$7M worth Diana Taurasi trolls Scott Van Pelt over Maryland allegiance amid UConn vs South Carolina preview

After Selection Sunday, UConn legend Diana Taurasi predicted that her No. 2-seeded alma mater would win the national championship after beating the South Carolina Gamecocks.

On Friday evening, her bracket stayed alive after the Paige Bueckers-led Huskies beat the No. 1-seeded UCLA Bruins 85-51 in the Final Four to set up a date with the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks in the national championship game.

During Saturday's segment of "SportsCenter," the $7 million worth Taurasi (as per Celebrity Net Worth) trolled ESPN host Scott Van Pelt who studied at Maryland while discussing the national championship game.

"It's gonna be a completely different game," Diana Taurasi said. "But whatever that game was back in January, it's gonna be a completely different game. I mean, both teams are playing in a different way, a different style.

"So, whatever happened in that game, whatever you thought you can take and 'Hey, maybe we'll go back to that.' That's not gonna be there, just like Maryland is not here right now. Kinda like that."

Diana Taurasi compared to UConn dynamo

Most of the talented players who joined UConn after Diana Taurasi have been compared to the Huskies legend, none more so than Paige Bueckers who climbed above her (2,156 points) in the all-time points scoring list in February.

Taurasi distinguished herself as a UConn legend after leading the Huskies to three consecutive national championships (2002-2004) and won the Most Outstanding Player twice (2003 & 2004) before she was picked No. 1 by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

During his Final Four pregame news conference, UConn coach Geno Auriemma was asked about the similarities between Taurasi and Bueckers who is also projected to be the No. 1 pick during the 2025 WNBA Draft. He broke down the differences and similarities between them:

"Obviously there's a lot of similarities. There's so many differences as well. In the best sense of the word, No. 1, they're both exceptional con artists.

"They can spin things so that it goes their way about 99.9% of the time. So they live in that world, which I admire that because winners do that. They have to be right. They have to be at the top."

He added:

"They have to be unchallenged. So they've got that going for them. They're both extremely outgoing. They both enjoy other people's company. They're accommodating to other people. They're respectful. They're great team players. They're both generous to their teammates, both on the court, off the court."

Most of the UConn legends led by Diana Taurasi have won a national championship for the Huskies and the one most closely linked to her has the chance to win one and write her name into the program's lore.