It’s officially Friday, meaning that the Women’s Final Four will tip-off in Cleveland tonight on ESPN. In the first game, 3-seeded North Carolina State will face undefeated South Carolina at 7pm EST. Then 3-seeded women’s basketball blue blood Connecticut will take on a 1-seeded Iowa team led by back-to-back Player of the Year Caitlin Clark at 9:30 pm EST.
Each of these teams has their own distinct identity, leadership, and strengths and weaknesses. But of course, you don’t make the Final Four by accident. In this piece, we’ll take a look at each of these four teams and measure each team’s key to a championship.
North Carolina State
NC State’s men’s team is on a Cinderella run to the Men’s Final Four. But the same can’t be said about their women’s team. Though they’ve flown under the radar, they have had a dominant 31-6 season including a 7-3 record against ranked opponents. They even upset UConn early in the season. But they truly caught fire in the postseason, going through Tennessee, Stanford and one-seeded Texas to get to the Final Four.
Their key to victory against South Carolina and in the championship game is the dominant guard duo of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers. James particularly has completely ascended her game in the tournament, as she’s averaged 24.3 points and 4.0 assists per game shooting 51% from the field and 57% from three during this run.
Rivers is also an important wild card in the South Carolina matchup as she was part of the Gamecocks’ championship team in 2022 before transferring to NC State.
If this duo can catch fire for two more games, the Wolfpack might just be bringing a National Championship back to Raleigh.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks always seem like the final boss during this time of year. In the Dawn Staley era, this is their sixth Women’s Final Four appearance and they’re searching for their third National Championship.
And the biggest key to victory for them has to be their depth. The Gamecocks are 36-0 to this point, and unlike the other three teams they don’t have a standout star player to take over games. They have a legitimate 9-woman rotation, where any given night someone can be the key piece for victory.
Against Presbyterian in the Round of 64, it was Chloe Kitts who went perfect from the field for 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench. Against North Carolina in the Round of 32 it was standout freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley who put up 20 points and drained four three-pointers. In the Sweet Sixteen it was Kamilla Cardoso’s 22 point effort. In the Elite Eight it was Ashlyn Watkins and her dominant defensive efforts.
It’s nearly impossible to gameplan on how to stop South Carolina because of all the moving parts that Dawn Staley seams together. And for a team that lost all of their starters from last year’s Final Four run, it’s scarily impressive that they’re back at this point and don’t look easy to slow down.
Connecticut
UConn is by far the most household name in the Women’s Final Four. Geno Auriemma has made UConn the most highly acclaimed “blue blood” in women’s college basketball, with 11 National Championships. However, UConn hasn’t cut the net in the big game since 2016.
But this year’s story is about redemption. They too were in the same position in 2022, losing the championship game for the first time in program history to the Gamecocks. Then superstar Paige Bueckers lost a season to a torn ACL. But she’s back and here to remind everyone of who she is.
She’s a unanimous first-team all-American, putting up 22 points per game on an incredible 53% from the field and 42% from three. But even then, she’s not the biggest X-factor for UConn’s championship pursuits, it’s Aaliyah Edwards.
Bueckers is going to be Bueckers in any scenario whether they win or lose. But the key for beating Iowa and potentially winning a championship is the play of their other star. And that’s not to say that Edwards is some hit-or-miss player, she’s a projected top-five pick in the star-studded 2024 WNBA Draft for a reason. Her versatility playing the Center position for this run has made UConn’s offense click, and if she poses a mismatch threat with her shiftiness and strong finishing ability, UConn might just be hanging banner number 12 in Gampel Pavilion this Fall.
Iowa
This one should be short and sweet. Although they were the number one seed on their side of the bracket, although they’ve put up a 33-4 record this season, although they’ve trudged through arguably the most difficult path to the Final Four, some still doubt whether Iowa is championship-caliber. And I think this team goes just as far as Caitlin Clark takes them.
Clark is already stamped as an absolute legend in the lore of women’s college basketball. The most points in division one history, back-to-back National Player of the Year awards, leading the nation in both points and assists per game. But some argue that she can’t enter G.O.A.T. conversations without a championship. And with the way she’s been playing in this tournament, she seems like she’s hungry for one.
The 41-point performance against LSU in the Elite Eight almost felt like a vindication, seeing Clark triumph over the team that ended their season a year ago. But Clark is absolutely the pivotal piece that decides if Iowa wins a championship this year. And it’s hard to bet against the best player in the game.
Who do you think ends up facing off in the National Championship? Make sure to tune into the Women’s Final Four tonight on ESPN with NC State and South Carolina facing off at 7 pm EST and UConn and Iowa following at 9:30 pm EST.
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