South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley celebrates cutting the net after their win against LSU in an NCAA college basketball game at the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament final Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chris Carlson/AP
T
he field is set, and anyone hoping for a Caitlin Clark show in the NCAA Tournament final better brace themselves.
For the first time since 1992, the Hawkeyes earned a No. 1 seed, and their prize is a spot in the toughest regional in the bracket.
Lisa Bluder’s team shocked many last year when the Hawkeyes made it to the Final Four, where they took down the goliath that was Dawn Staley’s top-seeded South Carolina. But this year, Iowa’s road to the Final Four likely will require either a title rematch against No. 3 seed LSU or a battle against No. 2 seed UCLA.
Both have an inside game that will challenge Iowa. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke has stepped in to fill the interior-defense void left by the loss of Monika Czinano, but she’ll have her hands full with LSU’s Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow or UCLA’s Lauren Betts.
For the fourth consecutive year, South Carolina has earned a No. 1
seed. This year, it did it with an improved three-point shooting percentage and seven players averaging over eight points. Only nine teams in the last 41 years of Division I women’s basketball have capped perfect seasons with a title. Six of those belong to UConn.
But this isn’t last year. While many would have pegged a team led by WNBA rookie of the year Aliyah Boston as the one capable of accomplishing such a feat, Staley’s 2023-24 team is even more battle-tested, despite its inexperience.
Transfer guard Te-Hina Paopao is the only player on South Carolina’s team with experience starting in a tournament game.
While some might think that’s a problem, a look back at South Carolina’s buzzer-beating victory against Tennessee in the SEC semifinal is an indication of how prepared Staley’s team is to handle tough tournament moments.
“The standard is the standard,” Staley said during ESPN’s bracket-reveal broadcast. “The players prior to this years team, prior to last years team, you go all the way back, there’s a standard that we play by on both sides of the basketball.”
When the confetti falls in Cleveland, expect Staley to be underneath it celebrating her program’s third NCAA title.