The women's Final Four looked as though it might be a classic, featuring a quartet of the game's marquee programs along with a number of veteran stars and iconic coaches. Three sloppy basketball games later,

But with the transfer portal open now, the UCLA coach can build a new team quickly. Close has said that the school will be very active, looking to add five players. “Transfer portal just got easier,” Close said smiling.

Texas fell to UCLA 51-44 on April 3, 2026 in the Final Four national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in Phoenix. The Longhorns went 35-4 this season.

The UCLA Bruins are in town to take part in the Women's Final Four at Mortgage Matchup Center. Read more about them.

All-American center Lauren Betts has led the UCLA Bruins to new heights in women’s basketball. The Stanford transfer’s scoring and rebounding prowess led the Bruins to the school’s first two Women’s Final Fours in the NCAA era (since 1982).

Plus, the vaunted UConn Huskies, the defending champions, lost earlier Friday. So the Longhorns knew when they took they court, if they could get past the Bruins for a second time this season, they'd go up against a South Carolina team it had beaten two out of the last three meetings. Not a UConn team that had won 54 straight coming into Friday.

Evaluating three paths UCLA can take to punch its ticket to the finals.

Follow live for updates from the South Carolina-UCLA Women's NCAA Tournament Championship on Sunday, April 5, including real-time highlights, scores, results, stats and more as it happens.