The South Carolina Gamecocks vs. the Hawkeyes in the Big Dance: Pre-tournament Results from ESPN and FUBOTV
The Final Four games will be shown on ESPN and are able to be streamed on fuboTV. LSU vs. Virginia Tech will begin coverage followed by Iowa vs. South Carolina.
The two pre-tournament favorites, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks are going to face off in the second round.
The game will pit two stars of women’s college hoops directly against each other with the newly-crowned Naismith women’s player of the year, Caitlin Clark facing last year’s recipient and last year’s Naismith women’s defensive player of the year, Aliyah Boston.
The two players who have been inspiring their teams throughout the month of March will be looking for a Final Four victory in order to lead them one step further.
The difference between the Final Four of the Big Dance and the actual game is 11 points so there isn’t any sign of vulnerability for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina had its 42 game win streak, which was the longest in the country, end after its win in the Elite Eight.
The Celtics have contributed to two double-doubles, including a brilliant 22-point and 10-rebound performance in the South Carolina win.
As well as their star player, the Gamecocks have been helped by Zia Cooke’s scoring throughout the tournament. The guard is shooting 45% from the field for the year.
The coach of the year said they created habits in which they just get the job done. They do not ask about how long is practice, they do not ask about the drills on the practice cards. They say, ‘Okay, this is what we have to do, let’s get it done.’
Caitlin Clark, Jordan Czinano and the Hawkeyes in the Final Four: How they played last Friday at the AT&T Center
It would take one of the great NCAA performances to topple the Gamecocks, and that is exactly what Caitlin Clark produced on Friday as she led second-seed Iowa to a stunning 77-73 victory in the Final Four over the undefeated defending champion at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
“We know everything kind of centers around her,” explained the NBA’s record three-point scorer. She does a great job of scoring, but she also does a good job of being a distributor.
Czinano is one of the key players for the Hawkeyes. The forward is averaging 17.2 points, shooting an incredible 67.9% from the floor and also averages 6.6 boards a game.
It is really exciting. Just like you said, everybody has been talking about this matchup for a really long time,” said Boston. I think it is a great game for women’s basketball. I know there’s going to be a lot of people in the crowd, a lot of people watching the game. Just super excited to be in that environment.”
“All we did is believe in each other,” Clark said on the ESPN broadcast after the game. “You know we might not be the tallest, we knew they were going to beat us on the glass but all we had to do is have some heart and some belief and you know we came through when we needed big plays and I’m just so proud of this group.”
This Final Four match-up will be seen as a straight shootout between Clark and Boston, but the likes of Czinano and Cooke could prove to be decisive for their respective outfits in the clash.
Casey Reese: What it Means to Win a Game in the First Semi-Superfinal Four in the University of Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has had a relatively straightforward route to the Final Four with wins against Chattanooga, South Dakota State, Tennessee and Ohio State – with their smallest winning margin being nine points.
Led by Georgia Amoore’s threat on offense and Elizabeth Kitley’s impact on both ends of the floor, the Hokies represent a serious threat to any challenger.
Amoore was an average scorer but has turned it up for March Madness. The Aussie hooper has scored 20+ in all of Tech’s games in the NCAA tournament – including a brilliant 29-point showing in the Sweet 16 against Tennessee.
“It is so huge. When Amoore told the broadcast what it meant to reach the first Final Four in program history, he couldn’t speak.
The Tigers trailed by nine points entering the fourth quarter but went on a 22-3 run, took a 72-62 double digit lead with three minutes remaining, and held on for a memorable victory.
In the second round of the NCAA tournament, he had 24 in one game against Michigan, and 18.25 per game.
With a double-double in every game so far, Reese has proved to be a serious offensive threat and managed to notch 34 points and 15 rebounds in the first-round win against Hawaii.
The Tigers ain’t going to win a championship in two years: Coach Kim Mulkey and the New NCAA Player of the Year Angel Reese
After the Tigers’ Elite Eight game, head coach Kim Mulkey said: “We don’t have to win a championship to see how much they love us. I think they’re going, ‘What are we doing in year two. Is it true that you are kidding me?
Clark made a Final Four record with 41 points in front of a crowd of 19,000 fans, following up her triple-double in the Elite Eight.
The newly crowned AP Player of the Year also had eight assists and six rebound, in addition to the last 13 points for the Hawkeyes in the fourth quarter which propelled them to their first NCAA title game in program history.
Meanwhile, No. 3 seed LSU mounted an epic fourth quarter comeback to edge past No. 1 seed Virginia Tech, 79-72 and advance to its first national title game in program history, meaning that a new women’s NCAA national champion will be crowned on Sunday.
Angel Reese added 24 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, and LSU scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, thanks to the 27 points scored by Morris and the 24 points added by Morris.
It is like a dream. It still hasn’t hit me that I’m at the Final Four, I’m just not even believing this right now,” Reese said after the game. “It’s just crazy how much my life has changed in one year. To be a part of an amazing program like LSU and be with my amazing teammates and amazing coaches is how much I have grown. I don’t know how to feel.
“You think about all the men’s players that have played at LSU, you think about all the women’s players that have played. I was surprised when they said that no one had ever played for a national championship. That’s a step in the right direction,” Mulkey added.
“I’m blessed,” Mulkey said on reaching the title game. There were many reasons why I came home. There is a banner that will be hung in the PMAC. Never, ever do you think you’re going to do something like this in two years.