And then there were four.
What started off as 68 college basketball teams vying for the women’s 2022 NCAA Tournament has now turned into a battle between four remaining names.
Postseason play featured plenty of early upsets, but no surprise underdogs and no No. 15 seed Peacocks advanced to semifinal action on the women’s side. Instead, the women’s Final Four features three returning teams from last year’s faceoff. The fourth team happens to be a scrappy runner-up receiving a shot at redemption after coming one point shy of reaching last year’s semifinals.
Below, we’ll discuss the odds of both games taking place this Friday, April 1 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Louisville
The first of these two matchups takes place between No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (33-2) and No. 1 Louisville Cardinals (29-4).
South Carolina has consistently been the top-ranked team in the AP poll all season, and oddsmakers still give them the best chance of winning the tournament.
Their first national title came in 2017. Since then, they’ve been scratching their way back to the top, losing by a single point in last year’s semifinals to Stanford.
The Gamecocks boast the top defense in the nation this year, but their offense ranks only 58th, potentially leaving room for the Cardinals to swoop in and steal the win.
DraftKings gives South Carolina -380 odds of a win, while Louisville sits at +290 odds and trails with a spread of +8.5 points. Additionally, this is expected to be a slightly lower-scoring game than either team is used to, with an over/under set at 120.5 points.
South Carolina’s team features newly named national player of the year Aliyah Boston, who averages 16.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Look for her to potentially have another double-double this week as she leads her team toward finale play.
On the opposite bench, the Louisville Cardinals are considered the underdog of the Final Four. This will be the Cardinals’ first Final Four appearance since 2018. They’re perched in anticipation of winning their first national title this year, and their roster gives them a decent chance of doing so.
Only one Cardinals member has ever logged 20 or more points in four back-to-back NCAA Tournament games, and that’s point guard Hailey Van Lith. The guard leads the team with her 14.5 PPG. The team will have to hustle when it comes to rebounds, though, as her average 3.4 rebounds per game happens to be the highest of any fellow player.
Tip-off for this first matchup begins at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 UConn
Immediately after that first women’s Final Four faceoff, the defending No. 1 Stanford Cardinal (32-3) take on No. 2 University of Connecticut Huskies (29-5) at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Stanford ladies are riding high on a 23-game win streak, pecking off their opponents while searching for their fourth national title. Fortunately for them, they’ve got the talented roster to assist them in that journey.
Point guard Haley Jones posted consecutive double-doubles in the past two games. Last year, she was named the top player of the Final Four. Forward Cameron Brink will be another Cardinal to watch with her 56.1% shooting average from the field along with her 13.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
This Cardinal team is facing an uphill battle against UConn, though. The Huskies return to the women’s Final Four this year for the 14th season in a row. Moreover, they boast the most titles of any women’s team with their 11 national championships.
The Huskies have struggled with player injuries all season, leading some to question whether or not they’ve got what it takes to defeat Stanford. UConn only narrowly advanced last week after going into double overtime against No. 1 North Carolina State.
However, point guard Paige Bueckers has returned in full form as the team’s top Husky. She was named last year’s player of the year as a freshman. This year, she underwent knee surgery in December and didn’t return to the court until February.
Since then, she’s been dancing in the paint with her 55.1% field goal average and her 14.7 points per game.
Sportsbooks expect this to be a much closer matchup than South Carolina’s bout with Louisville, with only a one-point spread separating the teams.
Stanford is favored with a -120 moneyline, while UConn trails at +100 odds. This is also predicted to be a higher-intensity event than the prior with an over/under of 129 points.
The winners of Friday’s two faceoffs then advance to meet in the National Championship this Sunday. The finale game begins at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
