Fifty consecutive wins. A perfect 34-0 record this season. Geno Auriemma’s UCONN is looking less like a contender and more like an inevitability as they chase their 13th national championship. The question now is, who on earth could possibly stop them? 2x WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike seems to have the perfect answer to this question.

According to Ogwumike, only one team currently possesses all four ingredients needed to topple the UConn giant, and that is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Ogwumike’s recipe is specific: experience, a great game plan and coach, the ability to dominate on both ends of the floor, and that dog factor. By her assessment, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina checks every single box. And when you look at what the Gamecocks have assembled this season, it is genuinely difficult to argue otherwise.

South Carolina enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 record, a 10th SEC regular-season title, and a No. 1 seed for the sixth consecutive season. And the roster Staley has put together this season is precisely what Chiney Ogwumike had in mind when she talked about the dog factor. Joyce Edwards has taken a leap that Ogwumike specifically called out, going from 12 points per game last season to nearly 20 this season. There is also Ta’Niya Latson, the transfer from Florida State, who led the entire nation in scoring last season.

In what Ogwumike described as a “tag team,” she is now alongside her childhood best friend, Raven Johnson, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. That combo can give the Gamecocks that end-to-end domination that Ogwumike talked about. And with players like Tessa Johnson, one of the most reliable shooters in tournament basketball, and Madina Okot averaging a double-double from the center position, the Gamecocks are not just built to compete; they are built to win. As Ogwumike put it, looking at those key factors, “It looks like Louis Vuitton Dawn and her company are honestly built to compete with the best of the best.”

And make no mistake, the best of the best is exactly what South Carolina will be facing if these two programs meet. Geno Auriemma‘s UConn is not just good this season. They are historically good. The Huskies enter the tournament with the top scoring defense in the entire country, allowing just 50.4 points per game.

They are also ranking second nationally in scoring offense at 88.8 points per game. Sarah Strong, the team’s offensive centerpiece, is averaging 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Fifth-year guard Azzi Fudd, finally healthy, is averaging 17.7 points and providing the veteran leadership that has steadied this group all season. 

Also, they won the Big East regular-season title for the 25th time. They have also not lost a single game all year. If they win the 2026 national championship, it will be their second consecutive title and their first back-to-back since their historic four-year streak from 2013 to 2016. So, by all accounts, Chiney Ogwumike is right. This Geno team is the best of the best. 

And maybe she’s also right that South Carolina has the recipe to pull off the upset. But then, the dish they are trying to cook has never been harder to prepare.

When Could Geno Auriemma’s UConn and South Carolina Meet in the 2026 NCAA Tournament?

UConn and South Carolina cannot meet until the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The two teams are placed in separate regions. UConn takes No. 1 seed in the Fort Worth Regional. And South Carolina takes the No. 1 seed in the Sacramento Regional.

UConn’s road begins at home in Storrs, Connecticut, where they open against No. 16 seed UTSA on March 21st. Win that, and they face either the No. 8 seed Iowa State or the 9-seed Syracuse in the second round. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Fort Worth present the sternest tests. There’s a potential matchup against the No. 2-seed Vanderbilt, which is led by former UConn player and coach Shea Ralph. On paper, it is a navigable path for a team that has not lost a game all season. But in March, paper means very little.

For South Carolina, they begin their path against the winner of a First Four matchup between Southern and Samford. From there, their potential second-round opponent could be No. 8-seed Clemson or No. 9-seed Iowa. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight also present more significant challenges. They might face No. 2-seed Iowa, a frequent postseason rival. They’ll also likely face No. 4 Oklahoma, which is the only team besides Texas to beat them this season. These two loom as genuine threats in the Sacramento Regional.

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If both teams navigate their respective paths, the collision Chiney Ogwumike is predicting becomes reality in Phoenix. And it would be a rematch with serious unfinished business. UConn defeated South Carolina 87-58 during the 2025 regular season and then beat them again 82-59 in the National Championship. The Gamecocks have two very specific scores they would love to settle. And the Final Four, if they both get there, is where that conversation happens.