And then there were four.

South Carolina, Louisville, Stanford and UConn are each just two wins away from becoming national champions. Getting here wasn’t easy, and finishing the job will be even more challenging.

Each team has had its own highs and lows this season. As we prepare for the three biggest games of the year, let’s reflect on those moments and explore what each squad has to do to come out on top in the Final Four.

South Carolina

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 65-61 over No. 2 Stanford on Dec. 21

South Carolina played a tough schedule this season featuring 11 ranked opponents, but this win cemented the Gamecocks as an NCAA Tournament favorite. South Carolina had already topped No. 2 UConn, so to follow it up a month later with a win over the defending champion proved the hype around the team was real.

What’s more, the Gamecocks did it without playing particularly well, and managing to win when everything is going wrong is the mark of a great team. The Gamecocks shot just 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line. While one of South Carolina’s big three, Zia Cooke, finished with just four points, Aliyah Boston had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Henderson finished with 17 points. Meanwhile, Victaria Saxton added seven points and 10 boards, making the type of quiet impact she carried into the rest of the season.

Biggest challenge: Staying consistent

The Gamecocks managed to stay ranked first in the AP Poll for the entire season. Despite two losses, the first to Missouri in the regular season and the second to Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship, the voters felt comfortable keeping South Carolina atop the poll because of the team’s overall body of work. It doesn’t hurt that the Gamecocks beat just about every team that could have competed for the No. 1 spot.

Their ranked wins came against No. 5 NC State, No. 9 Oregon, No. 2 UConn, No. 8 Maryland, No. 15 Duke, No. 2 Stanford, No. 13 LSU, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 17 Georgia and No. 12 Tennessee. And when it came to those two upsets, the Gamecocks regrouped and responded with double-digit wins each time.

Key to victory: Show up on both ends of the floor

The only weakness South Carolina has shown this season has been the occasional game in which the offense doesn’t perform. In their early-season win over Stanford, the Gamecocks showed their ability to persevere in difficult circumstances, but it’s also the kind of thing that’s much easier to get away with in the regular season than in the postseason. The Gamecocks struggled offensively against Miami in the second round, as well. It was nothing to worry about then, as the Gamecocks were able to overwhelm the Hurricanes with their defense and overall talent. But against the remaining three teams, including Final Four opponent Louisville, the talent level is too high to get away with playing on just one end of the floor.

Louisville

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 18 Notre Dame 73-47 on Feb. 13

This win is even more impressive considering the NCAA Tournament run the Fighting Irish put together. As a standalone contest, it was also the most complete game Louisville put together this season.

On defense, the Cardinals held Notre Dame to 32 percent shooting from the field and 9 percent from the 3-point line, while also forcing 16 turnovers. They also had nine players score on offense. Kianna Smith led the team with 17 points, Hailey Van Lith had 16 and Chelsie Hall added 13. Emily Engstler also had a near double-double with 12 rebounds, nine points and five assists. Louisville had been consistently good all season long, but this game showed they had national title-winning potential.

Biggest challenge: Inexperience

At the start of the season, Van Lith and Olivia Cochran had to adjust to larger roles as sophomores, and Engstler had to adjust to Louisville after transferring from Syracuse. Their inexperience showed down the stretch of their season-opening loss to Arizona. That game seemed far, far away as the Cardinals entered the postseason as one of the most consistent teams in the country. That trend continued in the tournament and earned them a spot in the Final Four.

Key to victory: Defense

When Louisville is at its best, the team is flying around, forcing turnovers and creating havoc. It’s what the Cardinals did to Michigan in the Elite Eight, forcing 22 turnovers, which became 24 points on the other end. They also feed off defensive energy, so when Engstler gets a deflection or Van Lith dives for a loose ball, the entire team suddenly taps into another gear. It’s infectious and dangerous for opponents. If the Cardinals can take advantage of South Carolina’s miscues, often enough to keep the Gamecocks out of sync, they have as good a chance as anyone to advance to – and even win – the national championship.

