Women’s basketball to shine as Final Four puts spotlight on South Carolina vs. NC State and Iowa vs. UConn

Undefeated South Carolina faces determined NC State

I am just giddy over the basketball we will see today! Starting off, undefeated No. 1-overall seed South Carolina will face a determined No.3-seeded NC State. The Gamecocks haven’t lost a game this season, but they were undefeated last season too. That’s until they were upset in the Final Four by then-No. 3 Iowa. But the News and Observer says this might be coach Dawn Staley’s best year yet. So will history repeat itself with a Final Four loss to a three-seed? Here’s what NC State’s coach Wes Moore had to say about facing South Carolina.

And let’s not count out the Wolfpack either. NC State is having itself a year — with both men’s and women’s teams making the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

Here’s how to watch South Carolina vs. NC State, at 7 p.m. ET.

Is Iowa’s Caitlin Clark stoppable? Ask UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

Caitlin Clark is unreal, we’ve seen it. Most recently evidenced by the 41 points she dropped in the Elite 8. Not only has she earned our respect, but the respect of her peers for her game and her impact on the sport overall. But if anyone has Clark’s ticket punched, it’s UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

Officially, Clark has only lost on the court to Bueckers once — the Sweet Sixteen in 2020-21. Off the court, Bueckers was ranked above Clark as a high school recruit, and won the Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year over Clark as a true freshman.

But a lot has changed since then. Caitlin Clark is practically a household name and she’s not even a professional athlete yet. It would probably be faster to list the NCAA records Clark hasn’t broken. While both teams claim they aren’t focused on any sort of rivalry, one has to wonder.

Iowa’s Elite 8 defeat of national champion LSU broke TV viewership records, across multiple sports. Iowa vs. UConn tips off at 9 p.m. ET tonight.

The men’s Final Four tips off on Saturday.

Read the last edition of The Scorecard here.