2022 Women’s Four Finals – First look at the four teams heading to Minneapolis

The fourth round of the 2022 women’s final has been set. The three No. 1 seeds are on their way to Minneapolis. And after a double-running horror movie in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the second seed UConn Huskies will participate South Carolina Gamecocks, Cardinal Stanford and Louisville Cardinals in the national semi-final.

Huskies who beat the top seed NC State Wolfpack on Monday, qualifying for the 14th consecutive Finals. South Carolina is devastated Creighton on Sunday for a second straight trip – fulfilling the Bluejays’ Cinderella dream in the process – while defending national champion Stanford took the win first. Texas Longhorns. Also on Monday, Louisville withdrew from the upper stretch Michigan Wolverines to reach the first Finals round since 2018.

Each team brings plenty of talent and intriguing storylines to the table. South Carolina will appear for the fourth time in seven years. As the top AP ranked team in the world, the Gamecocks were the favorites to lift the trophy for most of the season. Louisville is the number 1 seed who considers himself unlucky. Stanford has dominated the league and delivered monstrous depth. UConn is the team that has historically made the list of all-time favorites, but this season is a different story.

Who will lift the trophy is anyone’s guess, but the matches look delicate.

The final four tips Friday, with South Carolina v Louisville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Stanford v UConn (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

UConn Huskies
Record 2021-22: 29-5
The last four occurrences: 21
Championship: 11 (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

UConn won the ticket to the 14th Finals in a row with a thrill Victory in overtime 91-87 on NC State. If there’s one word that describes the Huskies’ season, it’s resilience. Facing a combination of injuries and illnesses that affect many of its key players, this UConn team is a far cry from the teams that have run hard through the Big East without playing a single game. Whether that resilience will be enough to bring the Huskies to their first championship game since 2016 is the question.

Leading the Huskies is the second year guard Paige Bueckers. After missing 19 games with a tibial plateau injury and meniscus tear, the Bueckers returned to form against NC State with 27 points. She is the engine for UConn. But Huskies have also seen important contributions from freshmen Azzi Fudd and high end Christyn Williams. Although their offensive behavior is primarily against Wolfpack, there are points where the Huskies revert to “Paige watching”, which makes them feel amused.

UConn also probably won’t have a core player moving forward, because Dorka Juhasz left the match against the Elite Eight in the second half with a wrist injury. Her recovery time is unknown, but if she doesn’t make it to the Final Four, UConn will be missing a key competitor to help the Huskies prolong the ring. Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa do not. Juhasz’s absence will certainly make UConn more difficult, but the Huskies have battled challenging situations throughout the season.

Unlike last season, when the Huskies were favored to advance to the championship match, this year’s UConn proved to be a bit underdog. It’s an alien feeling in a place familiar to this show. – Barnes

Next: versus Stanford (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

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Geno Auriemma shares his thoughts on Paige Bueckers and UConn reaching their 14th consecutive Finals.

Louisville Cardinals

Record 2021-22: 29-4
The last four occurrences: 4
Championship: 0

If one team can turn a poor story from the 1st seed, the Cardinals certainly have. They used the ‘nobody’s talking about us’ story as motivation for the first two weeks of the tournament. They probably won’t have to stop.

With UConn reaching their 14th consecutive Finals, Stanford as the defending champions and South Carolina as the favorites throughout the season, much of the attention on the Finals is likely to shift. to another place. That’s not to say the Cardinals can’t make the top payout Friday night.

If they do, the defense will be the driving force, like the whole season. On Monday, Michigan at one point seemed helpless against Louisville’s defense in the Wichita Area final. The Wolverines kept staring at the shortening shot meter and only scored one point in the final 6:40 of the game.

Louisville only allowed over 70 points twice all season. And that’s why coach Jeff Walz preached that if his fouls could reach 70, he would give his team a chance. Given that the Cardinals have scored multiple goals only once in the league makes their streak even more impressive. But Louisville will need someone other than Hailey Van Lith to provide consistent offense. Van Lith, who struggled in the first half of the season, is now a star. She became the first Louisville player to score at least 20 points in four consecutive NCAA games with 22 points in the Elite Eight. Chelsie Hall and Kianna Smith both hit double the number of Wolverines, which especially helped in the first half. If Emily Engstlerwho plays in defensive midfield and does everything else (16 rebounds, six steals, four assists but only five points ahead of Michigan), can find her shot, up 70 come true Again.

