TAMPA, Fla. — For the 39th and final time in the 2024-25 season, it is game day for South Carolina women's basketball.

South Carolina takes on UConn at 3 p.m. ET on ABC in the National Championship game, looking to complete a successful back-to-back run and win the program's fourth National Championship in the last eight tournaments.

The season started with two neutral court wins over Michigan and NC State in Las Vegas, wound through three regular season losses to UCLA, Texas and UConn, featured a five-game winning streak over ranked opponents and earned South Carolina another No. 1 seed. The Gamecocks reached their fifth consecutive Final Four and beat Texas 74-57 Friday to reach Sunday's title game.

Before the Gamecocks and Huskies tip fhere is a look back at South Carolina's entire season with game coverage, features and more over the last 153 days since the season opener.

South Carolina started the season with two who went on to spend time ranked in the top-25 and win at least one NCAA Tournament Game, sneaking past Michigan 68-62 in Las Vegas and beating NC State 71-57 in a Final Four rematch in Charlotte. Later on in non-conference play the Gamecocks had three of their better offensive games of the season against three more tournament teams and two which made the Elite Eight, steamrolling Iowa State 76-36, beating Duke 81-70 in the SEC-ACC challenge and winning 85-52 at TCU.

Michigan: No Cardoso and a lot of questions for Gamecocks: 'That presence is missing'

NC State: South Carolina WBB finds 'hot hand' against NC State, pulls away 71-57

Iowa State: South Carolina bounces back, beats Iowa State 76-36 after early 32-0 run

Duke: South Carolina gets another top-10 win, finds more 'reliable' offense

TCU: South Carolina women's basketball thumps TCU 85-52 in top-10 showdown

On Jan. 5 in just the second game of SEC play, South Carolina lost a major contributor for the season. Junior forward Ashlyn Watkins went down in the second quarter holding her knee, and two days later the program confirmed she suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

Gamecocks pull away from MSU 95-68, but Watkins leaves with injury

Ashlyn Watkins out for season with torn ACL

Breaking down solutions for South Carolina WBB without Ashlyn Watkins

The best stretch of basketball the Gamecocks played all year was actually in January. South Carolina ran into a stretch of five consecutive games against top-20 opponents, facing Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Tennessee all in a row heading into the bye week.

Texas: Senior leadership guides South Carolina in statement win over Texas

Alabama: Joyce Edwards takes over late in Alabama win: 'She's an elite player'

Oklahoma: MiLaysia Fulwiley's 'steady climb' on display in Oklahoma win

LSU: Gamecocks win with 'gritty' performance in low-scoring LSU showdown

Tennessee: Gamecocks run January gauntlet, prepare to 'decompress' during bye week

For the first time since 2020-21, South Carolina lost more than one regular season game. Three, in fact, two in blowout fashion. The Gamecocks lost in blowout fashion against UCLA and UConn, and were on the wrong end of a four-point decision at Texas. The UConn loss was the program's heaviest margin of defeat in a home game since 2008.

UCLA: South Carolina WBB winning streak snapped in 77-62 loss at UCLA

Texas: South Carolina WBB is still elite, but one problem is not going away

UConn: What comes next for South Carolina after ‘major implosion’ against UConn?

South Carolina entered the final game of the regular season needing a win over Kentucky in a top-15 match-up to secure another SEC regular season championship. It was a one-point game midway through the fourth quarter, but the Gamecocks pulled away for a 78-66. That meant a coin flip with Texas to determine the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, which the Gamecocks won.

After that the Gamecocks blitzed through the SEC Tournament, beating Vanderbilt behindcareer-high 25 points from Chloe Kitts, Oklahoma thanks to an offensive explosion and Texas off the back of a dominant defensive perforance with just 14 points allowed in the first half to capture a third consecutive conference tournament title.

SEC regular season clincher

Coin flip win

SEC Tournament quarterfinal

SEC Tournament semifinal

SEC Championship Game

It was an uneven tournament, but South Carolina ultimately made it back to the National Championship Game. After blowing out Tennessee Tech behind a 70 percent shooting performance, the Gamecocks trailed by at least seven points in each of their wins over Indiana, Maryland, Duke and Texas. The middle two games in particular were dicey, as South Carolina found itself trailing Maryland with under three minutes to play and needing a stop in the final 10 seconds against Duke to preserve a two-point lead.

First round vs. Tennessee Tech

Second round vs. Indiana

Sweet 16 vs. Maryland

Elite Eight vs. Duke

Final Four vs. Texas

Maryam Dauda took a huge gamble on herself leaving home before the season, and it paid off. Adhel Tac's knowledge of the game has made her like an extra assistant coach for Dawn Staley. Joyce Edwards is the biggest basketball junkie on the roster, Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley have a rebounding context and two members of the staff beyond the bench have carved out irreplaceable roles for themselves in the program.

Here is a collction of feature stories on the Gamecocks, plus a bonus one about A'ja Wilson's impact on the program when South Carolina retired her number in February.

How Maryam Dauda took a risk, and found a new home

Maryam Dauda called her shot last summer. Then she did it again in Tampa

MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson's rebounding contest keeps both sharp

Maddy McDaniel settles in as South Carolina's quietest leader

South Carolina's 'biggest cheerleader' Adhel Tac embracing freshman year

South Carolna's 'biggest basketball junkie' learns through first Tournament

South Carolina's seniors embrace final ride, role in program's future

Inside Molly Binetti's handshakes with South Carolina WBB players

Meet Hudson Jacobs, the 'irreplaceable' piece of South Carolina's dynasty

A'ja Wilson still part of Gamecock dynasty: 'She legitimized our program'

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