It’s almost time for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four.
On Friday night, No. 1 South Carolina will play No. 3 North Carolina State, and No. 1 Iowa will play No. 3 University in Cleveland.
The Shamcocks and Wolfpack will tip off at 7 p.m. ET, while the Hawkeyes will take on the Huskies at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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Read below to see how the teams stack up.
4. NC State Wolfpack
North Carolina State University guard Asiaha James celebrates after the Sweet 16 game against Stanford in the NCAA Tournament on March 29, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (AP Photo/Howard Rao)
North Carolina State was the No. 3 seed in the region and had to get past No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Stanford to advance to the Final Four. The upset, with both teams scoring 10 points, shocked the college basketball world.
Now, the Wolfpack will be in a David vs. Goliath matchup against South Carolina.
NC State has five players averaging at least 10 points per game — Asiaha James (16.7 points), Saniya Rivers (12.7 points), Mimi Collins (10.7 points) and River Baldwin (10.6 points). ) and Madison Hayes (10.4 points).
But they only allow 56 points per game against a defense that scores about 85 points per game. North Carolina State allows him to score 73.8 points per game and allow 60.3 points per game.
It will be a tough battle for North Carolina State University in Cleveland.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa State guard Caitlin Clark reacts during the third quarter of the Elite Eight vs. LSU game on Monday, April 1, 2024 in Albany, New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer)
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a dynamic scoring offense led by Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer and all-time leading scorer in college basketball. However, the concern for Iowa State will be against a team that has one of the best players in the nation in Paige Bueckers.
The Hawkeyes allow 71.5 points per game. That’s the most of any Final Four team, and the defense hasn’t been as good in big games this season, including the road game against Nebraska, where the team allowed 82 points.
In the four losses, the team has conceded at least 82 points. In the Elite Eight win over LSU, the Hawkeyes allowed 87 points.
With Bueckers and Aliyah Edwards averaging at least 17 points, the matchup won’t get any easier against UConn, which only allows 56.8 points per game.
2. University Con Huskies
Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies during the second half of the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight game against the USC Trojans at Moda Center on April 1, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Iowa will have to hope that a coach like UW’s Geno Auriemma can come up with a master plan to contain Clark and frustrate his 3-point shooting needs. LSU contained Clark for the first half of the game, but she broke out in the second half and the Hawkeyes pulled away.
For USC, which lost to U-Con, JuJu Watkins scored 29 points and Mackenzie Forbes scored 24 points. Raya Marshall also added 11 points. These three were the only players to score in double digits. Watkins needed 25 shots and Forbes made 22, but USC shot just 32.9%.
The Huskies were plagued by injuries last season, but it seems like they want to get back on track and bring Iowa home early.
“I think our coaching staff has had to deal with a tremendous amount of things this year that we haven’t had to deal with before. I’m really proud of our staff,” Auriemma said. .
1. South Carolina Gamecock
Camila Cardoso of the South Carolina Gamecocks prepares to take a free throw in the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena in Albany, New York on March 29, 2024. There is (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
South Carolina is the last remaining undefeated team in women’s basketball and is on track to make the Final Four. South Carolina is clearly the best of the four teams, at least on paper.
“I’m shocked,” Staley said. “I’m shocked that we’re undefeated. I’m shocked that we’re in the Final Four competing for a national championship. Our coaching staff has put in a lot of effort, but at times When I put in that effort, it came back like this.
“It caught me off guard, but I’m really happy for the players because they started from the bottom and have come this far.”
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The Gumcocks finished in the top five as a team in key categories including points (85.6 per game), field goal percentage (49.2%), point differential (plus-29.6), rebounds (46.2) and blocks (7.9). There is.
Camila Cardoso is nearly unstoppable. She is averaging 14.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She has at most two more fights before she turns pro.
If South Carolina wins, another strong opponent could emerge, Iowa State’s Caitlin Clark.
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