2022 NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four: Louisville Cardinals vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
How to Watch:
- Date: Friday, April 1
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 1 LOU | STAT | No. 1 SC |
| ACC | Conference | SEC |
| 29-4 | Record | 33-2 |
| 72.2 (29th) | Points Per Game | 71.3 (31st) |
| 55.0 | Points Allowed Per Game | 51.7 |
| 0.6569 (5th) | RPI | 0.7122 (1st) |
| 33rd | Strength of Schedule | 1st |
Louisville leaders:
- Hailey Van Lith, G, SO: 14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 36.4% 3PT
- Emily Engstler, F, SR: 11.8 points, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1.8 BPG
South Carolina leaders:
- Aliyah Boston, F, JR: 16.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 54.2% FG
- Destanni Henderson, G, SR: 11.1 points, 3.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, 38.9% 3PT
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- Spread: SC -8
- SC Moneyline: -365
- LOU Moneyline: +280
- Over/Under: 121.5
- Over/Under Trends: Two of South Carolina’s NCAA tournament games have gone over this total; however, those two were the most recent games. The two games in the NCAA tournament where South Carolina was involved in a game that didn’t cover this spread were in the first two rounds where opponents combined to score just 54 points against the Gamecocks. Three of Louisville’s games in the NCAA tournament have gone over this total, with the only one that failed to go over their last game in the Elite Eight against Michigan.
The Pick
- The Gamecocks remain the favorite to win the NCAA tournament; however, their odds have gone from -150 before the tournament started to +160 entering the Final Four. Still, they have the best defense remaining in the tournament and were the 4th-best defense in the nation this year, allowing just 51.7 points on 33% shooting.
- Both of these teams like to play inside, with the Gamecocks taking just 15.1 three-pointers per game, while the Cardinals take 16.8. That makes sense since two of the best players on the court are inside scorers. Aaliyah Boston is one of the best players in college basketball, with a 14-win share rating this year, while Emily Engstler is a likely top-10 pick in the WNBA draft.
- However, Engstler will have her work cut out for her since Boston is one of the best interior defenders in the country and finished 15th in the nation with 2.5 blocks per game. Her 12.2 rebounds per game also ranked 5th in the country, so it will be tough for the Cardinals to get much going inside, but they will need to if they want to pull out a win.
- Both teams can get a little careless with the ball, with the Cardinals averaging 14.4 turnovers a game, and the Gamecocks giving it away 14.6 times, so the team that can limit the mistakes will give itself a big leg up; however, this would seem to favor the Gamecocks’ stifling defense.
For more 2022 NCAA Tournament coverage, visit TailgateSports.com
