Connecticut is back in the Final Four.

The No. 3 seed Huskies, one of the most dominant teams in all of sports history, missed last season’s national semifinal for the first time in 15 years, but found redemption when they beat Southern California, 80-73, for another chance at a title.

The program is led by junior guard Paige Bueckers, who has seven straight games with at least 20 points. It is a redemption year for her, too, after she missed last season with a torn ACL.

Head coach Geno Auriemma is in his 39th season at the helm of the Huskies. He’s worked with basketball icons Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Rebecca Lobo and Breanna Stewart to put UConn on the map of historic programs.

The Huskies will face Caitlin Clark and top-seeded Iowa in the Final Four in Cleveland for their chance to play for another national championship.

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Here is UConn’s Final Four history:

How many times has UConn been to the Final Four?

Connecticut has been to the Final Four 23 times, all under head coach Geno Auriemma. This is the record for most Final Four appearances of any team in Division I college basketball − men’s or women’s.

The Huskies’ first trip to the Final Four was in 1991 when they lost in the semifinal to Virginia, 61-55. They’ve since gone back to the Final Four in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024. The tournament was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their streak of 14 straight Final Four appearances from 2008 to 2022 was broken when Ohio State beat UConn, 73-61, in the Sweet 16 last season.

How many national championships has UConn won?

The Huskies have won 11 national championships, tied with the UCLA men’s team for the most of any program in Division I college basketball, and all under head coach Geno Auriemma. Connecticut won the title in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Six of those seasons (1995, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2016) were undefeated.

”What those 11 championships mean to me is how many great players I’ve had the opportunity to coach,” Auriemma said after winning the 2016 title. ”How many great people have come through the program. It doesn’t matter whose name is above, or whose name I’m under. As long as I have those players in my memory, I’m good.”

How many national championships has UConn been to?

Connecticut has been to the national championship 12 times. The Huskies have won the title all but once, in 2022 when they lost to South Carolina, 64-49.

There is a possibility of a rematch of that game this year if the Huskies and Gamecocks each win their Final Four semifinal.

UConn 1995 national championship team

Connecticut captured its first title in 1995, beating Tennessee, 70-64, under head coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies’ 35-0 finish was their first of six undefeated seasons. The team was led by Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, who averaged 17.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She went on to be an All-Star in the WNBA and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA a year later. Point guard Jennifer Rizzotti tallied 12.5 points and 4.6 assists per outing that season and, after winning the championship, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline, ‘Perfect!’

UConn 2000 national championship team

Connecticut won its second national championship in 2000, defeating Tennessee again, this time with a decisive score of 71-52 to get revenge for their lone loss of the season. Tamika Catchings and the Volunteers previously defeated the Huskies in the regular season as they finished 36-1. Junior guard Shea Ralph was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four and won the Honda Award, which was given to the top athlete in women’s college basketball. After finishing her college career with 1,678 points, 456 assists and 252 steals, she later returned to the program as an assistant coach. A player named Sue Bird was also starting to spread her wings.

UConn 2002 national championship team

After being knocked out of the 2001 Final Four by Notre Dame, Geno Auriemma stormed right back to the Big Dance and kicked off a three-peat championship run. The first year of the streak, 2002, the Huskies beat Oklahoma, 82-70, to win their third title with a 39-0 finish. Swin Cash was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player after putting up 20 points and 13 rebounds in the finale. Sue Bird was the national player of the year after averaging 14.4 points per game and 5.9 assists. She was then the No. 1 overall pick by the Seattle Storm and went on to win four WNBA championships.

UConn 2003 national championship team

The second of the Huskies’ three straight championships came in 2003 when they beat Tennessee for a third time in the title game, this year’s score was 73-68. With Sue Bird gone, Diana Taurasi took the reins and, in her junior season, she averaged a career-best 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Connecticut finished 37-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of Villanova in the Big East tournament championship game. The defeat snapped a 70-game win streak.

UConn 2004 national championship team

The last of the Huskies’ three consecutive national titles was Diana Taurasi’s third and last in 2004. Connecticut beat Tennessee a fourth time in the championship game, this time 70-61. Taurasi won back-to-back most outstanding player in the tournament and national player of the year awards − a first in program history. She also was the first Huskies player to notch 2,000 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds in her time with the school. Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury where she won three WNBA championships. She’s also the owner of five Olympic gold medals.

