#BIGEASTwbb Minute: UConn To Play For The National Championship
Huskies will face top-seeded South Carolina Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
MINNEAPOLIS – For the 13th time and first since 2013, a BIG EAST women’s basketball team is in the NCAA Championship game as second-seeded Connecticut topped No. 1 seed Stanford Friday night in Minneapolis, 63-58, to advance to Sunday’s final. The Huskies will face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN to decide the national champion. UConn is making its first trip to the title game since 2016 and 12th overall. The Huskies are 11-0 in the national championship.
BIG EAST In The National Championship
The BIG EAST will have a team in the NCAA Tournament title game for the 13th time overall and first since 2013. The BIG EAST is a combined 9-5 in the championship final, including two games which featured BIG EAST teams playing against each other (2009, 2013 – both UConn vs. Louisville). BIG EAST teams have won national championships in 1995, 2000-04, 2009-10 and 2013 for a total of nine crowns.
BIG EAST In The Women’s Final Four
The BIG EAST improved to 15-10 all-time in the national semifinals following No. 2 seed UConn’s win over No. 1 seed Stanford, 63-58, on Friday night in Minneapolis.
BIG EAST In The NCAA Tournament
With a 9-3 record so far in 2022, BIG EAST teams are a combined 254-145 (.637) all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The Conference has guaranteed a winning record for the second straight year and 24th time overall. The nine wins are already the most the BIG EAST has collected since 2013.
Inside UConn-South Carolina
The Huskies and Gamecocks have met 11 times previously, with UConn holding a 9-2 series advantage. The teams met earlier this season on Nov. 22 in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Paige Bueckers led the Huskies with 19 points, but UConn was held to just three fourth-quarter points as South Carolina pulled away late, 73-57. UConn was scheduled to play at South Carolina on Jan. 27 of this season, but the game was canceled so the Gamecocks could reschedule an SEC game.
WNIT Update
Seton Hall’s run in the WNIT came to an end Saturday afternoon in Brookings, S.D., with an 82-50 setback to South Dakota State in the tournament final. The Pirates close the season with 24-13 record which included their first trip to the WNIT final, winning 16 of their final 19 games. Sidney Cooks and Lauren Park-Lane were named to the WNIT All-Tournament Team.
