The 2015 women’s Final Four will feature plenty of star power as all four No. 1 seeds make up the remaining field. Notre Dame and South Carolina advanced to Tampa with wins on Sunday while two-time defending champion UConn and Maryland earned their way in on Monday night.
South Carolina will play Notre Dame in one national semifinal with UConn facing Maryland in the other.
Geno Auriemma’s two-time defending national champion Huskies (36-1) entered the tournament as the heavy favorite after defeating opponents by an average of 42 points per game before the 2015 NCAA tournament. Auriemma is trying to win his 10th national championship, which would tie him with UCLA’s John Wooden for the most all time.
Maryland (34-2) has won 28 consecutive games and went a perfect 18-0 during the Big Ten regular season. The Terrapins lost to fellow Final Four participant Notre Dame, 92-72, on Dec. 3, their final loss before the winning streak began.
Making its fifth consecutive women’s Final Four appearance, the Fighting Irish (35-2) fell to the Huskies when both teams were undefeated entering last season’s national championship game as UConn won, 79-58. The former Big East rivals also played during the 2014-15 regular season with the Huskies also winning that one by 18 in South Bend.
South Carolina (34-2) is making its first Final Four appearance in women’s program history. The Gamecocks also faced UConn this season as South Carolina fell in Storrs by 25 points on Feb. 9. Dawn Staley’s team started the season 22-0 before the loss to the Huskies.