First look at South Carolina, 2024 women’s Final Four game schedule, top storylines

The final weekend of the women’s college basketball season is almost here.

The No. 1 and undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks have one last road trip — this time to Cleveland, Ohio — with the hopes to play two games and return to Columbia with another national championship trophy to their name.

All Final Four games will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The national championship game is Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. on ABC.

First up for South Carolina is a matchup Friday with N.C. State. Here’s what to expect from this weekend’s Final Four games:

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 NC State

When: Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN (Streaming on the ESPN app)

Series history: Friday’s Final Four game will be the 33rd meeting between these two schools. N.C. State has the 20-12 all-time advantage, with matchups dating back to December 1977 and the Gamecocks are 1-4 against the Wolfpack on neutral court. The last time USC saw N.C. State was in November 2021 in Raleigh, a 66-57 Gamecocks victory. South Carolina is 4-2 against the Wolfpack under coach Dawn Staley and 1-2 in the last three matchups.

——Three things to know about the matchup——

▪ Back to the Final Four (again): South Carolina has reached its sixth Final Four under Staley, and fourth straight appearance going back to the 2020-21 season.

▪ Avenging last season: The Gamecocks haven’t made it to the national championship game since winning it all in 2022. They lost to Iowa in last season’s Final Four.

▪ Wolfpack in the spotlight: N.C. State’s basketball programs have excelled in this year’s NCAA Tournaments, with Wes Moore’s team going from unranked to a Final Four appearance in back-to-back seasons. The Wolfpack won six of their last seven games, only losing to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament. The N.C. State men’s team, meanwhile, is representing the school this weekend in that Final Four in Phoenix.

No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 3 UConn

When: Friday, April 5 at 9:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN (Streaming on the ESPN app)

Series history: This will be the programs’ third historical matchup and the second time Iowa and UConn face off in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies hold the 2-0 series advantage, including an 86-79 win in Portland, Oregon on Nov. 27, 2022. All three matchups will have taken place at a neutral site.

——Three things to know about the matchup——

▪ Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers: Two of the biggest stars in the game will play head-to-head for the second time in their collegiate careers on Friday night. Clark, who’s averaged 32 points per game this season, hasn’t seen Bueckers since the two battled during that 2022 season.

▪ Shooting deep: Clark broke the NCAA record for most career 3-pointers during the Hawkeyes’ win over LSU on Monday, having made 540 in her career for 38%. She made nine triples in the Elite Eight matchup with the Tigers.

▪ Geno’s parade: UConn head coach Geno Auriemma advanced to his 23rd Final Four in his 39 seasons with the Huskies and first since the 2021-22 season. He’s in search of his 12th national championship at UConn.