-
Charlie KarimESPN.com
The 2023 girls’s last would possibly sound just a little acquainted: Three of the 4 groups based mostly in Minneapolis additionally made it to the ultimate weekend a 12 months in the past. Additionally acquainted: Three of the 4 groups ranked first within the fifth consecutive match. The Stanford Cardinal are the defending champions. The South Carolina Gamecocks are the No. 1 workforce within the 2023-22 wire-to-wire sport within the nation. The UConn Huskies are making their 14th look of their fourth consecutive Closing. And the Louisville Cardinals, the workforce that wasn’t in San Antonio this previous March, are making their fourth journey to the Nationwide Semifinals.
All 4 groups herald loads of star energy: Alia Boston of South Carolina; Haley Jones and Cameron Brink of Stanford; Huge Bakers at Ocon; and Hailey Van Leith from Louisville. However their protection is what obtained all of them right here. Her 4 hoops stats rank among the many prime six defensive groups within the nation. Factors shall be at a premium. The primary one out of 65 wins, then?
This is a take a look at how the 4 groups plan to elevate the championship trophy Sunday evening on the Purpose Heart. The Girls’s Closing 4 kicks off Friday on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Purpose to get excited: After 14 video games this season, Van Leyth is 25.0% of three taking pictures factors and has extra spins than assists. She is now the primary Louisville participant to play in 4 consecutive 20-point video games within the NCAA Championship. Van Leyth’s enthusiasm and pleasure over the Cardinal’s success was one of many tales of heroism. Most significantly, her rating holds the assault of her workforce.
Purpose for concern: Emily Engstler is the Swiss Military Knife of faculty basketball. Her means to guide the press, have steals (six in opposition to Michigan), take photographs (1.8 BPG this season) and bounce in a double-digit clip (11.0 RPG within the match) is outstanding. She’s the second singles defensive participant within the nation, based on her hoops stats. However in two of Louisville’s previous three video games, Engstler’s firing has been horrible. The mix of 4 of twenty-two in opposition to Gonzaga and Michigan helped preserve the 2 groups of their video games in opposition to the Cardinal for longer than they need to.
The Cardinals would win if… They’ll discover some constant offenses exterior of Van Leith. Coach Jeff Walz is aware of his protection will repay, so he stated if his workforce can get to 70 factors, he’ll be snug. Louisville has achieved that quantity solely twice within the championship to date, a type of situations in opposition to Albany. Doing that in opposition to South Carolina within the Nationwide Semi-Closing appears unlikely, but when Engstler or Keanna Smith have a very good taking pictures evening, annoyance will turn out to be useful.
2:05
Monica McNutt and J.J. Redick share who they assume will lower the online in Minneapolis.
Purpose to get excited: It is a scary good defensive workforce. South Carolina leads the state in opponents’ discipline objectives proportion, efficient discipline objectives proportion and factors per sport. After forcing out all these missed photographs, the Gamecocks are the nation’s finest defensive rebounder in addition to the perfect at ensuring there aren’t any second possibilities for the opposite workforce. The match’s prime two opponents – Howard and Miami – mixed to attain simply 54 factors, and the Gamecocks shed 41.3 factors on common in 4 video games. Coach Daybreak Staley acknowledged publicly in the course of the match that her assault did not weigh her down however that her protection would journey anyplace and nonetheless look nice. It’s positional.
Purpose for concern: taking pictures. Nearly as good as their protection is, if the Gamecocks do not make a minimum of some jumpers, they’re in peril. The 30.8% common grew to become 3-point worse within the NCAA Championship (26.1%). Future Henderson lastly discovered her clot within the Elite Eight in opposition to Creighton; If you happen to convey her to Minneapolis, South Carolina, she will be able to lower the nets.
Gamecocks will win if… Boston will get the contact ups. South Carolina’s plans work finest when their teammates get the ball on the submit – like they did in opposition to Creighton. Towards North Carolina, she took it upon herself to go to the offensive boards, to carry out 28 factors, 22 rebounds (12 of them offensive). There may be numerous scoring expertise on this South Carolina workforce, however none of them have been credible to make a return to the SEC Championship.
1:27
Three gamers rating in double digits for Stanford in a 59-50 victory over Texas.
Purpose to get excited: The Cardinal has an opportunity to defend his title with two of the highest three gamers within the Closing 4: Jones and Brink. Jones is a 6-foot-1 level guard who’s equal elements a blinding passer-by and a fierce second. Brink is a 6-foot-5 energy ahead with tender palms, agile toes and fierce instincts to dam photographs. They’re school basketball unicorns, gifted in probably the most distinctive methods.
Purpose for concern: Nearly as good and spectacular as this 23-game successful streak is coming to the Closing 4, the Cardinal has lulls, typically massive ones. Their assault seemed misplaced firstly of the regional last in opposition to Texas. Within the last quarter of the sport earlier than that, in opposition to Maryland, one coach, Tara Vanderveer, stated she could not even focus on it within the media. Whether or not it is the utterly unresolved cash turnover points (20 vs. Texas and 18 vs. Maryland), the chilly ocean taking pictures (23.6% on 3 indices within the Spokane regional space) or the deadly Brink downside, Stanford stays susceptible to any of this stuff. Heaps to beat in opposition to elite competitors in Minneapolis.
The Cardinal will win if… The ball is transferring on the assault. Monitor the goal-to-assistance ratio at Stanford College. When the tailgate items click on and the ball shortly adjustments sides of the sector, the Cardinal’s assault is each lethal and a factor of magnificence. Nonetheless, they do have moments after they relaxation simply for 3 seconds or have to have interaction in single drives. They would not win the nationwide title that means.
Purpose to get excited: 14 straight into the fourth last is an effective begin. On condition that eight gamers have missed a minimum of two video games this season via harm or sickness – which prompted coach Gino Orima to make use of 11 completely different beginning lineups – this race could also be extra satisfying than the earlier 13. Participant of the Yr within the Bridgeport Regional Closing in opposition to NC State with a rating 27 factors – 15 of which got here in time beyond regulation – for the primary time since injuring a knee in December is another excuse to be optimistic that UConn can win its first Nationwide Championship since. 2016.
Purpose for concern: Durka Wehch suffered a serious wrist harm within the first half in opposition to Wolfpack, which is able to preserve the 6-foot-4 frontrunner out for the rest of the championship. With out her, Aaleh Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa are the one two adults who’ve Orima at his disposal. Taking part in in opposition to NC State’s Elisa Konani, Edwards fouled and Nelson Ododa performed the fourth quarter and time beyond regulation with 4 faults, a state of affairs that was clearly dominated out of Nelson Ododa’s defensive aggressiveness. The entrance line at Stanford is even larger. Edwards and Nelson Ododa should each keep on the bottom in order that each huskies compete on the within.
Husky will win if… Azzi Meals continues to be concerned on this. Auriemma clearly trusts his new bodyguard. Fad performed 49 minutes in opposition to North Carolina State. She additionally shoved, handed and shot with as a lot confidence as she has finished all season. Group UConn does not have as a lot room for error as a few of its older groups, so Bueckers and Christyn Williams can even must be simply pretty much as good, or higher, to beat the Cardinal for a spot within the Nationwide Closing.
