Madina Okot is officially entering the 2026 WNBA Draft after exhausting her NCAA eligibility, as the South Carolina center caps her college career following the Gamecocks' tournament exit.
On Wednesday, the NCAA rule it would not grant Okot an extra year of eligibility, despite the 6-foot-6 player's request. Okot is now projected to land as a potential first-round WNBA draft pick.
She acknowledged the committee's decision in an Instagram post.
"Forever grateful," Okot wrote.
Assistant coach Khadijah Sessions responded in the posts's comments, writing, "My girl! Going to miss you down."
The Kenya native made an immediate impact in her lone season with the Gamecocks. She provided size and rim protection in the frontcourt, while contributing on both ends of the floor throughout the team's postseason run.
Remarking on Okot's situation, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley lauded her big's development.
"Early in her basketball career, Madina made courageous choices not just to pursue just the sport, but also to better her life," Staley said.
"Her path included just a short time with us in Columbia, but we are grateful to be part of her story. She made our team and our sport better."
Okot's resume adds context to her future in the pros. The Mississippi State transfer led South Carolina with 1.4 blocks per game. She subsequently earned All-SEC Second Team honors after finishing third in the country with 22 double-doubles.
With her NCAA eligibility resolved, Okot now enters the 2026 WNBA Draft pool, where her skills and interior production position her as a player to watch as teams look to add size and sticking power.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and UConn coach Geno Auriemma put their heated Final Four confrontation behind them Tuesday, as both NCAA coaches released statements calling for the women's basketball community to move forward.
"I spoke with Geno, and I want to be clear — I have a great deal of respect for him and what he's meant to this game," Staley wrote. "One moment doesn't define a career, and it doesn't change the impact he's had on growing women's basketball."
Auriemma echoed the sentiment in his second formal apology, acknowledging he "lost" himself during Friday's semifinal.
"This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke," Auriemma wrote. "I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team. I've lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself."
The conflict erupted in the final seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over previously undefeated UConn. Auriemma approached Staley for a postgame handshake before angrily confronting her. The exchange escalated until officials and staff stepped in.
After criticizing the referees during the broadcast, Auriemma initially showed no regret in his postgame news conference. He later released his first apology the following day.
Dawn Staley vs. Geno Auriemma Final Four Rivalry Returns Next Season
The South Carolina-UConn rivalry resumes on November 24th, when the programs meet at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena.
"Coach Auriemma and Coach Staley have not only built championship programs but have also helped elevate women's basketball to new heights," said Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame CEO and President John L. Doleva.
"Having two Hall of Famers leading their teams in this marquee matchup perfectly represents our mission to honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future of basketball."
For the second consecutive year, South Carolina found itself on the losing end of an NCAA final blowout, falling 79-51 to UCLA on Sunday to mark the third-largest margin of victory in women's title game history.
The Gamecocks shot just 29% from the field and became the first team to lose back-to-back championship games by more than 15 points. The 28-point defeat came one year after UConn handed South Carolina a 23-point loss in the 2025 final.
"To get here is hard, to win here is harder, right?" head coach Dawn Staley said postgame. "Obviously we got smacked today. We got to figure out how we smack back."
NCAA Championship Loss Caps Rocky South Carolina Semifinal
The South Carolina loss capped an emotional weekend for Staley. The lauded coach dealt with fallout from Friday's heated exchange with UConn coach Geno Auriemma following the team's semifinal victory. In the incident, Auriemma approached Staley for a postgame handshake, then angrily confronted her face-to-face before staff separated them.
"I'm of integrity," Staley said following the altercation. "If I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did."
Auriemma issued a statement on Saturday, writing that he had no excuse for how he handled the game's end. However, Staley told ESPN she hadn't heard directly from the Hall of Fame coach despite reports he reached out.
"The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don't want my actions to detract from that," Auriemma wrote in his formal apology.
Staley spent much of Sunday's postgame praising UCLA coach Cori Close, who captured her first NCAA title in her 15th season. The two shared a long pregame hug that stood in stark contrast to the Auriemma dust-up.
"I'm always happy for people that worked hard in this game, who are really quality people," Staley said of Close.
Reaching six consecutive Final Fours demonstrates South Carolina's sustained excellence, but Staley and her staff face the challenge of breaking through if they want to claim another NCAA championship title.
UCLA women's basketball dominated South Carolina 79-51 Sunday night to claim its first-ever NCAA championship, capping a 31-game winning streak under coach Cori Close with the program's most important victory.
The Bruins never trailed against the Gamecocks, opening a double-digit lead after the first quarter and building a commanding 36-23 halftime advantage. The 28-point margin of victory ranks as the third-largest in championship game history.
All five UCLA senior starters registered double-digit scoring, led by senior guard Gabriela Jaquez's 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Star center Lauren Betts earned Most Outstanding Player honors with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
"We were determined, the core group, to do something UCLA hadn't done before in the NCAA era," Jaquez said postgame. "We always believed."
