(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)
The Final Four is officially here. If the phenomenal Elite Eight was any indication, we’re in for a special weekend in Cleveland.
Every game was tightly contested. Players stepped up on the biggest stage of their young careers, thriving in ultimate moments. This is what the game is about, as the star players battled. There was so much more than just one-on-one play, particularly on defense, but watching UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins go against each other was amazing. You yearn for moments like that, and this won’t be the last time in their basketball careers that we see them match up.
NC State, a team that wasn’t ranked before the season, earned its way to the first Final Four the program has been to since 1998. Iowa beat LSU in a classic rematch with Caitlin Clark advancing the Hawkeyes back to the Final Four. South Carolina sophomore Ashlyn Watkins dominated against Oregon State, one of the more impressive individual bounce-back games we’ve seen.
This is what March is about. The very best write their stories; all the work of the past season and past years…
