Why UCONN is my pick to win the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Sunday

The 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament concludes on Sunday afternoon when the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks face the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies in the national championship.

UConn is coming off a 85-51 win over No. 1 seed UCLA, setting the record for largest margin of victory in a Final Four game. South Carolina won the other semifinal game in dominant fashion as well, beating No. 1 seed Texas in a 74-57 final on Friday.

I've watched UCONN several times this season through the tv screen in games like USC, Notre Dame and South Carolina, as well as in-person in the Round 64 game, against Arkansas State when they played right before the OSU Cowgirls were scheduled to take the court.

Here's why I think the Huskies have the best odds to win it all on Sunday afternoon.

Big Three

The Big Three play a huge role in how lethal UCONN is on offense.

Senior Paige Bueckers, the projected number one overall draft pick this year, is the leader in orchestrating this offense.

Azzi Fudd is playing her first full season with Paige after both suffered separate ACL tears in back-to-back seasons, Bueckers in 2022 and Fudd in 2023.

Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong is the missing puzzle piece the Huskies have been needing to end the Championship drought.

Together, the trio averages 50 of the 81 points scored per game.

Championship Culture

UConn’s legendary coach Geno Auriemma is a force in women’s basketball. With 11 national titles, he’s one of the most decorated coaches in history. His ability to build championship teams year after year keeps UConn at the top. With stars like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, the Huskies are always a threat.

This is the Huskies 13th appearance in the championship and have only one loss in the title game, which was to South Carolina in 2022.

History with the Gamecocks

Earlier this year on February 16th, the Huskies defeated the Gamecocks by 29 points, 87-58.

The UConn vs. South Carolina rivalry is everything you want in women’s college hoops: Star power, storylines and serious stakes. Since their first meeting in 2007 (97–39 UConn win), these two programs have gone toe-to-toe 15 times. The Huskies lead the all-time series 10–5.

A win on Sunday will end a nine-year drought for UCONN. Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm. CST on ESPN.