PHOENIX — If you peel away the animosity and grumbling and the end-of-game spat, you are left with this undeniable truth: The UConn–South Carolina Final Four game went exactly as both coaches knew it might go. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks turned Geno Auriemma’s Huskies into the worst version of themselves, a stagnant jump-shooting team. From the first quarter, South Carolina looked like it could make a run or two, and UConn rarely did.
The better team won. The final score was 62–48, and the game was closer than that. But if this were boxing, South Carolina would have won by unanimous decision.