However, an even tougher task with the nation’s best defense in South Carolina awaits. If so far the weak role has worked, Louisville should enjoy it again. South Carolina will be favored and receive more attention. – Charlie Creme

Next: vs. South Carolina (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

South Carolina Gamecocks
Record 2021-22: 33-2
The last four occurrences: 4
Championship: 1 (2017)

South Carolina was back in the Final Four, the school’s second in a row and fourth under coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks have made it to the Finals four of four of the past seven seasons and they’re one step closer to revenge for last season’s loss in the national semi-finals. Throughout this year’s tournament, questions surrounding South Carolina have been focused on the team’s offense. The Gamecocks are averaging 69.3 points in their four March Madness games, 1.6 points below their season average. According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, South Carolina’s regular-season average is 70.8 points, ranked 58th in Division I, and since 2000, no national champion has stood out. top 25 for scores, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

If South Carolina goes against that trend, it will rely on the strength of the defence. In the second round, the Gamecocks picked up just 49 points, but they held Miami to 33. And South Carolina could be equally devastating across the board. Against Creighton in the Elite Eight, South Carolina won £20 more than the Bluejays, and that translated into 15 second-chance points compared to Creighton’s four.

However, in the end, how is the national player of the year expected Aliyah Boston the plays that would determine South Carolina’s prospects. When Boston gets her punches in, she changes the game for South Carolina offensively, and she also has a huge impact on defence. That’s why she’s the only player on the shortlist for both National Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Supporting cast of Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal and Victaria Saxton Stepping up and taking advantage of the opportunities created by Boston’s tight defense will likely make all the difference to the Gamecocks’ championship prospects.

Sometimes their ability to win the game, no matter what their shape, is what makes a champion. And South Carolina – this season’s No. 1 AP team – have proven they can win almost any way necessary. – Katie Barnes

Next: against Louisville (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Cardinal Stanford
Record 2021-22: 32-3
The last four occurrences: 15
Championship: 3 (1990, 1992, 2021)

Cameron Brink That’s not why Stanford won the national championship last year. She could be this year. Brink changes who Cardinal is from game to game, even quarter to quarter.

A good defensive team becomes great. A versatile lineup becomes unmatched. That’s why coach Tara VanDerveer tackles Brink and his propensity to foul with baby gloves. Coaches need the 6-foot-4 sophomore on the floor at the most crucial moments.

Sunday’s Spokane regional final featured many of them, and Brink participated in most. After fighting for the lead in the first half – Brink was benched most of the second half with two fouls – Cardinal broke out to start the third round, led by Brink. Her five quick points propelled Stanford to regain command. Minutes later, when Texas’ dribbles became too much for the Cardinal defense to handle, VanDerveer reached a rarely used area and invited the Longhorns to throw the ball over the post. She wants the Longhorns’ Lauren Ebo and Aaliyah Moore to confront Brink directly. They can not. Three Brink blocks later and Texas had to switch to a different plan. Brink single-handedly forced the Longhorns to adopt a new strategy. She scored all of her 10 points in the third inning and blocked three of her six shots as Stanford took a five-point lead in the final 10 minutes.

Brink is Stanford’s top scorer and assist and Pac-12 defensive player of the year, but mostly she’s the X-factor of all X-factors. Most nights, she’s He wasn’t even Cardinal’s best player but instead, the secret sauce VanDerveer used to make the meal taste good and pray trouble didn’t spoil it. According to Her Hoops Stats, Brink ranks third in the nation in win rate per 40 minutes. That Brink’s 23rd overall win rate underscores the importance of her presence on the court.

Anna Wilson and Lexie Hull could defend more aggressively when Brink was behind them, and the defence was indeed what turned some early-season disappointments into a 23-game winless streak. Brink offers an equally unique player in Haley Jones – a point guard averaging 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists and last season’s Player of the Year in the Quarterfinals – the perfect landing spot for her stellar passing skills.

VanDerveer generally manages Brink’s foul or the likelihood of it occurring excellently. In the end, there’s only so much a coach can do. Brink will stay in court or not. If she does, Brink will be the toughest one-on-one match – outside of South Carolina’s Boston – at either end of the field in Minneapolis, and Stanford will be in the lead for a second straight championship. – Creme

Next: versus UConn (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)