Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes will take on Kamilla Cardoso and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks for the NCAA Women’s championship, in what is sure to be a thriller on Sunday afternoon. Let’s take a look at the Women’s National Championship preview, picks, and best bets.
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Women’s National Championship Preview, Picks, and Best Bets
Friday night’s Final Four matches were exciting ones, setting the stage for a huge game on Sunday. North Carolina State was hanging in with South Carolina exchanging blows in the first half only trailing by one at the halftime break.
The Gamecocks took over in the second half pulling away from the Wolfpack and leaving no doubt this team deserved a shot at the National championship. The final score read 78-59 as South Carolina improved to 37-0 on the season.
Iowa and UConn were billed as one of the biggest women’s basketball games in history. It lived up to all the hype. The Huskies came out swinging on defense and locking down the all-time leading scorer (Men’s and Women’s) in NCAA basketball history. Clark went 0-6 from three-point range and scored just six points.
As greatness does, Clark came out in the second half a new woman. She hit a three early into the third period followed by a four-point play to close the gap to one. Clark would end up with 21 points and Hannah Stuelke showed up big time with 23 points and a 75% field goal percentage.
Up one point with 10 seconds left, Iowa turned the ball over and UConn had their chance. Aaliyah Edward was called for a controversial offensive foul while setting a screen with 3.9 seconds left and the Hawkeyes won the game 71-69.
It all sets up the national championship game on a big stage on Sunday, April 7th, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC. South Carolina is favored by 6.5 points (-110 either way). Iowa is +240 on the money line to win outright and the total is set at 159.5 points (-110).
Iowa +6.5 (-110) and Moneyline (+240)
I believe in fairytales, I believe in big storylines and most importantly I believe in Caitlin Clark. There’s no doubt this is one of the toughest matchups this Iowa Hawkeyes team has seen. South Carolina is the definition of a team and has proved how well they play together entering this game 37-0.
It’s a tail as old as time though, David vs Goliath, the New York Giants vs the undefeated New England Patriots. When it comes down to the biggest moment, it only takes putting one game together to get it done. Caitlin Clark is no doubt the leader of this team as the greatest scorer college basketball has ever seen, but her supporting cast has also helped put her here.
Hannah Stuelke showed up big time against UConn in the Final Four, and Kate Martin put up 21 in their big game against LSU in the Elite Eight. Sydney Affolter averages 6.5 rebounds per game, and Gabbie Marshal is no stranger to putting up a big game, either.
It’s also the final game of Clark’s college career and her chance to go out on top. Iowa will be in this game and should cover the 6.5-point line as underdogs. They are also live dogs to win this game, so give me the Hawkeyes to cover, and win outright.
Over 159.5 Points Scored (-110)
Again I’m buying into all the hype of a big game here. I expect Caitlin Clark to show up for Iowa and I expect big games out of Kamila Carduso, Milaysia Fulwiley, and Te-Hina Paopoa.
The Iowa Hawkeyes average scoring 81.8 points per game in this tournament. For the South Carolina Gamecocks, they’ve averaged 81.2 points per game. Now you put both of these all-star teams on the court to decide it all. This should be a heavyweight fight exchanging blows all evening.
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