The elite of the elite in ladies’s school basketball will arrive in Tampa, Florida later this week for the possibility to compete for a nationwide championship. The remaining discipline options three No. 1 seeds — UCLA, South Carolina and Texas — and arguably the game’s most-iconic program, No. 2 UConn.
It’s UCLA’s first-ever journey to the Last 4. The Bruins have misplaced simply two video games all season — each of them to JuJu Watkins-powered USC groups — and are right here after beating LSU within the Elite Eight behind spectacular performances from 6-foot-7 middle Lauren Betts and the sharpshooting Gabriela Jaquez.
Powered by SEC Participant of the Yr Madison Booker, Texas is without doubt one of the final 4 groups standing for the primary time since 2003. The Longhorns grinded down two high-scoring squads in Tennessee and TCU in Birmingham to make Vic Schaefer simply the fifth coach within the historical past of the game to succeed in a Last 4 with two totally different packages.
South Carolina survived two very totally different shut battles with Maryland and Duke to succeed in the Last 4 for the fifth consecutive season. MiLaysia Fulwiley saved the day for the Gamecocks in opposition to Maryland, whereas Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin stepped up late in opposition to an oppressive Blue Devils’ protection that held South Carolina to its lowest scoring complete of the season. Daybreak Staley’s crew is making an attempt to turn out to be the primary program to win back-to-back titles since UConn received 4 in a row with Breanna Stewart main the best way, the final of these coming in 2016.
That brings us to the Huskies, armed with a big-three of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Sturdy who’re making an attempt to finish Geno Auriemma’s nine-year nationwide championship drought. UConn’s street to attending to the Last 4 acquired simpler when USC’s Watkins suffered a season-ending harm within the second spherical of the event, however they nonetheless wanted a mixed 71 factors from Bueckers to win video games within the Candy 16 and Elite Eight.
These are the groups in Tampa. Let’s work out who has the very best shot to win all of it.
4. Texas
The Longhorns are actually good. A crew doesn’t get this far within the event with out being extraordinarily gifted.
However South Carolina has already overwhelmed the Longhorns twice this season in locations that weren’t Austin, Texas, and did so by snug margins. Groups coached by Schaefer are 15-4 all-time in opposition to groups coached by Staley. So, with all due respect to Booker, Rori Harmon, Kyla Oldacre and co. — we all know how this nationwide semifinal matchup goes to go, proper?
Sorry, however I simply don’t see Staley shedding to Schaefer on this huge of a stage.
If Texas does have one factor going for it, it’s the metrics. They’re third in Her Hoop Stats Ranking, nineteenth in efficient discipline objective protection and thirty fifth in rebounding. Earlier this season, we defined why these numbers are so essential.
3. South Carolina
In March, South Carolina is inevitable. However now it’s April. Are we positive the Gamecocks can hold beginning gradual and taking part in shut video games and hold getting away with it?
Texas is about to attempt to do what it did to South Carolina in Austin and what Duke did to South Carolina in Birmingham, which is to pack the paint, power turnovers, stifle Fulwiley and dare the Gamecocks to make 3-pointers persistently.
And maybe Texas isn’t able to undertaking this twice in a single season.
However these different two groups within the discipline — UCLA and UConn — each smacked the Gamecocks earlier this season. The Bruins beat the Gamecocks by 15 and the Huskies received by 29 in Columbia. If South Carolina beats Texas to advance to the title bout, the Huskies and Bruins received’t be scared.
2. UConn
It simply type of looks like UConn’s yr, proper?
Not solely do the Huskies have the very best all-around participant left on this event in Bueckers — the presumed No. 1 decide of the upcoming WNBA Draft — however in addition they have the very best freshman within the nation within the versatile Sarah Sturdy and arguably the highest shooter in Azzi Fudd. Round them are robust complimentary gamers in Kaitlyn Chen, Jana El Alfy and Ashlynn Shade.
Whereas UConn comfortably beat South Carolina earlier this season, the worrisome hurdle for the Huskies is the Last 4 matchup with UCLA, the place they’ll must grapple with Betts. UConn has had success in beating some groups armed with gifted facilities this yr, from Sania Feagin to Maria Gakdeng to Audi Crooks to Raegan Beers, however they haven’t confronted one as dominant as Betts.
For El Alfy and Sturdy, determining the best way to cease Betts can be an enormous check.
1. UCLA
These key stats I discussed earlier are on the Bruins’ facet as effectively. They’re fourth in Her Hoop Stats Ranking, fifth in efficient discipline objective protection, and fifth in rebounding. These, historical past has advised us, are the makings of a nationwide championship winner.
Couple that with the truth that UCLA has the very best submit participant on this event in Lauren Betts, who’s on an absolute tear, averaging 21.2 factors, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and three.7 blocks per recreation over her final seven contests.
Lots of occasions the crew with the very best huge taking part in effectively wins this factor. Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston are your most up-to-date Most Excellent Gamers on the Last 4. Betts may very well be subsequent.
