South-Carolina
South Carolina vs. UConn odds: Paige Bueckers, Huskies open as favorites for women’s national title game
From narrative and historical standpoints, the world of women’s basketball couldn’t possibly ask for a better championship draw. It’s Geno Auriemma versus Dawn Staley; Paige Bueckers trying to go out on top against the dynastic title defenders. UConn-South Carolina is the final game we deserve. Legacies will solidify and hoop dreams will actualize on Sunday afternoon.
How to watch South Carolina vs. Connecticut
- What: Women’s NCAA National Championship Game
- Venue: Amalie Arena — Tampa, Fla.
- Time: 3 p.m. ET, Sunday
- TV: ABC
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Auriemma’s Huskies are one win away from their 12th national net cutting. They’ve won each of their tourney games by double digits: early round demolitions across the first weekend, an iconic Bueckers heat check against Oklahoma, then the Los Angeles gauntlet of USC and UCLA. UConn overwhelmingly claimed its Final Four fight versus the Bruins, 85-51, finishing at 55/44 percent shooting splits while forcing 19 turnovers. Bueckers had 16 points, Azzi Fudd scored 19 and Sarah Strong led the way with 22.
On the precipice of her college career, Bueckers has a lot to celebrate. She’s been the AP Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American, holder of both the Wooden and Naismith trophies, and has reached tremendous heights as a face of women’s hoops. Just one thing is missing: an NCAA championship. Her transcendent freshman season was spoiled by a 10-point loss to Arizona at the national semifinal. As a sophomore, she fell short of South Carolina in the title game. Bueckers redshirted after tearing her ACL in 2022, then fell on the wrong side of last year’s Final Four instant-classic with Caitlin Clark and Iowa.
It would be a defining achievement for the entire squad, of course. Auriemma would assert his eternal bonafides and get back to the mountaintop for the first time since 2016. Fudd would cap a triumphant return from an ACL tear of her own. Strong would seal an all-time great freshman campaign and set herself up as UConn’s next major star. Senior Kaitlyn Chen has forged a following since coming over from Princeton. First-year Jana El Alfy got to celebrate Friday’s win with her parents, who flew from Egypt to support their daughter. It’s a likable group with championship credentials.
So is South Carolina. The Gamecocks are unselfish, swaggering and resilient. They trailed both Maryland and Duke in the third quarters of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively, only to muscle out comebacks and slam the doors shut down the stretch. Staley has emerged as a titan of the sport, and the roster is loaded with balanced, complementary talents.
The reigning champs dispatched top-seeded Texas on Friday, a comfortable 74-57 cruise behind four double-digit scorers. Bree Hall and Te-Hina Paopao had 11 and 14, respectively, while Raven Johnson contributed six rebounds, three assists and three stocks (steals + blocks). Freshman Joyce Edwards did her usual damage off the bench, and sophomore Tessa Johnson drained a 3 and added 9 points with the second unit. The Gamecocks go eight players deep and have no shortage of lead options for any given matchup.
South Carolina’s defense is ferocious and disciplined, but it can also show some flashy perimeter punch when cornered. Creative passer and rangy shooter Paopao is WNBA-bound after this final game of eligibility, and fellow guard MiLaysia Fulwiley is a springy 5-foot-10 force with the ball in her hands. From front to back, they play with the boundless confidence of a team that’s lost six total games in the last four years.
Oddsmakers have the Huskies favored to win on Sunday, but the Gamecocks cannot be slept on in April. The hype is high for Sunday’s grand Madness.
This matchup can also be streamed on ESPN+.
South Carolina vs. Connecticut odds
Streaming and Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Paige Bueckers and Bree Hall: Sean Rayford / Getty Images)
New details have emerged in an officer-involved shooting that left one dead and a deputy injured in Anderson County on Monday.
A deputy with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) initiated a traffic stop outside of Townville, SC, on I-85 Northbound near Mile Marker 11 for a traffic violation, according to a release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
The deputy requested back-up and spoke to 32-year-old Austin Derrell Robertson, of Pennsylvania, in his patrol vehicle. Once the other deputy arrived, Robertson got out of the vehicle and “a physical altercation involving him and the two deputies” occured, according to SLED.
SC deputy critically injured after shooting during traffic stop, suspect killed
While deputies attempted to tase Robertson, officials said he grabbed a firearm from his vehicle and shot one of the deputies.
Both deputies then shot back at Roberston, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
SLED said the deputy was airlifted to the hospital and remains there for treatment at this time.
The incident remains under investigation by SLED, as requested by the ACSO.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
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