UConn 2009 national championship team

Connecticut’s 2009 national championship team was among their most dominant. The won each of their 39 games by double digits and finished another season undefeated. They returned to the national championship game and beat Louisville 76-54 after being knocked out of the Final Four the year prior. Junior Tina Charles was the star of the season and had 25 points and 19 rebounds in the title game. She was named the Final Four most outstanding player. Sophomore Maya Moore added 18 points and nine rebounds in the final matchup and became the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 points when she did so in 55 games.

UConn 2010 national championship team

The Huskies won back-to-back titles yet again when they captured the 2010 championship. And it was another 39-0 undefeated season. Connecticut beat Stanford 53-47 for their seventh crown. Maya Moore had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the game. A most outstanding player title capped off her junior season where she averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per outing. Moore would reach the Final Four again the next year, but fall short of a third national championship, before being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She won four WNBA championships before leaving basketball to pursue social justice.

UConn 2013 national championship team

After two years falling short in the Final Four, Connecticut won its eighth national championship in 2013. They beat Louisville, 93-60, for the first of a four-peat title run, the Huskies’ longest in program history. Freshman Breanna Stewart started her reign by scoring 23 points, grabbing nine rebounds and notching three blocks in the game and earned the Final Four most outstanding player award. She tallied 497 points and 74 blocks to put her fourth and third in program history among freshmen. Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led the Huskies with 17.6 points per game and electrified the nation with 118 three-point buckets to help the team finish the season 35-4.

UConn 2014 national championship team

The Huskies served up another repeat championship in 2014 by beating Notre Dame, 79-58, in 2014 to finish a perfect 40-0. Breanna Stewart concluded her sophomore season with another most outstanding player nod with 21 points and nine rebounds in the title game after leading the team with 19.4 points and 2.8 blocks per game. Stefanie Dolson added 17 points and 16 boards in the finale. Junior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis suffered an elbow injury early in the season, but came back to record Connecticut’s third triple-double − and the program’s first in NCAA tournament play − when she notched 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Huskies’ second-round victory over St. Joseph’s.

UConn 2015 national championship team

The third of the Huskies’ four straight championships came in 2015 with a 63-53 win over Notre Dame in a rematch of last year’s title game. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 15 points in her senior finale and ended her college career as the all-time three-point shooter in women’s college basketball history with 398 to her name. (Caitlin Clark now holds the record). Mosqueda-Lewis was the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA draft to the Seattle Storm. Her future professional teammate, sophomore Breanna Stewart, added eight points and 15 rebounds in the title game for a third straight most outstanding player title. She led the team with 17.6 points and 7.8 rebounds during the season and the Huskies finished 38-1. Their lone loss came early in the season to Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford in an overtime game.

UConn 2016 national championship team

Connecticut’s four-peat dynasty ended with the 2016 national championship when they defeated Syracuse, 82-51. Their utterly commanding reign concluded with their last perfect season, a 38-0 record. The victory gave the school 75 straight wins, all by double digits. Breanna Stewart concluded her historic career as a member of the Huskies with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the title game. She was the only player in college basketball history to be named the Final Four most outstanding player four times. She led the team with 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. Her 2,676 career points were second in Connecticut history. Stewart was the No. 1 overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the 2016 WNBA draft. She won two championships, was named league MVP twice and was the first woman to have a signature shoe in more than a decade.

The lone missing gem in Caitlin Clark’s infinity gauntlet is a national championship.

The Iowa phenom has broken the all-time Division I basketball scoring record, captured three Big 10 championships and won back-to-back Naismith National Player of the Year awards given to the best college basketball player in the country.

She has a chance to complete her college career on top of the mountain when the No. 1 Hawkeyes take on the No. 3 Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four semifinal in Cleveland.

Head coach Lisa Bluder, an Iowa native, is in her 24th season at the helm of the program. She became the winningest coach Hawkeyes women’s basketball history when she passed Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer in 2014.