Stanford

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 7 Tennessee on Dec. 18

When the Cardinal went on the road and topped the Vols, Tennessee was one of the hottest teams in the country. The Vols were 9-0 going into the game, and won nine more after the defeat. The Cardinal had been inconsistent leading up to the game, suffering upset losses to Texas and South Florida.

Stanford led by 17 points at the half before Tennessee cut the advantage to three points. The Cardinal were able to regain control, something that hadn’t happened in their previous two losses. They also started to look more like the defending national championship team we expected heading into the season.

Biggest challenge: Replacing Kiana Williams

Most basketball experts didn’t see this coming, but the departure of Kiana Williams proved to be a major obstacle for Stanford early in the season. The Cardinal struggled to take care of the ball — they recorded multiple 20-turnover games in the first few weeks — before finally finding a guard combination that worked. Lacie Hull has become a steadying force with the ball in her hands, splitting time with Anna Wilson at point. Together, the two run Stanford’s offense efficiently and effectively. The Cardinal are on a 24-game win streak, with their last loss coming on Dec. 21 against South Carolina.

Key to victory: Cameron Brink stays on the floor

Brink is one of the most impactful players in college basketball. She brings energy, a terrifying presence for opponents in the paint and high-level offensive skills. When the Cardinal played Texas for a spot in the Final Four, her importance to Stanford was obvious. With her on the bench for much of the first half, Texas was able to stay with Stanford, trailing by just three points at halftime. And in the third quarter, the Longhorns could have gained the lead and pulled away if it hadn’t been for Brink, who scored 10 of the Cardinal’s 13 points in the quarter. The only non-Brink points came with one second left when Haley Jones was fouled on a 3-pointer. The Cardinal went into the fourth quarter up by five, but without the sophomore, they would have trailed by seven.

Against UConn in the Final Four, and then potentially South Carolina or Louisville in the championship game, Stanford can’t afford to have Brink on the bench. She will need to stay out of foul trouble to give her team its best shot at the repeat.

UConn

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 70-40 over Villanova on March 7

It’s crazy to think that this season has been considered a challenge for UConn. A five-loss campaign is a great season for most teams, but UConn is held to a higher standard — for obvious reasons. That’s why, in part, the Feb. 9 loss to Villanova at home was such a big deal. The Huskies hadn’t lost a conference game since 2013. In a season where UConn hadn’t looked like the team we are used to, the loss had people asking: “Should we be worried about the Huskies?” And when the Huskies picked up a 70-40 revenge win over Villanova for the Big East tournament title a month later, they proved that no matter what had happened throughout the year, they were still a contender.

Biggest challenge: Injuries

It seems like every player on UConn’s roster has been injured at one point this season, causing disjointed play throughout the year. UConn even looked out of sync in its second-round win over UCF. The Huskies looked like a team that hadn’t spent much time on the court together because, well, they hadn’t.

The biggest hurdle for UConn to overcome was the knee injury Paige Bueckers sustained against Notre Dame on Dec. 5. She missed 19 games before returning for postseason play, and it took a long time for the Huskies to adjust. After scoring 27 points in her team’s overtime win over NC State in the Elite Eight, the sophomore star also looks like her old self once again and the team is peaking at the right time.

Key to victory: Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa

It’s easy for players like Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to steal the spotlight, but Edwards and Nelson-Ododa need to continue to perform at a high level if the Huskies want to add another national title to their long list. When they control the paint, it’s challenging for opponents to establish anything inside, both offensively and defensively. Against NC State they combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, all while policing the paint and challenging the NC State guards who attempted to drive.

The Huskies take on Stanford in the semifinals, and to slow down Brink and the Cardinal attack as a whole, Edwards and Nelson-Ododa will have to be locked in.

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The LPGA is hitting the green in teams on Wednesday night, as some of the top golfers on Tour link up to represent their countries at the 2025 International Crown in South Korea.

This fifth edition of the match-play tournament will see seven teams from the USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Sweden, and China, as well as a mixed World Team taking on the reigning champion squad out of Thailand this week.

Comprised of the four top-ranked LPGA players from each nation, countries earn a team spot in the biennial International Crown based on the combined rankings of their best quartet of golfers — with those overall aggregates also determining tournament seeding.

