And then there were four.

South Carolina, Louisville, Stanford and UConn are each just two wins away from becoming national champions. Getting here wasn’t easy, and finishing the job will be even more challenging.

Each team has had its own highs and lows this season. As we prepare for the three biggest games of the year, let’s reflect on those moments and explore what each squad has to do to come out on top in the Final Four.

South Carolina

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 65-61 over No. 2 Stanford on Dec. 21

South Carolina played a tough schedule this season featuring 11 ranked opponents, but this win cemented the Gamecocks as an NCAA Tournament favorite. South Carolina had already topped No. 2 UConn, so to follow it up a month later with a win over the defending champion proved the hype around the team was real.

What’s more, the Gamecocks did it without playing particularly well, and managing to win when everything is going wrong is the mark of a great team. The Gamecocks shot just 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line. While one of South Carolina’s big three, Zia Cooke, finished with just four points, Aliyah Boston had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Henderson finished with 17 points. Meanwhile, Victaria Saxton added seven points and 10 boards, making the type of quiet impact she carried into the rest of the season.

Biggest challenge: Staying consistent

The Gamecocks managed to stay ranked first in the AP Poll for the entire season. Despite two losses, the first to Missouri in the regular season and the second to Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship, the voters felt comfortable keeping South Carolina atop the poll because of the team’s overall body of work. It doesn’t hurt that the Gamecocks beat just about every team that could have competed for the No. 1 spot.

Their ranked wins came against No. 5 NC State, No. 9 Oregon, No. 2 UConn, No. 8 Maryland, No. 15 Duke, No. 2 Stanford, No. 13 LSU, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 17 Georgia and No. 12 Tennessee. And when it came to those two upsets, the Gamecocks regrouped and responded with double-digit wins each time.

Key to victory: Show up on both ends of the floor

The only weakness South Carolina has shown this season has been the occasional game in which the offense doesn’t perform. In their early-season win over Stanford, the Gamecocks showed their ability to persevere in difficult circumstances, but it’s also the kind of thing that’s much easier to get away with in the regular season than in the postseason. The Gamecocks struggled offensively against Miami in the second round, as well. It was nothing to worry about then, as the Gamecocks were able to overwhelm the Hurricanes with their defense and overall talent. But against the remaining three teams, including Final Four opponent Louisville, the talent level is too high to get away with playing on just one end of the floor.

Louisville

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 18 Notre Dame 73-47 on Feb. 13

This win is even more impressive considering the NCAA Tournament run the Fighting Irish put together. As a standalone contest, it was also the most complete game Louisville put together this season.

On defense, the Cardinals held Notre Dame to 32 percent shooting from the field and 9 percent from the 3-point line, while also forcing 16 turnovers. They also had nine players score on offense. Kianna Smith led the team with 17 points, Hailey Van Lith had 16 and Chelsie Hall added 13. Emily Engstler also had a near double-double with 12 rebounds, nine points and five assists. Louisville had been consistently good all season long, but this game showed they had national title-winning potential.

Biggest challenge: Inexperience

At the start of the season, Van Lith and Olivia Cochran had to adjust to larger roles as sophomores, and Engstler had to adjust to Louisville after transferring from Syracuse. Their inexperience showed down the stretch of their season-opening loss to Arizona. That game seemed far, far away as the Cardinals entered the postseason as one of the most consistent teams in the country. That trend continued in the tournament and earned them a spot in the Final Four.

Key to victory: Defense

When Louisville is at its best, the team is flying around, forcing turnovers and creating havoc. It’s what the Cardinals did to Michigan in the Elite Eight, forcing 22 turnovers, which became 24 points on the other end. They also feed off defensive energy, so when Engstler gets a deflection or Van Lith dives for a loose ball, the entire team suddenly taps into another gear. It’s infectious and dangerous for opponents. If the Cardinals can take advantage of South Carolina’s miscues, often enough to keep the Gamecocks out of sync, they have as good a chance as anyone to advance to – and even win – the national championship.

img
Lexie Hull has been an offensive weapon for Stanford in the NCAA Tournament. (Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Stanford

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 7 Tennessee on Dec. 18

When the Cardinal went on the road and topped the Vols, Tennessee was one of the hottest teams in the country. The Vols were 9-0 going into the game, and won nine more after the defeat. The Cardinal had been inconsistent leading up to the game, suffering upset losses to Texas and South Florida.

Stanford led by 17 points at the half before Tennessee cut the advantage to three points. The Cardinal were able to regain control, something that hadn’t happened in their previous two losses. They also started to look more like the defending national championship team we expected heading into the season.

