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The women’s Final Four is set to take place this weekend.
It will be without some of the usual suspects. Traditional powerhouses UConn, Baylor and Stanford fell short of the final weekend this season.
The overall No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks (36-0) will take on the No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (30-6) in one national semifinal. The second national semifinal will feature No. 1 seed Virginia Tech (31-4) against the No. 3 seed LSU Tigers (32-2).
Both semifinals will take place in Dallas, Texas, on Friday.
Virginia Tech and LSU will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ESPN. LSU is minus-2 point favorites.
South Carolina and Iowa will begin following the first game at approximately 9:30 pm EDT and will also air on ESPN. The Gamecocks are minus-12 point favorites.
The two winners will square off in Dallas on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
How has each Final Four team performed this season and what are their chances of winning?
No. 1 seed South Carolina
South Carolina is undefeated at 36-0. They are attempting to repeat as national champion after winning the school's second title in 2022. They are led by All-American Aliyah Boston, who is averaging 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. This is the fifth Final Four for coach Dawn Staley, and all five (including the 2017 national title) came at South Carolina.
No. 2 seed Iowa
Iowa is making its first Final Four since 1993, and only its second overall in program history. The Hawkeyes, who returned all five starters from last season, won the Big Ten Conference Tournament this season. They are led by National Player of the Year candidate Caitlin Clark.
Clark is one of the best shooters in women’s college basketball history. She is averaging 27.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. She is shooting 47.4%, including 39.2% from 3-point range.
No. 3 seed LSU
LSU is led by legendary coach Kim Mulkey. The Lady Tigers' two losses came from South Carolina and Tennessee. Mulkey has won three national titles, all at Baylor. This is her fifth Final Four as a coach, and the first with LSU. This is LSU's sixth Final Four.
No. 1 seed Virginia
Virginia Tech advanced to the first Final Four in program history. It is only the second time the Hokies have ever advanced past the second round. Virginia Tech is led by coach Kenny Brooks, who was previously at James Madison.