The US topped all teams to snag this year's No. 1 seed, though the squad suffered a significant availability blow earlier this month when world No. 2 Nelly Korda withdrew from the 2025 International Crown due to injury.

No. 28 Yealimi Noh will compete in Korda's place, with the 24-year-old joining No. 10 Angel Yin, No. 16 Lauren Coughlin, and No. 33 Lilia Vu on Team USA.

Led by another 24-year-old, LPGA Tour debutant No. 6 Miyu Yamashita, No. 2 seed Japan appears to be the team to beat, with the World Team's fourth-ranked Lydia Ko (New Zeland) and fifth-ranked Charley Hull (England) upping the stakes for the No. 7 seed squad.

How to watch the 2025 International Crown

The four-day 2025 International Crown will tee off at 10 PM ET on Wednesday night, with live coverage of each day of competition airing on the Golf Channel.

With the first-ever eight-team PWHL season fast approaching next month, the pro women’s hockey league unveiled the inaugural jerseys for incoming 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle and Vancouver on Tuesday.

The new teams will wear jerseys displaying their city names across the front, following suit after the six founding PWHL franchises debuted without original names or branding during their inaugural 2023/24 campaign.

Per this week's press release, Seattle's colors are "deep slate green and cream with a river blue accent," while Vancouver will sport "pacific blue and cream with an earthy bronze accent."

In addition to "allowing fans to immediately identify with their hometown's newest professional team," PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer explained in a Tuesday statement that "These designs also connect our expansion teams to the league's foundation while they continue building their own traditions and ties to the community."

While the PWHL will reveal the full team identities — complete with names and logos — before the puck drops on the 2025/26 season on November 21st, Seattle and Vancouver will play in their generic branding until next season.

How to purchase PWHL Seattle and Vancouver jerseys

The dark-colored replica home jerseys for both Seattle and Vancouver are currently available for purchase alongside all PWHL merch at the league's online shop.

Women's professional baseball will soon be a reality, with the incoming WPBL announcing its four inaugural teams on Tuesday ahead of the league's November draft.

Kicking off with a coast-to-coast imprint, major sports hubs Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will house the founding WPBL teams, with the quartet of cities tapped "because of their fan support, market size, media presence, and rich baseball histories."

"We are so excited to finally announce the WPBL's first four teams," WPBL co-founder Justine Siegal said in the league's Tuesday press release. "Each of these cities are storied sports cities and we can't wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country."

Originally developed as a six-team venture, the 2026 debut of the WPBL will mark the first pro women's league in the US since the legendary World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954.

Each of the four inaugural team will feature 15 players, with next month's WPBL draft drawing from the top 100 players coming out of August's open tryouts.

The league's first competitive cycle will include a regular season, a postseason, and an all-star competition held at a neutral venue.

Adam Silver is back in the headlines, with the NBA commissioner speaking out on the increasingly fraught WNBA CBA negotiations on Tuesday — and pushing for controlled salary increases rather than the revenue sharing model that players overwhelmingly want.

"I think [revenue] share isn't the right way to look at it because there's so much more revenue in the NBA," Silver told the Today Show. "I think you should look at absolute numbers. In terms of what they are making, they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it."

In response, the WNBPA posted a clip of Silver's interview to Instagram Stories, captioning it with "Don't want to share, @adamsilvernba?"

Tuesday's back-and-forth emphasizes a significant wedge issue within the CBA talks, as WNBA players argue for a salary cap determined by the total revenue generated from all basketball-related activities like ticket sales, media deals, sponsorships, and merchandise — the same model currently used in the NBA.

The WNBA — like Silver — wants salary cap growth to continue on a fixed scale, raising player salaries in the upcoming CBA while controlling revenue distribution at the stakeholder level.

"I think we all agree we're trying to return every dollar we possibly can to the players, but we also want to incentivize investment from owners," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said when addressing the issue earlier this month.

With less than 10 days remaining before the CBA's October 31st deadline, differences continue to outweigh common ground en route to an unlikely deal.