TAMPA, Fla. — Sunday’s national championship is a head-on collision between the undisputed heavyweights in women’s basketball. The programs are defined by their coaches.
In one corner, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, who is 3-0 in championship games. In the other, is UConn’s Geno Auriemma, who is 11-1 in title bouts.
Interestingly enough, the only championship loss on his resume was delivered by Staley’s Gamecocks in 2022.
Auriemma, in his 40th season at UConn, will face Staley, in her 18th season at South Carolina, for the 15th time Sunday afternoon. Make that 16th time if you count Auriemma coaching against Staley in the 1991 Final Four, when, as a point guard for Virginia, she defeated the Huskies.
Overall, Auriemma holds a 9-5 edge on Staley. It took Staley eight tries to beat UConn, but since 2020, she’s 5-2 against Auriemma.
The rivalry continues at Amalie Arena.
Here’s a look at their previous meetings:
Dec. 28, 2008
UConn 77, South Carolina 48
In their first meeting as coaches, Auriemma noticed a difference in the Gamecocks. They had played the previous season, but now that South Carolina hired Staley, he saw something. “They have (gotten better). They are a little more disciplined and a little more deliberate. They were able to stay in the game without it (getting away from them),” he said. “Last year, when they got behind, the game kind of took off. This group did a much better job of remaining in the game.”
Despite the blowout, South Carolina held Connecticut to its lowest point total of the season at that point.
Staley mentioned the Gamecocks had “nervousness” about playing the nation’s No. 1 team.
Feb. 9, 2015
UConn 87, South Carolina 62
Let’s call this the start of the rivalry. During blizzard conditions, fans lined up two hours before the sold-out game. They got to witness No. 2 UConn take down No. 1 South Carolina at the Gampel Pavilion with 22 points from Breanna Stewart. South Carolina had never beaten a team ranked higher than third at this point.
Final horn blows as No. 2 #UConn tops No. 1 South Carolina, 87-62, in front of a sold-out crowd at Gampel. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/wLwAAqcUVY
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 10, 2015
Feb. 8, 2016
UConn 66, South Carolina 54
In another battle of No. 1 versus No. 2, top-ranked UConn came out ahead again. Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson combined for 53 points in Columbia, S.C.
“These games are a lot of fun,” Stewart, who added 10 rebounds and five blocks, said.
Feb. 13, 2017
UConn 66, South Carolina 55
UConn recorded its 100th straight win. Gabby Williams scored a career-high 26 points and Napheesa Collier added 18 to help No. 1 UConn beat No. 6 South Carolina in front of a sell-out crowd that included UConn legends Stewart, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Tina Charles. South Carolina’s star duo of A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates combined for 27 points. Though they didn’t meet in the tournament, South Carolina got the last laugh by winning the national championship — Staley’s first.
Feb. 1, 2018
UConn 83, South Carolina 58
South Carolina fans came out in force — 18,000 at Colonial Life Arena — to cheer for their defending championship squad against the nation’s No. 1 team. A’ja Wilson recorded a double-double, but UConn had too many options with Kia Nurse, Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson and Gabby Williams.
March 26, 2018
UConn 94, South Carolina 65 (regional final)
A’ja Wilson’s college career ended at the hands of UConn in this Elite Eight blowout in Albany. She scored 27 points but Staley checked her out with three minutes left as UConn led by 31 points. The Huskies went on to lose in a Final Four overtime thriller to Notre Dame.
Feb. 11, 2019
UConn 97, South Carolina 79
Staley lost for the seventh time to UConn as Collier exploded for 31 points with 16 rebounds and six assists at the XL Center.
Feb. 10, 2020
South Carolina 70, UConn 52
Here’s when the tide started turning. South Carolina asserted itself immediately with its defense for Staley — and the program’s — first victory against UConn. Then-freshman Aliyah Boston finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the top-ranked Gamecocks.
Feb. 8, 2021
UConn 63, South Carolina 59 (OT)
Paige Bueckers will play her final college game Sunday against South Carolina, but in her first season, she made quite an introduction against the Gamecocks. As the shot clock drained and UConn held a one-point lead in overtime, Bueckers launched a 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim and bounced before the ball rattled into the net. Bueckers scored the Huskies’ final 13 points as part of her 31 total to take down No. 1 South Carolina.
Nov. 22, 2021
South Carolina 73, UConn 57
At the end of the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, Staley joined a Bahamian dance group. “Our players are determined. They are resilient,” Staley said afterward. In another No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown, the top-ranked Gamecocks leaned on their defense, outscoring UConn 16-3 in the fourth quarter.
Staley celebrates the 2022 national championship victory against the Connecticut Huskies at Target Center in Minneapolis. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
April 3, 2022
South Carolina 64, UConn 49
Auriemma had been undefeated in national championships until facing Staley in Minneapolis. South Carolina celebrated on the Target Center court after a 26-point performance from Destanni Henderson. Bueckers scored 14 points, but South Carolina’s huge first-quarter lead was too much to overcome.
Feb. 5, 2023
South Carolina 81, UConn 77
In a rematch of the national championship game, the result was the same. Boston scored 23 of her 26 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to lead the top-ranked Gamecocks to victory against the fifth-ranked Huskies in front of a sell-out crowd in Connecticut.
Feb. 11, 2024
South Carolina 83, UConn 65
The Gamecocks had a trend going at this point, accumulating their fourth straight victory against the Huskies. Had the tables turned in this rivalry? The victory marked the 54th straight home win for the Gamecocks. Te-Hina Paopao scored 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers, but the Gamecocks’ defense once again was the difference-maker.
Staley and Auriemma meet before their game this season at Colonial Life Arena. (Sean Rayford / Getty Images)
Feb. 16, 2025
UConn 87, South Carolina 58
Earlier this season, UConn made a statement. The Huskies’ victory snapped South Carolina’s 71-game home winning streak, which dated back to Dec. 3, 2002. Azzi Fudd scored 28 points to lead No. 7 UConn past the fourth-ranked Gamecocks. Freshman Sarah Strong and Bueckers recorded double-doubles. They didn’t know they were writing a script for a dramatic national championship subplot.
April 6, 2025
The national championship in Tampa will be the latest chapter of the UConn-South Carolina rivalry.
(Photos of Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley: Steph Chambers / Getty Images, Sarah Stier / Getty Images)