ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco Perfectly Nailed the Final Call of South Carolina’s Championship Win Over Iowa

"Perfection with a touch of sweet redemption!"
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley hugs forward Chloe Kitts after winning the 2024 national title.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley hugs forward Chloe Kitts after winning the 2024 national title. / ESPN/Screengrab

In the final seconds of Sunday's NCAA women's tournament title game when it was clear South Carolina would beat Iowa, 87–75, ESPN's Ryan Ruocco gave the perfect final call to celebrate the Gamecocks' third title in program history.

He referenced both the Gamecocks' undefeated season, which was the 10th time this has happened in women's college basketball, and the redemption in beating Iowa after the team lost to the Hawkeyes in the Final Four last year after having an undefeated season up until then. Ruocco mentioned these two significant feats in a simple message.

"Perfection with a touch of sweet redemption!" Ruocco said. "Undefeated South Carolina has won its third national championship!"

The electricity in his voice matched the excitement of both the fans and the South Carolina team in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Staley delivered an emotional speech after the game with ESPN's Holly Rowe, which has since gone viral.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.