The NCAA women's basketball tournament will reach the final four teams. The best players fight for their chances of becoming the first champion of the Clark era after Caitlin.
Last year's women's championship game made history by attracting more viewers than men's title games for the first time ever. Now, without Clark, this year's championship contenders are doing the tallest job of trying to maintain the spotlight in women's matches.
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UConn faces UCLA and Texas will face South Carolina in the round.
Here's a breakdown of players who want to fight for that spotlight in the final two rounds:
UConn and Paige Bueckers
UCONN Guard Page Bookers #5 will run through the Gumpel Pavilion Student Section after a match against South Dakota in the second round of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament in Storps, Connecticut on Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
UConn superstar Page Bueker has made Clark's position the biggest star in women's college basketball this year.
Bueckers have the chance to do things Clark has never done before. Win the national championship. The 23-year-old Minnesota native will certainly rely on faith in God as he tries to achieve that goal.
The Bueckers were one of the sport's most outspoken players when it came to praise the Christian faith while recovering from the torn ACL in August 2022.
“Yeah, I think people are more outward in their faith and are more comfortable talking about it,” Bookers told Fox News Digital at a February 19 press conference.
“The more you see it, the more it's a population and everyone feels comfortable coming with it,” she added. “But yeah, I think I'm definitely growing in terms of being honest about it.”
If Bueckers' faith pays off at Madness Run this March and she leads UConn to the championship, she will make her mark on the most decorated history of women's college basketball.
UConn already has 11 national championships dating back to 1995, and is considered to be the most prominent and dominant dynasty in the sport. Therefore, before she graduates, she puts pressure on Beauker to maintain that standard at least once. UConn last won the title in 2016, and the program's current championship drought is the longest since winning its first title 30 years ago.
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The Bueckers then aim to challenge professional Clark as they are projected to become the No. 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft.
Texas and Madison Booker

Madison Booker, #35 of the Texas Longhorns, will respond to a TCU horn frog in the second half in the elite eighth round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 31, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Longhorns are led by Star Madison Booker, who already has experience in high stakes competitions, especially while representing her country.
Mississippi natives have already won three gold medals at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Youth Tournament. Booker helped the US win gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Under 16 Women's American Championships in Mexico.
The following year, at the 2022 FIBA Under 17 Women's World Cup in Hungary, she averaged 5.6 points, 4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on her way to the gold medal.
The following year, at Spain's 2023 FIBA Under 19 Women's World Cup, she averaged 7.2 points and five rebounds per game for the US third gold
This year, Booker is considered one of the best players in women's basketball, earning SEC Player of the Year and AP First Team National Honor. She didn't even turn 20 until the tournament was over, so she did it all at 19.
Unlike UConn and Bueckers, Booker and Texas are looking for a very rare feat in history.
Texas won the National Championship only once in 1986. The program has been a perennial marching frenzy competitor throughout its history, reaching the Elite Eight in the last four years, but lost every time.
Now, the Longhorns are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2003. Booker is hoping to direct her country's success in gold medals to the success of the national championship representing the Great State of Texas.
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Defending Champion South Carolina

Then President Joe Biden will walk alongside Dawn Staley, coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team, hosting an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024, welcoming the University of South Carolina Gamecox women's basketball team and celebrating the 2023-2024 NCAA player-based season. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley wants to remind everyone who plays basketball at women's college.
Staley has repeatedly sought a title after beating Clark in the National Championship Game last season. The team has been in the Final Four for the fifth consecutive year. It has also been proven to overcome the shortage of one superstar player, such as Bueckers and Booker, but it can also overcome distractions.
Last season, Staley led the team to the title despite spurring controversy when speaking in support of women's basketball trans athletes.
During a press conference, Outkick's Dan Zaksheske asked Staley about his thoughts on the burning issue.
“Yes, yes. So, the Bernstormer people flood my timeline and distract me on one of the biggest days of our game. I'm fine with that. I'm really,” she said. “I have an opinion. If you're a woman, you should play. If you think you consider yourself a woman and want to play sports, and vice versa, you should be able to play. That's my opinion.”
But like Bueckers, Staley had no problems sharing her faith either. I thanked God after winning last year's title.
“We serve an incredible God,” Staley said after the match.
“This is the most unlikely group to do it. And sometimes God is so funny. He is funny. He tears your heart apart and makes you believe.
This year's team will rely on groups with a deep lineup of up-and-coming stars such as Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and Milasia Fullylee, rather than a common-named superstar.
Quiet Juggernaut UCLA

UCLA Bruins players will celebrate their 72-65 victory over the LSU Lady Tigers in the elite eight round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, held at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington on March 30, 2025. (Getty Images via Tyler Schank/NCAA photos)
UCLA finished the regular season as a team ranked number one in the nation after a dominant 34-2 campaign.
For schools that have been historically defined by the success of men's basketball, the women's programs have not had a better chance of acquiring their place in the sun than they have this year. UCLA has never won the Women's National Championship, and this will mark its first appearance in the Final Four.
Coach Kori Close has quietly and patiently built the women's basketball juggernaut since taking over the program in 2011.
UCLA had not played in the area since he hired her in 1999. By her fifth season, UCLA returned to Sweet 16, with the Bruins missing only two regions ever since. This is the most successful execution the program has experienced during its NCAA era.
Now, her 2022 recruiting class fruits are realised. Stars Kiki Rice, Rondin Jones and Gabriella Jaquez are heading out through history.
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