South Carolina vs. UConn Opening Odds, Preview for March Madness Final Four

A rematch of last year’s national title game is set to take place in the Final Four, as the UConn Huskies – the No. 1 overall seed – are favored against No. 1 South Carolina.

Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley are two of the best coaches in the sport, and they’ll meet for the 16th time as head coaches on Friday night. Auriemma has a 2-1 lead in the NCAA Tournament against Staley, and UConn won the national title with ease in 2025 behind big games from Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers is no longer with the Huskies, but UConn has Fudd, Sarah Strong and several other returning pieces from last year’s national championship. UConn has not lost a game all season long, and the Michigan Wolverines are the only team that the Huskies have faced this season that didn’t lose by 10 or more points.

Meanwhile, South Carolina battled through a tough SEC this season, losing in the SEC Tournament Final against the No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns (also in the Final Four). Staley’s squad is extremely deep, led by sophomore Joyce Edwards and guards Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson.

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South Carolina has dropped just three games all season, and two of those came against Texas.

So, the Gamecocks are battle-tested heading into this Final Four showdown.

Here’s a look at the odds and a preview of this game ahead of Friday’s tip off.

South Carolina vs. UConn Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

South Carolina +6.5 (-112)
UConn -6.5 (-108)

Moneyline

South Carolina: +194
UConn: -245

Total

136.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

UConn is favored in this game – and rightfully so – but it didn’t cover in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 against North Carolina and Notre Dame. The Huskies were favored by 25-plus points in both games, so it’s possible this spread is a little more reasonable for Geno Auriemma’s group.

Last season, these teams played in the national title game with the Huskies winning by 23, 82-59.

South Carolina vs. UConn Final Four Preview

The Huskies have not lost a game this season, and they have the best player in the country in Strong.

However, South Carolina is loaded with experience and has won every game in the NCAA Tournament this season by 26 or more points. So, it’s reasonable to think that the Gamecocks could at least cover, especially since UNC and Notre Dame both hung around with the Huskies over the weekend.

UConn ranks No. 4 in the country in Bart Torvik’s adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, and the Huskies have the best effective field goal percentage (59.0%) in the country.

South Carolina has an impressive profile as well, ranking third in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, and it’s inside the top five in eFG% on offense and defense.

This is going to be a heavyweight fight, and one could argue that the Gamecocks are better equipped to beat UConn this season now that Edwards is a year older and Latson is in the fold. Plus, the loss of Bueckers – the best player on either team in last year’s National Championship Game – is impossible to overlook.

UConn has answered every test so far, but the Gamecocks are by far the toughest team UConn has played this season. I’ll have picks for the two Final Four games later in the week, but I currently lean with South Carolina to cover on Friday night.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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