The women’s NCAA Tournament has been filled with excitement and intrigue. The LSU-Iowa showdown in the Elite Eight had all the embellishments of a national championship classic. Star players, storylines, stuffed stat boxes — what more could we want? Well, luckily, we’re not done yet.
The Final Four features two No. 1 seeds, the blueblood of women’s basketball and an underdog. Cleveland will showcase Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, undefeated South Carolina and the don’t-count-us-out Wolfpack. Let the countdown begin.
What should you know? Who’s going to win? Here are our breakdowns and predictions.
7 p.m. (ET) Friday │ ESPN
Aziaha James joked Sunday in Portland that nobody knew her name when she came to NC State from Virginia Beach, Va., as a true freshman two years ago. “But you know my name now,” she playfully said to reporters. “So you’ve seen how I’ve grown.”
NC State was picked to finish eighth in the ACC this season. None of its players was named to the preseason All-ACC team.
James now has led them to the Final Four for the first time since 1998. She saved her very best basketball for last and has been a bona fide superstar for the Wolfpack this tournament, scoring at least 22 points in each of her last three games. She dropped 29 and a logo 3 when…
