UCLA Built a Championship Team Nobody Else Would Dare Try, and It Actually Worked

Here's the thing about UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close's master plan: it should not have worked. She built her entire roster around seniors and graduate students, betting everything on one final run before her veterans aged out of college ball. Then on Sunday, her Bruins beat South Carolina 79-51 to win the national championship, and suddenly that wild gamble looks like genius.

No other team in college basketball this season, men's or women's, went all in on veteran talent like UCLA did. Close's 12-player roster featured eight players who were either seniors or graduate students. During the NCAA Tournament, she leaned almost exclusively on her oldest players. The pressure was massive because if they didn't win it all before everyone left for the WNBA, the window might never open again. UCLA didn't blink.

The Roster That Bet on Themselves

This wasn't some organic team that grew together over four years. Five of Close's six leading scorers came through the transfer portal. Lauren Betts, the Big Ten Player of the Year, transferred in from Stanford. Angela Dugalić, a 6-foot-4 star who played off the bench, came from Oregon. Charlisse Leger-Walker transferred from Washington State. Gianna Kneepkels arrived one year ago from Utah. Only point guard Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez started their careers at UCLA.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley warned this weekend that the transfer portal doesn't magically create chemistry. But UCLA made it happen. The blowout loss to UConn in last year's Final Four became the rallying cry all offseason. Jaquez told ESPN that loss fueled everything that followed through weight room sessions and practices back in Westwood. Close said Leger-Walker, despite missing last season with injury, became one of the biggest connectors on the team.

One Final Statement

Jaquez led the way with 21 points against South Carolina. UCLA's players in their final year of eligibility scored all 130 of the team's points in that championship game, and an incredible 170 consecutive points dating back earlier in the tournament. Close ended the season on a 31-game winning streak to become the first national champion from the Big Ten Conference since 1999.

"It's truly indescribable," Close said of her seniors. "The loyalty, the steadfast spirit, their character that they've chosen day in and day out. I'm so humbled that they chose to commit to our mission."

That mission was never supposed to work. UCLA proved everyone wrong.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.