UConn vs. South Carolina Prediction: Can Paige Bueckers Return Huskies to Prominence in National Championship?
UConn vs. South Carolina Prediction: Can Paige Bueckers Return Huskies to Prominence in National Championship?
The UConn Huskies will look to earn their first NCAA Tournament since 2016 with a matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks at 3:00 pm ET on ABC.
The Huskies are one of the most storied women's college basketball teams. However, the Huskies haven't won a championship in nearly ten years.
That can change today. Paige Bueckers and the Huskies are just one win away from earning the National Championship. However, they'll have to get past last year's champion, the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Over the last decade, South Carolina has dominated the sport, not UConn. Under Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have won three National Titles, including last year's NCAA Tournament win over Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.
South Carolina has had a couple of close calls throughout the NCAA Tournament this year. Yet, in the Final Four, it earned an encouraging 74-57 win over the Texas Longhorns. This was South Carolina's third win against the Longhorns in four games this season.
Ultimately, the Gamecocks have one of the strongest rotations in women's college basketball. Staley isn't afraid to play eight players for 20+ minutes, which says a lot about that team.
Yet, if we're being honest, South Carolina has many elite players, but none like Paige Bueckers. In the NCAA Tournament, the senior guard has recorded 26.4 points per game, .6 rebounds ,and 3.4 assists per game. She's added at least 31 points in three of five games including a 440-point performanceagainst Oklahoma.
That said, the Huskies have a more potent starting five, but the depth isn't nearly as good as South Carolina's. Will that be the difference?
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for today's National Championship game between the UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks.
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UConn vs. South Carolina Odds
- Moneyline: UConn (-320), South Carolina (+260)
- Spread: UConn -6.5 (-110), South Carolina +6.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 132.5 (-115), Under 132.5 (-105)
UConn vs. South Carolina Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date:Â Sunday, April 6, 2025
- Game Time:Â 3:00 PM ET
- Where to Watch:Â ABC
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UConn vs. South Carolina Prediction
The UConn Huskies are blowing very good teams out of the water in the NCAA Tournament.
UConn earned an 82-59 win over Oklahoma in the Sweet 16. The Huskies followed that with a 78-64 victory over a Watkins-less USC squad in the Elite Eight. Then, in the Final Four, UConn earned an 85-51 win over a UCLA team that was thought to be the best team in college basketball.
Therefore, it's no surprise that the Huskies are now -6.5 against a reigning and defending champion.
In that win against UCLA, UConn had three players who scored at least 16 points. In most games, Bueckers has scored a ton. This time, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd scored. Bueckers went 7-for-17 and had an "off" night, yet the Huskies still beat a 34-win team by 24 points.
On the other hand, South Carolina barely scraped by Maryland and Duke and needed a second-half surge to finish Texas. The Gamecocks just haven't played as complete as the Huskies.
Therefore, let's take UConn at -6.5. Bueckers is about to do something Clark couldn't do.
UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Pick
- Pick: UConn -6.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best price on UConn vs. South Carolina odds
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Article Author
Jason grew up an avid sports fan. His passion for sports writing grew in high school and he developed a blog that was strictly for New York Sports. From his work, you will quickly realize that he loves looking at games from an analytical and numbers perspective and hopes to provide you with that same perspective in his articles.