"Anybody can take it. Anybody can win it."
The words of Iowa star Caitlin Clark perfectly sum up the women’s tournament this year as just two games stand between the Hawkeyes and the program’s first national championship. But nothing about March Madness is ever certain.
The women’s Final Four begins Friday night in Cleveland, with Dawn Staley and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks taking on North Carolina State, making its first appearance in the Final Four since 1998.
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Headlining the night will be the resilient UConn Huskies led by star guard Paige Bueckers as they try to extinguish Iowa’s run at the title in what could be Clark’s final college game before making her mark in the WNBA.
Iowa’s dream of capturing the national championship came to a thrilling end at the hands of Angel Reese and LSU last season. The two teams met again in the Elite Eight earlier this week in what was the most-watched women's college basketball game in history.
Clark, out for revenge, dropped 41 points, including nine three-pointers, to knock out the defending national champions and move on to the Final Four, where they face an injured, but hungry UConn team.
The Huskies are eight years removed from their last title and are looking to change that as they get ready for the program's 23rd national semifinal, the most of any school.
To get there, Bueckers scored 28 points in the Huskies' 80-73 victory over USC – a feat that was accomplished with just eight healthy players.
When the two teams meet, it will be an offensive powerhouse versus a balanced system. Iowa ranks No. 1 in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage, and while UConn ranks fifth, the Huskies are second overall in defensive rating, compared to the Hawkeyes at 22nd in the country.
"You’ve got to win one at a time. There’s still two more there to get," Clark said ahead of the semifinal. "That’s what makes the Final Four so fun. Anybody can take it. Anybody can win it."
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South Carolina has flown under the radar this season, but maybe that’s a good thing.
For the second consecutive year, South Carolina has reached the Final Four undefeated, but despite this, the Gamecocks have seemingly flown under the radar. And Dawn Staley likes that.
"I like it. I really do. Like go ahead, take the spotlight, put it somewhere else," the veteran head coach recently said. "Let this team continue to thrive in the space that they’re given. Hopefully, at the end of the day, next week this time, I’m hoping that we give a lot of people a lot to talk about."
South Carolina has won 60 straight home games, winning games by an average of 29.6 points, including some wins by more than 70. Despite being one of the most elite programs in the country, South Carolina face their biggest challenge yet in NC State.
The Wolfpack have been responsible for not one, but two major upsets this year, knocking out top-seeded Texas and No. 2 seed Stanford. NC State weren’t even ranked to start the season, but guard Aziaha "Zaza" James has shined for the Wolfpack, scoring 29 and 27 points, respectively, in their last two games.
South Carolina and NC State begin the semifinals with a 7 p.m. ET tip off, followed by Iowa and UConn at 9:30 pm. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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