Ladies’s March Insanity 2024: Reseeding match’s Ultimate 4

The Paige Bueckers vs. JuJu Watkins showdown lived as much as the hype. The LSU-Iowa rematch exceeded it. South Carolina held on to remain undefeated. NC State pulled one other upset.

Now the Ultimate 4 is about with storylines aplenty.

Caitlin Clark will likely be making an attempt so as to add to her already-mighty legacy by making an attempt to deliver Iowa its first nationwide title after falling only one sport quick a season in the past.

After lacking all of final season, Bueckers is again within the Ultimate 4 for the third time, trying to complete the job she wasn’t capable of in 2021 and 2022. UConn hasn’t received the title since 2016.

South Carolina does not have a star on the extent of Clark or Bueckers. The Gamecocks are extra of a collective — and there may not be a greater one among of sports activities. After taking an unblemished document into the Ultimate 4 a yr in the past, solely to see all of it finish to Clark and the Hawkeyes within the nationwide semifinals, South Carolina will likely be taking one other run to finish the right season.

NC State was the workforce that wasn’t presupposed to be right here, however the Wolfpack might need had the simplest journey. They only beat a No. 1 and No. 2 seed by double digits to achieve this system’s second Ultimate 4.

The subsequent few days could have loads of examination of those tales and plenty of extra, however right here is your first have a look at the Ultimate 4.

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Undefeated South Carolina advances to Ultimate 4

Tessa Johnson scores 15 factors, Kamilla Cardoso provides 12 and the Gamecocks advance to the Ultimate 4 for the fourth straight time with a 70-58 win over Oregon State.

No. 1 seeds

South Carolina Gamecocks
Authentic seed: No. 1 total (Area 1 in Albany)
NCAA match outcomes: Defeated 16-seed Presbyterian 91-39; defeated 8-seed North Carolina 88-41; defeated 4-seed Indiana 79-75; defeated 3-seed Oregon State 70-58

The Gamecocks are nonetheless No. 1 total regardless of the tense moments that they had in each regional video games. Undefeated is undefeated. Since their 29-point win over Notre Dame within the season opener in Paris, they’ve been thought-about the nation’s greatest and lived as much as that each flip — the shut name with Tennessee within the SEC match and the blown results in Indiana and Oregon State in Albany however. Coach Daybreak Staley and South Carolina stay the favourite to win their third nationwide title.

South Carolina by no means trailed towards the Hoosiers or Beavers. However issues in regards to the Gamecocks’ capacity to shut reemerged when a 22-point lead over Indiana shrunk to 2 within the fourth quarter and a 14-point lead dwindled to 4 within the last interval towards Oregon State. In each situations, South Carolina made an enormous play — a 3-pointer by Raven Johnson towards the Hoosiers and a three-point play by freshman Tessa Johnson towards the Beavers — to forestall both sport from getting any nearer and propel South Carolina to wins. Staley’s workforce has now proven a capability to overwhelm opponents and make a key play in crunch time. And the Gamecocks do not must depend on one particular person to do it. They’ve had 4 completely different main scorers in every match sport and have had 9 gamers rating in every of the previous three video games.

Up subsequent: 3-seed NC State (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Iowa Hawkeyes
Authentic seed: No. 1 (Area 2 in Albany)
NCAA match outcomes: Defeated Holy Cross 91-65; defeated West Virginia 64-54; defeated 5-seed Colorado 89-68; defeated 3-seed LSU 94-87

Solely an undefeated workforce retains the Hawkeyes from the highest of the record. Clark and the Hawkeyes have been that good in beating Colorado and LSU within the regionals. Clark averaged 30 factors within the two video games, together with a 41-point efficiency towards the Tigers in Monday’s rematch of final yr’s nationwide championship sport.

Iowa’s 91.5 factors per sport in Albany got here towards a pair of high 20-rated defenses. Clark’s 9 3-pointers tied the document for essentially the most in an NCAA match sport, however alongside the best way she additionally grew to become the all-time match chief in assists. Her 12 towards the Tigers helped Kate Martin (21 factors Monday vs. 13.1 PPG on the season) and Sydney Affolter (16 factors vs. 8.3 PPG on the season) rating properly above their season averages.

Not surprisingly, offense carries Iowa. However with Clark main the cost, the Hawkeyes aren’t only a good offense; they’re particular. They lead the nation in factors per play, factors per scoring try, 2-point discipline objective proportion, efficient discipline objective proportion and assists per sport. Most of which means the Hawkeyes aren’t simply prolific. They’re environment friendly.

