Experts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai have revealed their picks for Duke vs. South Carolina in the Elite Eight of the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday

The Duke Blue Devils were defeated by defending national champions the South Carolina Gamecocks 54-50 in the Elite 8 of the Women’s National Championship in Birmingham, Alabama.

No. 1 seed South Carolina clinched a trip to a fifth consecutive Final Four with a 54-50 win against second-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight game of the NCAA Tournament. The win comes nearly 10 years to the date after South Carolina punched a ticket to its first Final Four.

Ugly victories are quite common in the NCAA Tournament. Duke coach Kara Lawson and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley know that well.

Duke gave top-seeded South Carolina everything it could handle in their Elite Eight matchup Sunday, but the Gamecocks held off the Blue Devils to reach a fifth consecutive Final Four.

It's Duke women's basketball vs South Carolina in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women's Tournament on Sunday afternoon. Here’s our prediction.

The defending NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks are a win away from getting back to the Final Four and gets that shot Sunday against the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils.

After South Carolina beat Duke, Staley said it was “customary” for her to show love to the Carolina Band after big wins. She had a similar postgame moment with the group after USC beat Texas to win the 2025 SEC championship in Greenville. “They really are part of the atmosphere that’s created in the gym,” Staley said.

Chloe Kitts scored 14 points and defending national champion South Carolina reached the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year, beating Duke 54-50.