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Morry Gash / Associated Press
UConn will make its 13th consecutive appearance in the Final Four of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, while Arizona participates for the first time in the program’s history.
But which other two teams will join the Huskies and Wildcats to keep their dreams of playing in a national championship alive?
On Tuesday, Elite Eight’s last two fights will take place in San Antonio. No. 1 in South Carolina will face No. 6 in Texas, while No. 1, Stanford, will face No. 2 in Louisville.
The Huskies kept their Final Four streak alive by defeating No. 2 Baylor 69-67 on Monday. Then, the Wildcats joined them in the national semifinals by defeating No. 4 Indiana 66-53.
It is possible that Arizona is the only non-No. 1 seed in the Final Four, in case South Carolina and Stanford get there with victories.
Here’s a look at Tuesday’s schedule, along with the odds and predictions for both games.
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Eric Gay / Associated Press
No. 1 South Carolina (-6.5) vs. No. 6 Texas, 7:00 pm Eastern Time, ESPN
No. 1 Stanford (-9.5) vs. No. 2 Louisville, 9:00 pm ET, ESPN
Bold choices against spread. Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Eric Gay / Associated Press
At the end of the regular season, South Carolina suffered three losses in seven games, including the final. So Gamecocks put things back on track, and they are on the rise during the tournament game.
They defeated Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia to win the SEC tournament, which opened the NCAA tournament with victories over No. 16 Mercer, No. 8 Oregon State and No. 5 Georgia Tech. They have won each of the last three games by at least 11 points.
But if South Carolina wants to continue its race, it will have to go to sixth place in Texas, which comes from a big victory over second place in Maryland. The Longhorns beat Terrapins 64-61 in Sweet 16, after opening the tournament with wins over No. 11 Bradley and No. 3 UCLA.
It was an impressive display for Texas after losing three of the five games before the tournament, which included a loss to Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament. However, South Carolina will be the toughest opponent it has ever faced.
The two main coaches in this match are very familiar. Dawn Staley of South Carolina has faced Vic Schaefer of Texas quite a bit in the past, as this was the head coach in the State of Mississippi (one of the SEC rivals of the Gamecocks) from 2012-20.
“We had our battles at the SEC, and Vic did a great job in Texas in his first year to get to this point,” said Staley, according to ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel. “It’s probably a great thing to have some familiarity with Texas and Vic, especially at this stage, because you have a day to prepare. He’s trying to trick us, and we’re trying to get over him.”
Although it may be a competitive game at first, South Carolina has enough talent to not only win, but also by at least seven points to make up the difference. Gamecocks will continue to count on the talented guard trio Zia Cooke (15.6 points per game), striker Aliyah Boston (13.9) and playmaker Júnior Destanni Henderson (12.0).
It will be the third time that South Carolina will reach the Four Finals in the program’s history, with the first two being in 2015 and 2017.
Prediction: South Carolina 78, Texas 68
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Morry Gash / Associated Press
Stanford was very successful with trainer Tara VanDerveer. Since 2008, the cardinal has reached the quarterfinals seven times, with his last appearance in 2017.
And there’s a big chance that Stanford will be back there this year. But first, he needs to overcome a significant challenge at Elite Eight, where he faces No. 2 Louisville, who lost just three games this season and defeated No. 15 Marist, No. 7 Northwest and No. 6 Oregon to get up to this point .
Meanwhile, the Cardinal is 28-2 this season, opening the NCAA tournament with victories over No. 16 Utah Valley, No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Missouri State. They have won each of these three games by at least 11 points and have not suffered a defeat since January 22, registering 17 consecutive wins in this match.
“They want to play together, they want to continue,” said VanDerveer, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press. “The teams that go the extra mile are the ones that just don’t want it to end.”
While Louisville is a solid team, Stanford is a favorite with 9.5 points for this match. And this is because it has been almost unbeatable this season, especially in the last two months, which led him to receive first place in the overall ranking for this tournament.
Do not wait for the Cardinal to slow down now. They have a balanced line-up, with four players averaging double digits, including senior point guard Kiana Williams, with 14.5 points. So while Louisville could keep things closed early, Stanford will probably be late.
As soon as the cardinal reaches the Final Four, it is possible that he will have to beat two other seeds first (South Carolina and UConn) to win the national title. But they will at least have an opportunity to try to do that.
Prediction: Stanford 74, Louisville 62
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