South Carolina and UCLA book Final Four tickets, two spots still up for grabs
The GIST: We’re smack dab in the middle of the women’s Elite Eight, meaning two Final Four tickets have already been punched and the other two are up for grabs tonight. All hoops, all the time.
No. 1 seeds South Carolina and UCLA are Final Four bound: The defending champ Gamecocks booked their fifth straight Final Four appearance with yesterday’s 54–50 win over No. 2 Duke. South Carolina fell behind in the second half against a gritty Blue Devils defense, but an eight-point run to start the fourth quarter put them ahead for good.
- Then, in the second game of the day, No. 1 overall seed UCLA weren’t blinded by
the lightsNo. 3 LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s jacket — the Bruins overcame junior Lauren Betts’ early foul trouble in the 72–65 dub.
- Though the Tigers kept things close, a late-game three-pointer from junior Gabriela Jaquez sealed the Bruins’ revenge — and the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance. So clutch.
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 TCU — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET: The Lone Star State is guaranteed a Final Four spot, but will it be sophomore Madison Booker’s Longhorns or grad student Hailey Van Lith’s Horned Frogs? Both these squads boast elite defenses, so the difference maker could be the Longhorns’ depth, something TCU simply doesn’t have.
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UConn — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET: Yes, this 2024 Elite Eight rematch lost some aura with Trojans sophomore superstar JuJu Watkins sidelined with a torn ACL, but it’s still appointment viewing. Huskies senior Paige Bueckers just put together the greatest two-game stretch in UConn tourney hoops history, punctuated by a career-high 40 points in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
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