South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch - Iowa

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1. Aliyah Boston vs Caitlin Clark (or not)

They won’t be matched up much, of course, because they play different positions. But that’s the storyline: Boston vs Clark, defense vs offense, efficiency vs explosivenes.

“It’s going to be Iowa versus South Carolina, and that’s who’s going to win the game,” Clark said. “It’s not going to be one player who’s going to win the game. I’m lucky enough to have four really good teammates on the court with me at the same time. I love playing a team sport. I don’t think I would like to play an individual sport.”

“People compare Caitlin to Aliyah, and to me that’s apples to oranges. It makes no sense,” Lisa Bluder said. “They are completely different players. They are completely different positions. They’re both great at what they do, but what they do is different. So I don’t think you can compare the two of them. They both contribute so much to their team’s success, but to me it’s not Caitlin versus Aliyah. It’s Iowa versus South Carolina, and we have to continue to remember that.”

Dawn Staley agreed with Clark and Bluder, but also said it’s good to have two high-profile stars bringing attention to the game. 

“Any time you’re able to talk about our game and talk about two young women who have been storylines throughout the season I think is great,” Staley said. “I do think some people do cross the line at times because each of their fan bases’ favorites? It’s been talked about. I just don’t like when people cross the line because our game is pure, it’s blossoming. But I guess it’s part of sports when people can take jabs at either young people. I just hope they’re not looking at it and seeing it because it’s not cool.

2. Texas Two-Step

South Carolina is making its second Final Four appearance in Dallas. The first trip was in 2017 when the Gamecocks won their first national championship.

And apparently, Dallas has the best police motorcade.

“I love Dallas,” Staley said. “Dallas is where we got our first National Championship. I just remember obviously the Dallas police officers, the motorcade. They get us where we need to go. It’s super cool seeing that, and it’s super cool to experience that again.”

That experience has also forged a connection between former and current players. It’s something the current seniors are trying to continue.

Players from the 2017 team have reached out to the current team. Tyasha Harris started on theat team as a freshman and she has been with the team this season doing radio analysis. 

“With Ty being here with us, she’s been giving me tips just to be on the big stage again,” Zia Cooke said. “Like I said, I want to do the same thing for the younger ones. I’ve always looked up to Ty, and I think I’ve done a good job of leading the younger ones in the space I’m in now.”

Boston has relationships with Harris and A’ja Wilson, the player she arguably supllanted as the best player in program history. 

“There have been a couple times where A’ja has reached out. They travel. Ty travels. They want to support us and give us tips where we are, and they just want to see us grow,” Boston said. “For us helping the underclassmen right now, they’re our sisters. We want to see them shine because we understand at some point we’re not going to be on the same team as them, and they’re going to be the new leaders of the program. So we want them to continue the tradition that we have.”

3. Matchups to watch

Caitlin Clark, obviously

Three other matchups to watch

4. Watching the watchers

Friday night’s game is easily the most anticipated game of the season and could draw a huge audience on ESPN. 

South Carolina has been a ratings bonanza, drawing huge viewership numbers over the last few seasons. The addition of heavily promoted Iowa and Clark could boost the game into record territory.

The all-time Final Four viewership record is 5.6 million for Tennessee-UConn in 2004. Last season 4.85 million saw South Carolina defeat UConn. 

South Carolina-Iowa probably won’t top those numbers since it is a semifinal and not the title game, but it could hit 4 million. 

5. Scouting the Hawkeyes

Iowa brings the nation’s top-ranked offense to go against South Carolina’s top-ranked defense. Aside from Clark, Monika Czinano averages 17.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. A super-senior, she ranks fifth on Iowa’s all-time scoring list.

The Hawkeyes lead the nation in scoring, assists, and field goal percentage. The Gamecocks lead the nation in blocked shots, scoring margin and rebounding margin, are second in field goal percentage defense, and third in scoring defense.

However, South Carolina’s offense ranks in the top 20 in scoring, field goal percentage, assists per game, and assist-to-turnover ratio. Iowa’s defense doesn’t quite stack up. It is 154th in field goal percentage defense and 307th in scoring defense.

Barring something shocking, Iowa is going to have to score a lot of points to win.

The Ws

Semifinal #1

Who: #1 Virginia Tech vs #3 LSU

When: 7:00 ET, Friday, March 31

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Watch: ESPN

Semifinal #2

Who: #1 South Carolina vs #2 Iowa

When: Approximately 9:00 ET, Friday, March 31

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Watch: ESPN