After March Madness, it's time for big events for the NCAA. The Final Four take place this weekend and begin with the women's version in Cleveland on the night of Friday to Saturday. Who will succeed LSU, crowned in 2023? Iowa and its star Caitlin Clark, scorers of the Tigers in the previous round, will be scrutinized very closely. The poster for the semi-final against Connecticut promises a new XXL shock for the Hawkeyes. In the other part of the table, South Carolina will try to complete its season undefeated.
North Carolina State (#3) – South Carolina (#1) | Saturday, 1 a.m. (on BeIN Sports Max 5)
The Carolina duel is the most surprising poster of this women's Final Four. For South Carolina, qualification was expected, after a regular season without a false note.
Dawn Staley's players are in the final four for the fourth season in a row, despite the departure of the entire starting five during the offseason. Driven by a fiery attack (85.6 points/game), South Carolina is the favorite for the title. It remains to rule out North Carolina State, present at the Final Four for the first time in 26 years. The Wolfpack, which was not even among the top seeds in preseason, remains on two prestigious victories to dismiss Stanford (#2), then Texas (#1).
– The duel: Kamilla Cardoso – River Baldwin
If North Carolina State relies above all on the rear Aziah Jamesone of the revelations of the season, to fuel the score (16.7 points), the game should pass largely inside.
Kamilla Cardoso is one of the main dangers of the championship in the low post, where she uses her 2m01 to dominate (14.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on average) and carry the attack of South Carolina. Baldwin will have a lot to do to limit the impact of its Brazilian counterpart. But she managed to slow down Cameron Brink, leader of Stanford, blocked at 13 points and exited prematurely for five faults.
– The number: 10
If South Carolina can maintain its pristine record through Sunday's final, the Gamecocks would become the tenth undefeated NCAA women's champion in a season. You have to go back to Breanna Stewart's Connecticut in 2016 to find traces of such a performance.
Connecticut (#3) – Iowa (#1) | Saturday, 3:30 a.m. (on BeIN Sports Max 5)
The comeback of the year against the player of the year, the poster could hardly be more promising. After winning the 2023 Finals rematch against LSU in the Elite Eight, Iowa will now look to give Caitlin Clark a college title as a parting gift.
For her last season before being the almost guaranteed first choice in the WNBA Draft, the best scorer in NCAA history can complete an even more historic exercise. But the Hawkeyes aren't infallible, especially when outside shots aren't falling. UConn, on the other hand, is almost untouchable when the attack is going: 25 victories for a single defeat when the Huskies score 75 points or more.
– The duel: Paige Bueckers – Caitlin Clark
After the distance clash between Clark and Angel Reese (LSU), the serial shooter will this time face an opponent more “on his scale”. Returning from a sleepless season after rupturing the cruciate ligaments in his knee, Paige Bueckers proved that she had lost none of her enormous talent. The back is his number one asset in attack (22 points at 53.4%, including 41.8% at 3-points) but also on the other side of the floor.
She could be sent on a mission to try to contain Caitlin Clark with her size and instinct (2.3 interceptions, 1.4 against at “only” 1m80). It will take at least that to face the one who is running at 32.2 points and 10 assists in this March Madness.
– The number: 2,323
That's the average dollar amount for a ticket to the semifinals, and it's largely thanks to Caitlin Clark. Behind the prowess of the double AP Player of the Year, the clash between Iowa and LSU in the previous round had set a historic audience record for a women's basketball match with 12.3 million viewers.