Before Clark captivated the nation’s attention, Iowa had moments of greatness with Stringer at the helm and with players like Samantha Logic, Megan Gustafson, Michelle Edwards and Toni Foster.

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Here is Iowa’s Final Four history:

How many times has Iowa been to the Final Four?

This is the third time the Iowa Hawkeyes will be in the Final Four. They are returning to the national semifinal where they beat South Carolina, 77-73, last year to advance to the championship game. They then lost the title game to LSU.

The Hawkeyes’ first Final Four appearance was in 1993 when C. Vivian Stringer was the coach. The Hawkeyes lost to Ohio State, 73-72, in overtime in the national semifinal. Stringer was the first coach in college basketball history to take three different schools to the Final Four when she did so with Cheyney State in 1982, Iowa in 1993, and Rutgers in 2000 and 2007.

How many national championships has Iowa won?

The Hawkeyes have yet to win a national championship in women’s college basketball, so they have zero titles.

How many national championships has Iowa been to?

Iowa has been to one national championship game. With Caitlin Clark dominating the entire season, they faced LSU in last year’s title game and lost, 102-85.

If the Hawkeyes defeat No. 3 UConn in this year’s Final Four, they will make a second consecutive national championship game appearance.

South Carolina’s season might have ended early last year, but they are back in the Final Four hungry for redemption. They defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 70-58, on Sunday to keep their national championship hopes alive.

This year’s undefeated South Carolina squad features an all-new starting five that has dominated just the same as Gamecocks teams before them.

Head coach Dawn Staley continues to lead the team. She has winning experience as a coach and as a player herself. She went to the Final Four three times when she played for Virginia and has three Olympic gold medals as a member of Team USA.

Staley brought her winning ways to South Carolina when she signed with the program in 2008 and has made them a consistent national championship contender.

The top-seeded Gamecocks play No. 3 North Carolina State on Friday at the Final Four in Cleveland for a chance to return to the national championship game.

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Here is South Carolina’s Final Four history:

How many times has South Carolina been to the Final Four?

This is South Carolina’s sixth trip to the Final Four, all under Dawn Staley’s leadership.

They made their first appearance in program history in 2015 when they lost to Notre Dame by one point with a 66-65 score in the national semifinal. The Gamecocks made it to the Final Four in 2017 for their first title, beating Mississippi State, 67-55.

They returned to the Final Four in 2021 when they fell to Stanford in another close game, 66-65. That was the first of four straight national semifinal appearances. They also made it in 2022 − when they won their second championship by beating Connecticut, 64-49 − 2023, and this year, 2024.

How many national championships has South Carolina won?

South Carolina has won the national championship twice. The Gamecocks won their first title in 2017, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 67-55. They then captured their second national championship in 2022 by topping the Connecticut Huskies, 64-49.

How many national championships has South Carolina been to?

South Carolina has appeared in two national championship games: 2017 against Mississippi State and 2022 against Connecticut. They won both titles.

South Carolina 2017 national championship team

Top-seeded South Carolina won its first national championship in 2017, beating the No. 2 Mississippi State Bulldogs, 67-55, to sweep their SEC rival. A’ja Wilson had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the game. It was her second of three consecutive years being named the SEC player of the year with 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. The Gamecocks finished the 2017 season 33-4 behind Wilson and Alaina Coates adding 12.9 points and 10.7 boards per outing. A year later, Wilson was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft and has since led the Las Vegas Aces to back-to-back titles.

South Carolina 2022 national championship team

South Carolina was a No. 1 seed again when they toppled the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies, 64-49, in 2022 for their second national championship with head coach Dawn Staley. This squad, which finished 35-2, had a completely different roster from the team that won the 2017 title. Destanni Henderson had 26 points and Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds in the final game. Boston averaged 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks that season and won the SEC player of the year and defensive player of the year. A year later, she was the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft.

If South Carolina and Connecticut each win their Final Four semifinal matchups, the national championship will be a rematch of the 2022 title game.

Cinderella teams are more hard to come by in the women’s NCAA Tournament, but the glass slipper fits for the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

The No. 3 seeded team toppled No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas en route to only its second Final Four appearance in program history.

