is the team’s top 3-point shooter, making 42.9% of her attempts from behind the arc. The transfer from Utah hit a big one in the second half against Duke that seemed to shift momentum. Kneepkens wasn’t with the Bruins at last year’s Final Four, but could be the difference maker this season.

Texas (35-3)

• Trips to the Final Four: 5
• National championships: 1
• Reason they will win: When the Longhorns start games off on the right foot and can build a double-digit lead in the first quarter — like they did against South Carolina in the SEC title game, against Kentucky in the Sweet 16 and against Michigan in the Elite Eight — they tend to win with ease. The Longhorns rank in the top 10 nationally in defensive rating, points allowed per play and opponent assist-turnover ratio. Their defense can smother opponents.
• X-factor: Few players in March have been better than Madison Booker. Since the start of the SEC Tournament, she’s averaging 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 60% from the floor. If Booker is cooking, as she has been throughout the postseason, the Longhorns are tough to beat.

South Carolina (35-3)

• Trips to the Final Four: 8
• National championships: 3
• Reason they will win: The Gamecocks are 10th nationally in rebounding, fifth in opponent effective field goal percentage and fourth in Her Hoop Stats Rating, which checks all the boxes for what a national championship team should look like. South Carolina takes care of the ball, defends well and plays efficiently. And they’ve also been on this stage a whole lot recently, as this is the sixth consecutive Final Four appearance for Dawn Staley’s team. The Gamecocks won’t be afraid of the moment.
• X-factor: Raven Johnson has long been the emotional leader of the Gamecocks and their defensive stopper. But when needed, she’s proven this month that she can be South Carolina’s go-to scorer too. The senior guard — who will play in her fourth consecutive Final Four — had a career-best 22 points and eight assists in an SEC Tournament win over LSU, and dropped 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the Gamecocks’ Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma. Johnson has the fourth-best assist-turnover ratio in the country and is 25th nationally in win shares. She’ll be motivated to finish her storied career at South Carolina on a high note.