Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Caitlin Clark, undefeated South Carolina, and so much starpower highlight the women’s Final Four
The women’s Final Four is set.
And fans can expect two incredible matchups in Dallas.
Four of the top ten teams in the final Associated Press poll are represented, and the four teams headed to Dallas all placed inside the top ten in the final NET rankings.
On one side of the bracket you have an all-time great team in South Carolina, with the presumptive first-overall selection in the WNBA draft in forward Aliyah Boston. Standing in their way of an undefeated season? Iowa and Caitlin Clark, perhaps the biggest story of March.
On the other side of the bracket, the upstart Virginia Tech Hokies have crashed their first Final Four, but they are looking for even more. They’ll take on an LSU team led by Angel Reese, who transferred to LSU after two strong seasons at Maryland, and has taken her game to even greater levels in her first season in the SEC.
Here is a look at each of the teams on their way to Dallas for the women’s Final Four.
South Carolina (1-seed) vs. Iowa (2-seed)
The national championship of the women’s NCAA tournament has finished the season undefeated six times since 2000. That list features multiple Breanna Stewart UConn teams, multiple Maya Moore UConn teams, Brittney Griner’s 2012 Baylor squad, and Diana Taurasi’s 2002 UConn team. Essentially, you need an all-time great team led by an all-time great player to do it. South Carolina appears to check both boxes. Led by presumptive No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Aliyah Boston, South Carolina is seeking back-to-back national titles. Boston is an incredible interior scorer and defender who also dominates the glass, but she’s far from this team’s only weapon. Point guard Zia Cooke actually led the Gamecocks in scoring this year, and her daring drives to the rim have been almost impossible to contain for opposing defenses. Add in 6’7 Brazilian center Kamilla Cardoso, senior forward Laeticia Amihere, and senior guard Brea Beal, and South Carolina simply has so much size, experience, and talent.
This is starting to feel like an all-time great team, and they can mint that status by going through Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes and winning another national title. There’s a new superpower in women’s college hoops, and it belongs to Dawn Staley. — ROD
Standing in the way of South Carolina’s undefeated season?
Women’s basketball’s “transcendent talent.”
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has been perhaps the story of March, with her play drawing attention from the likes of John Cena, LeBron James, Dick Vitale, and more. In Iowa’s win over Louisville, which advanced the Hawkeyes to their second Final Four in school history, Clark had a game for the ages. She poured in 41 points, added 12 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds, becoming the first player in NCAA Tournament history — men’s or women’s — to put together a 40-point triple-double.
Clark is a large part of Iowa’s offense — which leads the nation as the Hawkeyes average 87.6 ppg — but she is certainly not alone. Monika Czinano averages 17.2 ppg, and her presence down low often forces teams into a tough decision when Clark and Czinano play a two-woman game. Take this bucket against Colorado in the Sweet 16, when the double-team on Clark opens up the opportunity for Czinano in the paint:
Also joining the scoring parade for the Hawkeyes is forward McKenna Warnock, who averages another 11.1 ppg for Iowa.
South Carolina certainly feels like an all-time great team, but the Hawkeyes are going to have something to say about that this weekend. — Mark Schofield
LSU Tigers (3-seed) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-seed)
LSU Tigers (32-2)
Two words, one name: Angel Reese.
LSU’s sophomore phenom took her game from the incredible and pushed it into the stratosphere this season by absolutely dominating every game this season, both in scoring and on the glass.
There’s more to LSU than just Reese, but she’s the nucleus of what makes this team tick. Averaging well over a double-double during this tournament, Reese really showed the kind of ludicrous talent she had during a second round beatdown of Michigan State in which she put up 25 points and pulled down 24 boards, casually blocking 6 shots for good measure in the Tigers’ 66-42 win.
Astoundingly balanced at both ends of the floor, LSU were a Top 5 team in both offensive and defensive rating this season — something only South Carolina can boast of the teams remaining in the Final Four. With Reese locking up the front court and commanding a double team it’s allowed for the guard duo of Alexis Morris and Flau’jae Johnson to shine in their own right, even if that means taking more of a back seat on the offensive end.
Another huge element to this team is its astounding depth. LSU can reasonably go nine deep into their rotation, which will wear out a lot of teams left in the field (or really anyone who isn’t South Carolina).
When you pair the ludicrous star power of the Tigers’ Big 3, with a rotation that can rest them as needed, you end up with something special. Make no mistake: The 2023 LSU Tigers are special. — James Dator
Virginia Tech Hokies (31-4)
For the first time in the history of the women’s Final Four, “Enter Sandman” will make an appearance.
The Hokies advanced to the Final Four for the first time in their program’s history thanks to their win Monday night over Ohio State. Head coach Kenny Brooks took over a program in 2016 that had not even reached the tournament since 2006, but now Virginia Tech is two wins away from a national title. Center Elizabeth Kitley, who averaged 18.2 ppg and 10.7 rpg this season, notched another double-double against the Buckeyes, scoring 25 points and grabbing another 12 rebounds in the Hokies’ 84-74 win.
But another huge reason that the Hokies not only beat Ohio State, but advanced to the Final Four, was the play from their guards. Facing a Buckeyes team that loves to bring full-court pressure, the Hokies broke down Ohio State’s press early and often, with Georgia Amoore, Cayla King, and Kayana Traylor leading the way. Those early points against the press forced the Buckeyes out of their pressure look, and helped open up Virginia Tech’s offense. Amoore added 24 points against the Buckeyes, and knocked down four three-pointers in the game, bringing her total for the tournament to 20. That matches the mark set by Kia Nurse back in 2017 through four tournament games, according to ESPN.
One of those threes closed out the third quarter, and is worth a look:
Virginia Tech’s run to the Final Four is impressive not just for the quick turnaround at the program, but also for the hurdles the Hokies faced in the tournament. Virginia Tech needed to power past perennial powerhouse Tennessee, as well as a Buckeyes team that had just knocked off Connecticut.
Their next goal? Hearing “Enter Sandman” blaring in Dallas. “In the summertime, we play ‘Enter Sandman’ in our house, and we just run around and just start jumping up and down,” Brooks said, “because it’s a part of Virginia Tech. And the fact that we can bring joy to Virginia Tech, to Hokie Nation, that song comes on, it means everything. It means everything.” — Mark Schofield
