The NCAA Division I women's
basketball tournament championship game is set. No. 1 South Carolina will face No. 1 Iowa after a pair of exciting Final Four matchups on Friday night. The Gamecocks took down No. 3 NC State 78-59 to advance to the national championship game. The Wolfpack kept things close through the first half, but as it has done plenty of times this season, South Carolina used a huge run to pull away and win comfortably. The Gamecocks came out of the locker room on
fire, outscoring NC State 29-6 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Star center Kamilla Cardoso led the way for South Carolina with 22 and 11 rebounds. The senior has had an outstanding postseason showing and is looking to close out her career on a positive note. Now the Gamecocks will look for their second national championship in the last three seasons and their third in program history. They will have to get through a tough Iowa team first. The Hawkeyes' 71-69 win over No. 3 UConn was much less comfortable than South Carolina's win. The Huskies did a tremendous
Job containing Caitlin Clark for most of the game and held her to single-digit scoring through the first half. Clark found some life in the second half and ultimately propelled her team to the win behind 21 points. Her co-star Hannah Stuelke also had a big performance with 23 points on an efficient 9-of-12 from the field. Now, Iowa will play in the national championship game for a second year in a row, and it will be looking for different results this time around. No matter who South Carolina would have been matched up with, it would have been the Gamecocks' game to lose. South Carolina has been dominant all year and hasn't let up in the tournament, winning each of its games by double digits aside from the Sweet 16 matchup with No. 4 Indiana. The Gamecocks are a defensive powerhouse, allowing just 56 points per game, which ranks second among Power 6 schools. But as most champions, they possess a strong offense as well, scoring 85.6 points per game, which trails just Iowa and LSU. South Carolina doesn't necessarily have a player that can take over the game the way Clark does, but the Gamecocks rely on the committee and stout defense to win games, and it works. For Iowa, its X-factor is clearly Clark, who has been the best player in the country this year and is hungry for a championship to close out her tremendous career. Clark's scoring has been undeniable throughout the tournament, but UConn showed that she can at least be contained on Friday. The Huskies often looked to double teams and face-guarding Clark 30 feet from the basket, which limited her to her lowest point total of the postseason. If South Carolina can replicate that defense it could walk away with a championship. But luckily for Iowa, Clark is a gifted passer as well. If her teammates can get open when the Gamecocks inevitably bring the double team on Clark, she likely will find them. Friday's Final Four matchup was promising for Iowa. Stuelke's ability to step up with Clark having a slow start paid dividends, and the Hawkeyes will need some assistance from her again in the national championship. The Hawkeyes have the best offense in the country by a long shot, scoring 91.9 points per game. Their defense is a different story, though, giving up 71.5 points per game. It's unlikely Iowa will be able to fully contain South Carolina's offense, but it will need to play its best defense of the season while hitting shots at the other end to hand the Gamecocks their first loss of the year. Ultimately, Sunday's contest should be one of the most exciting games of the year. Clark is looking to put the cherry on top of her legendary career, while South Carolina is looking to continue its new tradition of hanging national championship banners. It's the final women's basketball game of the season, and fans are in for a show. Sunday's game will tip-off at 3 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The matchup will be broadcast on ABC.