Iowa did get beat up on the boards by LSU (54-36), however Clark’s 3-point taking pictures (9-for-20 towards the Tigers) can offset that. South Carolina is the one workforce left in Iowa’s attainable path that rebounds at an elite degree — and the Hawkeyes navigated the Gamecocks’ dimension in final yr’s nationwide semifinals.

Some credit score ought to go to Lisa Bluder and her changes at halftime. The Hawkeyes have been plus-19 within the third quarter through the regionals.

Up subsequent: 3-seed UConn (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET ESPN)

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UConn reaches document twenty third Ultimate 4 behind Bueckers’ 28-point night time

Paige Bueckers scores 28 factors to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists as UConn tops USC to achieve its twenty third Ultimate 4.

UConn Huskies
Authentic seed: No. 3 (Area 3 in Portland)
NCAA match outcomes: Defeated 14-seed Jackson State 86-64; defeated 6-seed Syracuse 72-64; defeated 7-seed Duke 53-45; defeated 1-seed USC 80-73

Geno Auriemma constructed the UConn program from the bottom up. He has received 11 nationwide championships. He has had 5 unbeaten seasons. However this may be his biggest teaching job but. UConn misplaced 5 gamers to damage this season, and each considered one of them would have performed a considerable function on this workforce.

The Huskies have used a six-player rotation since early January. Three of these six are freshmen. Bueckers, Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards all performed 40 minutes within the regional last win towards USC. Bueckers hasn’t left the court docket in three video games. Auriemma and his employees helped this workforce navigate by way of all of it to achieve this system’s twenty third Ultimate 4.

If Clark has been the No. 1 participant within the match, Bueckers is 1A. The sheer numbers aren’t as gaudy, however she has delivered in each method. Her 28 factors, 10 rebounds and 6 assists got here whereas she was requested to protect Watkins for giant components of the sport. Bueckers has three double-doubles in 4 match video games and has shot 51.1% from the sphere.

In keeping with HerHoopStats.com, she has been essentially the most environment friendly participant per minute and has essentially the most defensive wins shares for the reason that begin of March Insanity. With what she’s doing at each ends of the court docket, at 5-foot-11 rebounding like a WNBA energy ahead, maybe Bueckers takes the crown as the very best all-around participant within the match.

Up subsequent: 1-seed Iowa (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

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NC State rides scorching first half to Ultimate 4 berth

Aziaha James’ 5 first-half 3s energy the Wolfpack to their second Ultimate 4 berth at school historical past.

NC State Wolfpack
Authentic seed: No. 3 (Area 4 in Portland)
NCAA match outcomes: Defeated 14-seed Chattanooga 64-45; defeated 6-seed Tennessee 79-72; defeated 2-seed Stanford 77-67; defeated 1-seed Texas 76-66

Raleigh is now the centerpiece of the basketball universe with the Wolfpack’s unbelievable spot within the Ultimate 4, this system’s first since its lone look in 1998, and the Eleventh-seeded males’s workforce’s much more unlikely journey to the ultimate weekend of the season.

The ladies entered the NCAA match with a sputtering offense. The Wolfpack averaged 58.0 PPG within the three video games previous to March Insanity. Of their previous three video games within the NCAA match, the Wolfpack scored 77.3 PPG. That got here towards the Thirty fourth- (Tennessee), eighth- (Stanford) and third-rated (Texas) defenses within the nation, based on HerHoopStats.com. No matter swap Wes Moore flipped has labored. Solely the subsequent opponent, South Carolina, has averaged extra from the second spherical by way of the regionals. The massive purpose for the turnaround? Aziaha James. Her taking pictures (7-for-9 on 3-pointers) was the chief purpose for the upset of the Longhorns. She’s averaging 24.3 PPG within the NCAA match after producing 15.8 PPG through the season.

NC State is the third No. 3 seed or decrease to achieve the Ultimate 4 since 2017, becoming a member of LSU and Arizona. Sure, the Tigers received the title final yr as a 3-seed. However the Wolfpack’s run this yr has maybe been extra spectacular. They needed to beat the highest-seeded opponent attainable in every spherical, topping No. 6 Tennessee, No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas. LSU throughout final yr’s championship run beat No. 2 seed Utah and No. 9 seed Miami within the regionals, whereas Arizona confronted a No. 2 in Texas A&M and No. 4 Indiana on its solution to the Ultimate 4.

Up subsequent: 1-seed South Carolina (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)