by At 3:00 the College basketball world is set on a collision course between two teams on a historical season. With a win, South Carolina will etch its name into the history of the sport, making them one of the very best team to compete. The gamecocks have won 79 of their last 80 games they played. That one loss came to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in last year’s final four matchup.
South Carolina depicts true team play in every way, Kamilla Cardoso may be the star for the Gamecocks but it’s everyone around her who has helped make this team so dominant. The addition of transfer from Oregon Te-Hina Paopao, the physical play from Ashlyn Watkins, and smart guard play from Raven Johnson and Bree Hall. All nine players in the rotation contributed to all 36 wins.
Iowa has a great roster of their own, this team depends on their starters heavily compared to South Carolina. All five starters obtained over 37 minutes of play, Caitlin Clark played all 40 minutes in Fridays win over UConn. A stellar performance from Clark will be necessary for Iowa to overcome the deep roster of South Carolina. The key for Iowa will be the defensive play for Sophomore Forward Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke performed well against UConn for 23 points and a strong defensive presence in the paint. She will need more than three rebounds against the 6’7 Kamilla Cardoso who managed 22 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes of play after leaving the game against NC State early with a lower body injury.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has proved herself as a top tier coach in college basketball as she continues to lead the Gamecocks to the final four and anticipating on winner her third national championship with the Gamecocks. Last time these two teams played Clark scored 41 points in a final four win. Dawn Staley has had a almost a year to prepare for Iowa and Clark, as the implications for this game are much higher than last season.
It doesn’t matter if you root for Iowa, South Carolina, or any of the other teams that failed to make it to the very end. Today marks a new high point for Women’s basketball, Today’s national title game is expected to have over 20 million viewers and beating the Men’s national championship game. If this can be achieved, it will be the third straight game that has beat every NBA Finals game over the last seven years (facts and statistics from Joe Pompliano).
No matter who raises the trophy tonight the real winner is Women’s sports as a whole and the future of Female athletes across the country. Many of these players you have seen over the past month have put their names into the WNBA draft while others will be returning to college basketball. The WNBA will be adding new stars to their ranks while College basketball intends on keeping its momentum with it’s biggest names and brands returning. The game has been entertaining for years, now the sport has the world watching while the biggest star in the game in Caitlin Clark takes on the best team the sport has possible ever seen.