Junior guard Aziaha James leads the team with 16.7 points and adds 4.6 rebounds per game. She has come alive in the tournament, scoring 29 points to oust Stanford and then notching 27 points and tallying six rebounds to advance past Texas.

Head coach Wes Moore has the lofty job of returning NC State to glory. Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow took the Wolfpack to their lone previous Final Four appearance in 1998. The team went to the Sweet 16 or better 11 times under her leadership.

The Wolfpack will face undefeated and top-seeded South Carolina in their Final Four semifinal in Cleveland.

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Here is North Carolina State’s Final Four history:

How many times has NC State been to the Final Four?

This year is NC State’s second trip to the Final Four.

The Wolfpack previously made the national semifinal in 1998 under Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow. They lost to Louisiana Tech, 84-65.

How many national championships has NC State won?

North Carolina State has not won a national championship in women’s college basketball.

How many national championships has NC State been to?

The Wolfpack has never been to the women’s college basketball national championship. If they topple No. 1 South Carolina on Friday, it will be their first appearance in the title matchup.

Who is Kay Yow?

Kay Yow is a Hall of Fame basketball coach who was at the helm of the NC State Wolfpack for more than three decades. She joined the team in 1976 before the NCAA sanctioned women’s basketball. Once the sport was brought into the fold for the 1981-82 season, the Wolfpack were regularly in the NCAA Tournament. She led the Wolfpack to 11 Sweet 16 appearances, including their first Final Four in 1998. That season, she won her 500th game, making her only the third coach in women’s basketball history to do so. She set the foundation for the team that has been to the ACC championship game 17 teams and won seven tournament titles.

Yow died of breast cancer in 2009 at the age of 66. The basketball world carries on her legacy through the Play4Kay initiative, which raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

The stage is set for the National Invitation Tournament final.

More commonly known as the NIT, the tournament will culminate when Indiana State takes on Seton Hall in the championship game Thursday night in the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, which is the home arena of the Butler Bulldogs.

The NIT has been in operation since 1938, which was actually one year before the inaugural NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The NIT final has been played every year since, with the exception of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means the winner of this year’s final will be the 83rd champion in NIT history, because three titles (Michigan, 1997; Minnesota, 1998; St. John’s 2003) were vacated.

Here’s what to know about the NIT championship game scheduled for Thursday.

How to watch and stream NIT championship game

The NIT championship game between Indiana State and Seton Hall will be televised on ESPN, while streaming options are available on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN app. Tipoff is scheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.

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How did Indiana State get to the NIT championship?

The Sycamores (32-6) were the regular season champions of the Missouri Valley Conference, but they missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth after losing to Drake in the conference finals. They claimed a top seed for the NIT before rolling off four wins against SMU (101-92), Minnesota (76-64), Cincinnati (85-81) and Utah (100-90). Sophomore center Robbie Avila drew national attention with his strong low-post skills and dark eye goggles that gave helped him earn the nickname ‘Cream Abdul-Jabbar.’ Avila leads Indiana State in scoring (17.5) and blocks (0.7), and is second on the team in rebounds (6.6) and assists (4.0). Junior guard Jayson Kent is second on the team in points per game (13.5) and leads the Sycamores in rebounding (8.1).

How did Seton Hall get to the NIT championship

The Pirates (24-12) placed fourth in the Big East during the regular season. Like Indiana State, Seton Hall captured one of the top seeds for the NIT. It went on to beat Saint Joseph’s (75-72), North Texas (72-58), UNLV (91-68) and Georgia (84-67) to earn its first bid to the NIT championship game since 1953 when it won the title. Senior guards Kadary Richmond (15.6 points), Dre Davis (14.9 points) and Al-Amir Dawes (14.7 points) lead the Pirates’ charge on offense. Richmond also ranks first on the team in assists (5.1) and steals (2.2), and is second on the team in rebounds (6.8).

Who declined an invite to the 2024 NIT?

After being snubbed by the NCAA selection committee for the Big Dance, a handful of teams followed North Carolina’s example from last season and declined an invitation to the NIT.

The schools that have declined to play in the NIT: Indiana, Memphis, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, St. John’s and Washington.