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. 2 UCONN | STAT | No. 1 SC |
| Big East | Conference | SEC |
| 30-5 | Record | 33-2 |
| 74.8 (24th) | Points Per Game | 71.3 (31st) |
| 54.2 | Points Allowed Per Game | 51.7 |
| 0.6606 (4th) | RPI | 0.7122 (1st) |
| 11th | Strength of Schedule | 1st |
UCONN leaders:
- Christyn Williams, G, SR: 14.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG
- Paige Bueckers, G, SO: 14.7 points, 3.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 36.2% 3PT
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 -4
- SC Moneyline: -180
- LOU Moneyline: +155
- Over/Under: 125.5
- Over/Under Trends: Three of South Carolina’s NCAA tournament games have gone over this total; however, those three 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. Only two of UCONN’s games have gone over this total and their Final Four win over Stanford had a total of just 121.
The Pick
- The Gamecocks hang their hat on their defense. They were the 4th-best defense in the nation this year, allowing just 51.7 points on 33% shooting.
- On offense, the Gamecocks run most things through Aliyah Boston inside, which makes sense since Aaliyah Boston is one of the best players in college basketball, with a 14-win share rating this year, The Gamecocks take just 15.1 three-pointers per game, while the Huskies attempt2 20.5 threes a game and shoot it at 34.1%
- 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 Huskies to get much going inside, and the Huskies can be beaten down low, even though they did a good job with Cameron Brink on Friday.
- Despite the success of Aliyah Boston there are some people believe who that UCONN guard Paige Bueckers is the best individual player left in the tournament. Some of that may have to do with the display she put on against NC State, scoring 27 points on 10-15 from the field, which included a run in the second half where she hit eight consecutive shots and had Twitter going crazy. Although she’s become famous for her off-court marketing success, her recent play on the court has started to rise to the same level.
- Both teams can get a little careless with the ball, with the Huskies 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.
- The Huskies will need Bueckers and senior guard Christyn Williams to value possession if they want to win. Williams is quick and athletic but has had some issues with consistency that many have mentioned as potentially leading to a mid-teens selection in the WNBA Draft.
For more 2022 NCAA Tournament coverage, visit TailgateSports.com
