There are only three games remaining in the 2023-24 NCAA Division I Women’s basketball season—a season during which Women’s college basketball, and seemingly Women’s basketball as a whole, reached new heights…lofty heights. The two winners of Friday evening’s doubleheader will be awarded the opportunity to play 40 more minutes of basketball on Sunday afternoon to, hopefully, secure a national title for their respective schools. For two of the four teams that remain in the Women’s NCAA tournament, which has absolutely been madness, a return to all-too-familiar glory is on the line. For the other two, a chance to command a newfound respect for their school’s Women’s basketball program is up for grabs. So, what storylines will rule the narratives for this year’s Women’s Final Four?
Can the underdogs take down the top dogs?
To lead off what is all but destined to be an electrifying night of Women’s basketball, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks will face off against Wes Moore’s NC State Wolfpack. The Gamecocks, a perfect 36-0 on the season, are led by center Kamilla Cardoso, who has averaged 9.4 rebounds and 14.1 points per game on 58.9% shooting throughout her senior campaign (8.7 rebounds, 15.3 points, 62.5% shooting during the tournament). The underdog Wolfpack are led by junior guard Aziaha James, who is averaging 16.7 points per game on 41.8% shooting this season (24.3 points, 50.8% shooting during the tournament).
Cardoso, a Second-Team AP All-American this season, hopes to win her second championship with South Carolina to remain undefeated in her final collegiate season and deliver the school its third Women’s basketball title (2022, 2017). James, First-Team All-ACC this season, hopes to lead the Wolfpack to a win in its second Final Four appearance (1998) to bring NC State to its first national championship game in Women’s basketball program history.
The 3-seed underdogs who are coming off two straight upset victories (2-seed Stanford, 1-seed Texas), against the 1-seed powerhouse that has yet to lose a game this season…
Will we witness more madness this evening?
Phenom vs. Phenom
Following the conclusion of South Carolina vs. NC State, the nation will tune in to what many might consider to be Friday evening’s marquee matchup. Lisa Bluder’s Iowa Hawkeyes, led by senior guard Caitlin Clark, will battle it out with Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies, led by redshirt junior guard Paige Bueckers. Clark, who has broken what feels like too many records to count this season to conclude her extensively-decorated collegiate career, has averaged 32.0 points on 46.0% shooting, 9.0 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game this season (32.3 points, 45.7% shooting, 10.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds during the tournament). Bueckers, who was ranked the No. 1 recruit in her class coming out of high school (followed by Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Caitlin Clark, and Kamilla Cardoso, respectively), is averaging 22.0 points on 53.4% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game this season (28.0 points, 51.1% shooting, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 1.5 blocks during the tournament).
Clark, back-to-back winner of both the AP and Naismith Player of the Year awards, hopes to lead the Hawkeyes to their second straight appearance in the national championship game—and to the first national title in the history of the Iowa Women’s basketball program. Bueckers, a two-time First-Team AP All-American and former winner of the AP and Naismith Player of the Year awards, has led the Huskies to the Final Four in all three seasons that she has been healthy to play (2024, 2022, 2021). She is hoping to return to the national championship game, where UConn lost to South Carolina in 2022, and win her first title to add to UConn’s 11.
Clark, the all-but-guaranteed first overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft (April 15)—who many consider to be the most prolific scorer in the history of Women’s college basketball—versus Bueckers, the UConn star who is widely considered to be one of the most well-rounded players to ever play the game…
Although there will be ten players on the court at all times during this highly-anticipated contest, many viewers will be paying particularly close attention to the individual matchup set to take place between these two players—two superstars, both of whom have already helped grow this wonderful game tremendously.
We, the fans, are seriously in for a treat.