Who sang the national anthem at women's 2025 NCAA Tournament championship? Diving deeper into UConn vs. South Carolina clash

The women's NCAA National Championship Game began at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game is being played between the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 2 UConn Huskies. It is a huge event as the two best teams in college basketball compete for the national title.

As is always the case before the National Championship Game, the American national anthem was sung. This year, former NCAA basketball player and singer Ayla Brown was the singer.

Brown played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles from 2006 to 2010. Across those seasons, she averaged 6.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 128 games.

Brown first gained national attention as a singer when she was a contestant on season five of American Idol, placing within the top 16 in 2006. Since completing her college basketball career and putting all of her focus into music, she has become a professional singer, releasing six albums. The last one came out in 2015.

Brown also has experience singing the national anthem. She served as the Philadelphia 76ers' anthem singer in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

What is on the line in the women's 2025 NCAA Tournament championship game?

After Ayla Brown finished singing the national anthem, the game tipped off shortly after. The South Carolina Gamecocks have the opportunity to win back-to-back National Championships and their third in four years. They won last season, defeating Iowa 87-75 in the big game.

If the Gamecocks win this year, they will be the first team to win back-to-back national championships since UConn won their fourth in a row in 2016.

For the UConn Huskies, there is a lot on the line. While the Huskies are the winningest program in women's college basketball history, they have not won a National Championship since their fourth straight win in 2016.

So, this game is about getting back to the top of the NCAA college basketball mountain.

Additionally, this game is about paying the Gamecocks back for their loss in 2022. These two teams faced off in the 2022 National Championship Game, and the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies 64-49.

Lastly, this could be a legacy-defining game for Paige Bueckers. Although she is widely viewed as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she has not won a National Championship. Winning on Sunday would help her legacy as one of the greatest college basketball players ever.