The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Louisville Cardinals will face each other in the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament.
It’s no surprise to see the No. 1-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks gracing the Final Four court, but the Louisville Cardinals weren’t necessarily expected to make it this far.
South Carolina was by far the best women’s NCAA team this season, led by none other than the nation’s top player in Aliyah Boston. Before heading into the NCAA Tournament, Boston led the Gamecocks in scoring with an average 16.8 points per game, but the well-rounded power forward/center also led her team in blocks (80), steals (40), and rebounds (371).
Hailey Van Lith is the big name coming out of Louisville, but Emily Engster is another reason the Cardinals have made it this far. Engster “led the ACC in steals this season while ranking fifth in blocks and third in rebounds.”
But the big names led the way scoring-wise in the Elite Eight, as Boston led her team with a 19-point performance against Creighton and Van Lith led her team with a 22-point game that knocked out Michigan. The Cardinals weren’t expected to make it this far, but they have won every game by double digits. The Gamecocks could continue their run and win it all, but Louisville could be the team to dethrone them.
South Carolina vs. Louisville prediction
According to BetSided, the South Carolina-Louisville game isn’t expected to be as close as the UConn-Stanford Final Four matchup, with South Carolina given a 7.5-point advantage heading into the game.
South Carolina will be following a 80-50 win over Creighton, and although the Cardinals have won by double digits throughout their tournament run, South Carolina hasn’t even brought out their best possible basketball yet.
As BetSided notes: “The Gamecocks are by far and away the No. 1 team in the Her Hoop Stats overall rating (44.5) by a full 8.7 points over Louisville (35.8), are the top defensive rating team in women’s college basketball, and are also tops in Simple RPI, Margin per game and Margin per 100 possessions.”
The Cardinals are playing their best thus far, but the Gamecocks are capable of so much more. That’s why they’re expected to be the one winning by double digits in the Final Four.
Prediction: South Carolina wins 83-71.
South Carolina vs. Louisville game time
The Gamecocks and Cardinals will face off at 7:00 p.m ET on Friday, April 1. The game is taking place at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
South Carolina vs. Louisville tv channel
ESPN will be broadcasting the game, which will be followed by the UConn-Stanford Final Four matchup.
South Carolina vs. Louisville streaming info
For those who are interested in streaming the matchup in the NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament, there is live streaming available on FuboTV. Basketball fans can enjoy WingStop as they watch the game, with FanSided ranking South Carolina as one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Tournament.
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