The victory punctuates head coach Cori Close's multi-year plan to build a championship program. Close assembled her roster through multiple channels, recruiting rising talents like Jaquez and guard Kiki Rice from high school while adding Betts, Gianna Kneepkens, and Charlisse Leger-Walker via the transfer portal.
"It's immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine," Close said after winning the 2026 NCAA women's championship. "It's beyond my wildest dreams."
UCLA last won a national title in women's basketball in 1978 when the AIAW governed the sport. Ann Meyers Drysdale, who led that championship team, attended Sunday's game as the Bruins made NCAA history.
The Bruins held the Gamecocks to 9-of-35 shooting in the first half while dominating the paint, limiting Joyce Edwards to just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Cori Close became the longest-tenured single-program head coach to capture a first championship in the win. The victory also avenged last year's double-digit semifinal loss while fulfilling the senior class's mission to bring UCLA its first NCAA crown.
An epic rematch takes the court Friday night, as 2025 NCAA title contenders South Carolina and UConn tip off the Final Four in Phoenix. The showdown pits the nation's top two women's basketball programs against each other — with a championship berth on the line.
Riding a perfect 38-0 record, the Huskies face the Gamecocks for the first time since pulling off last year's 82-59 championship win. UConn previously defeated South Carolina during the 2024/25 regular season, though Huskies coach Geno Auriemma knows history means little now.
"This is a different South Carolina team than the one we played last year," Auriemma said. "Our two wins against them last year don't really mean anything going into tomorrow."
UConn sophomore Sarah Strong swept National Player of the Year honors on Thursday, winning both Naismith National Player of the Year and AP National Player of the Year recognition. Strong joins fellow sharpshooters Azzi Fudd and Blanca Quiñonez on a Huskies squad that ranks second nationally in 3-point shooting.
South Carolina counters with elite frontcourt size and athleticism. The 6-foot-6 Madina Okot and 6-foot-3 Joyce Edwards form an interior force capable of overwhelming opponents on the glass. Coach Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to three championships over the last eight seasons, including the legendary 2024 unbeaten squad.
"It's become a rivalry, and everybody wants to see," Staley said of the rematch. "It's two programs battling for supremacy."
While UConn chases its 13th national title as the odds-on favorite, Staley acknowledged her team might need "a bad night" from the Huskies to swing the outcome. Last year's meetings saw UConn's offensive precision slice through South Carolina's defense, with Fudd scoring 28 points in the regular-season matchup and 24 in the title game.
"We're going to treat the game like it's the biggest game we've played all year — and it is," Fudd said. "We respect this team a lot."
How to Watch UConn vs. South Carolina in the 2026 Final Four
South Carolina takes on UConn on Friday, April 3rd at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN.
The winner advances to Sunday's national championship game.
Undefeated defending champion UConn enters the Women's Final Four as the odds-on betting favorite to capture a back-to-back NCAA title, though the Huskies' futures have narrowed in recent weeks.
According to DraftKings, UConn sits at -160 to win the national championship. Texas and South Carolina follow at +550, while UCLA holds the longest Final Four odds at +600. The Huskies stood at -190 in January, and had hovered in the -200 range until recently.
UCLA faces an uphill battle despite cruising through the NCAA tournament as the second-highest overall seed. History appears to influence Vegas's skepticism toward the Bruins, as they next meet fellow No. 1 seed Texas on Friday with the Longhorns favored by 1.5 points.
Texas represents the only team to beat UCLA this season, impacting both the semifinal spread and the Longhorns' improved title odds.
UConn currently holds a 6.5-point edge over South Carolina in the weekend's other Final Four clash. The game marks a rematch of the Huskies' blowout 2025 championship victory over the Gamecocks.
South Carolina has drawn the most championship futures bets at both BetMGM and FanDuel. Meanwhile, UCLA has generated significant handle at BetMGM, making the Bruins the sportsbook's largest remaining liability.
The women's tournament continues showing strong growth in the betting markets. According to ESPN, Circa Sports has reached seven-figure handle across the tournament, with plans to make even more games available to bettors next season.
"We've been very pleased with the action," Circa Sports risk manager Dominick DeBonis told the publication this week.
"[We] are very excited about how the women's side of the game has grown in betting interest and national visibility."
The Final Four tips off in Phoenix on Friday at 7 PM ET, with the national championship game following on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
The top seeds have done it again, as No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Texas cruised through Monday's Elite Eight closers to join UCLA and UConn in booking just the second full-slate Final Four repeat in NCAA women's basketball tournament history.
First, Texas dominated No. 2 Michigan from the jump, ousting the Wolverines 77-41 in a team effort that saw four Longhorns score in the double-digits.
