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The South Carolina Gamecocks are headed back to the NCAA national championship game for the second consecutive season, and perhaps the most decorated player in South Carolina history, A'ja Wilson, has made her feelings loud and clear about the program's return to the title game.
Following South Carolina's dismantling of the Texas Longhorns 74-57 in the Final Four in Tampa, Florida, Friday evening, Wilson posted a video with fellow Gamecock and WNBA player Allisha Gray on social media, showing their South Carolina pride.
The video was shared by South Carolina's X/Twitter account:
"You know where we're headed. Where are we headed?" Wilson said. "You already know what it is. Gamecocks win."
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Wilson played at South Carolina from 2014 to 2018, leading the Gamecocks to the program's first national championship in 2017 before being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces.
South Carolina has since reached their third national championship in four years. The Gamecocks defeated the Paige Bueckers-led UConn Huskies in 2022 and then went on to defeat the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes last season.
The Gamecocks fell just short of reaching the national championship in 2023 when they fell to Iowa in the Final Four.
South Carolina and UConn set for a rematch national championship title game
The one thing that Paige Bueckers is missing from her collegiate resume is a national championship. The only time that she has had a chance to play in the championship game, the Huskies fell to South Carolina in 2022.
With UConn upsetting No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four Friday night, the Huskies will meet South Carolina in the title game once again. The two programs have already met once earlier this season, where UConn defeated South Carolina in a lopsided 87-58 victory, snapping a 70-plus home game winning streak for the Gamecocks.
Within that game, Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong all finished with double-digit points, a trend that has continued into the NCAA Tournament. Bueckers has had three 30-point games in the tournament, including a 40-point performance against Oklahoma.
South Carolina and UConn will both have their hands full heading into Sunday's national championship. South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao and UConn's Bueckers and Strong were each named WBCA selections.
Dawn Staley is 3-0 in championship games at South Carolina, while UConn's Geno Auriemma is 11-1 in title games.
Who do you think will win on Sunday when the South Carolina Gamecocks face the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Tournament national championship game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