Then in the nightcap, South Carolina flew past No. 3 TCU 78-52 behind a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double from star sophomore forward Joyce Edwards plus 18 points and three steals off the bench from freshman guard Agot Makeer.
The two SEC giants will now gear up to meet fellow No. 1-seeds UConn and UCLA in Phoenix — and while the four teams are the same as in 2025, the Friday matchups look a little different this year.
Last year's Final Four pitted Texas and 2025 runners-up South Carolina against each other in the Final Four, with eventual champion UConn ousting UCLA in the other semifinal.
This weekend, however, will open with a championship game rematch between the Huskies and the Gamecocks before the Bruins square off against the Longhorns — the only team to defeat UCLA all season.
"The feeling of losing was not good last year," said South Carolina junior guard Tessa Johnson. "But this is a whole new year, whole new team."
How to watch the 2026 Final Four
The Final Four tips off with UConn vs. South Carolina at 7 PM ET on Friday, before UCLA takes on Texas at 9:30 PM ET.
Both semifinal games will air live on ESPN.
Monday's Elite Eight closers will see No. 1 teams Texas and South Carolina hunting Final Four spots alongside fellow top seeds UConn and UCLA — with women's basketball history on the line.
Should all No. 1 seeds advance, it will mark just the second back-to-back repeat Final Four in women's NCAA history, after the Bruins, Gamecocks, Huskies, and Longhorns all featured in the 2025 national semifinals.
To do so, Texas will take on No. 2 Michigan to open Monday's slate before South Carolina closes out the Elite Eight round against No. 3 TCU.
The Gamecocks will aim for a sixth straight Final Four ticket and a Friday date with UConn, while the Longhorns will face off against UCLA should they survive the Wolverines.
"We have a lot of room to grow, and I think we're growing at the right time," South Carolina guard Raven Johnson said. "Everybody's clicking. I feel like the ceiling is high for us."
Both SEC titans will face determined backcourts, as the Horned Frogs and Wolverines aim to crash the next weekend's party in Phoenix.
"Anybody can come out and have a night," said Michigan guard Syla Swords. "We're an exciting brand of basketball to watch, and we can beat anybody in the country."
"That's just another bonus," star TCU transfer guard Olivia Miles said after advancing to the Elite Eight. "I truly feel like the people around me have helped me to love basketball again."
How to watch Texas, South Carolina in the Elite Eight
The Elite Eight closes up shop on Monday night, with No. 1 Texas taking on No. 2 Michigan at 7 PM ET before No. 1 South Carolina tips off against No. 3 TCU at 9 PM ET.
Both clashes will air live on ESPN.
Texas lifted its first-ever SEC women's basketball tournament trophy on Sunday, as the No. 4 Longhorns topped No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 to avenge last year's conference championship loss.
Texas laid a strong foundation for the upset victory with a 27-point first quarter, jumping out to an early 14-0 lead behind five forced turnovers plus tournament MVP Madison Booker's hot hand.
"I had some kids that were here on a mission," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said postgame. "I just felt like my group was ready. They have really responded in the last three weeks and are in a different zone right now."
Sunday's win should secure Texas a top-seeded entry into the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament, while the Gamecocks must now await their fate in this weekend's Selection Sunday bracket reveal.
The 17-point loss marks South Carolina's worst tournament loss since 2011, snapping the program's three-year title-winning streak.
"Our team knows we didn't play our best basketball, not nearly what we're capable of doing," said head coach Dawn Staley.
That said, Staley isn't ruling out another NCAA trophy.
"I told them that the last time we lost in this situation, we won the national championship," the Gamecocks sideline leader noted, referencing South Carolina's 2022 NCAA tournament run. "It might be the very thing this team needs."
The SEC is stepping into the spotlight, as the NCAA's deepest women's basketball conference tips off Champ Week with ranked teams featuring in every round of their 2026 tournament.
No. 17 Kentucky enters as the No. 9 seed, while No. 11 seed Alabama fell off the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since Week 9 on Monday.
"Kentucky has done a great job," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said following the top-seeded Gamecocks' narrow 60-56 win over the Wildcats on Sunday. "Take some of what has happened in this league, and what this league is doing, it is hard to measure."
The AP Poll currently features eight SEC teams, as No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 22 Georgia, and No. 24 Ole Miss gear up to enter the SEC tournament in Thursday's second-round action.
As for the Top 4 seeds, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt, and No. 6 LSU will enter the competition in Friday's quarterfinals, as teams battle for a shot at Sunday's SEC championship trophy.
"Thank God we're a tournament team," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin prior to the high-stakes conference competition. "Go ahead, put us where you want. Because were going to be ready to compete when we're full go. This is our storm."
How to watch the 2026 SEC women's basketball tournament
The 2026 SEC tournament will tip off with No. 17 Kentucky battling unranked Arkansas at 11 AM ET on Wednesday.
All first and second round games will air live on the SEC Network.