Biggest challenge: Replacing Kiana Williams

Most basketball experts didn’t see this coming, but the departure of Kiana Williams proved to be a major obstacle for Stanford early in the season. The Cardinal struggled to take care of the ball — they recorded multiple 20-turnover games in the first few weeks — before finally finding a guard combination that worked. Lacie Hull has become a steadying force with the ball in her hands, splitting time with Anna Wilson at point. Together, the two run Stanford’s offense efficiently and effectively. The Cardinal are on a 24-game win streak, with their last loss coming on Dec. 21 against South Carolina.

Key to victory: Cameron Brink stays on the floor

Brink is one of the most impactful players in college basketball. She brings energy, a terrifying presence for opponents in the paint and high-level offensive skills. When the Cardinal played Texas for a spot in the Final Four, her importance to Stanford was obvious. With her on the bench for much of the first half, Texas was able to stay with Stanford, trailing by just three points at halftime. And in the third quarter, the Longhorns could have gained the lead and pulled away if it hadn’t been for Brink, who scored 10 of the Cardinal’s 13 points in the quarter. The only non-Brink points came with one second left when Haley Jones was fouled on a 3-pointer. The Cardinal went into the fourth quarter up by five, but without the sophomore, they would have trailed by seven.

Against UConn in the Final Four, and then potentially South Carolina or Louisville in the championship game, Stanford can’t afford to have Brink on the bench. She will need to stay out of foul trouble to give her team its best shot at the repeat.

UConn

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 70-40 over Villanova on March 7

It’s crazy to think that this season has been considered a challenge for UConn. A five-loss campaign is a great season for most teams, but UConn is held to a higher standard — for obvious reasons. That’s why, in part, the Feb. 9 loss to Villanova at home was such a big deal. The Huskies hadn’t lost a conference game since 2013. In a season where UConn hadn’t looked like the team we are used to, the loss had people asking: “Should we be worried about the Huskies?” And when the Huskies picked up a 70-40 revenge win over Villanova for the Big East tournament title a month later, they proved that no matter what had happened throughout the year, they were still a contender.

Biggest challenge: Injuries

It seems like every player on UConn’s roster has been injured at one point this season, causing disjointed play throughout the year. UConn even looked out of sync in its second-round win over UCF. The Huskies looked like a team that hadn’t spent much time on the court together because, well, they hadn’t.

The biggest hurdle for UConn to overcome was the knee injury Paige Bueckers sustained against Notre Dame on Dec. 5. She missed 19 games before returning for postseason play, and it took a long time for the Huskies to adjust. After scoring 27 points in her team’s overtime win over NC State in the Elite Eight, the sophomore star also looks like her old self once again and the team is peaking at the right time.

Key to victory: Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa

It’s easy for players like Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to steal the spotlight, but Edwards and Nelson-Ododa need to continue to perform at a high level if the Huskies want to add another national title to their long list. When they control the paint, it’s challenging for opponents to establish anything inside, both offensively and defensively. Against NC State they combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, all while policing the paint and challenging the NC State guards who attempted to drive.

The Huskies take on Stanford in the semifinals, and to slow down Brink and the Cardinal attack as a whole, Edwards and Nelson-Ododa will have to be locked in.

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie and two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike are set to host The Warm-Up, a Just Women’s Sports preview show ahead of Friday’s NCAA women’s basketball semifinal matchups.

The show, which debuted prior to the 2021 NWSL Championship game, will make its first foray into basketball, with Leslie and Ogwumike tipping off at 6 p.m. ET on the JWS TikTok channel.

The 45-minute program will provide fans with commentary and critical analysis on the semifinal games, which will feature South Carolina facing Louisville and UConn taking on Stanford.

The preview show will be held at the inaugural Just Women’s Sports Spot, the first in an event series that takes the classic sports bar experience and dedicates it entirely to women’s sports. The event, held in New York City, will also feature entertainment from four-time WNBA All-Star and DJ Elizabeth Cambage.

“I am so excited to join the Just Women’s Sports team for ‘The Warm-Up’ to talk about March Madness. The shooting display at this year’s tournament has been phenomenal,” Leslie said. “It’s awesome to be able to shine the spotlight on all these amazing women kicking butt in sport and I’m 100% loving the much-deserved attention women are receiving in sports at all levels. I’m here to support and help grow the game any way I can.”

Catch The Warm-Up streaming live on the JWS TikTok channel at 6 p.m. ET on Friday ahead of the NCAA tournament semifinals.

The moment Boe Pearman stepped foot on the court in Norfolk Scope Arena before the start of the 1982 NCAA Women’s Final Four is cemented in her memory. Gleaming wooden bleachers lined the court. Fans filled the gymnasium. Reporters and television cameras jockeyed for space.

When Pearman paused to look around, she felt the electricity in the arena.

“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” says the former Maryland starter. “Wow, this is what coach was talking about.”

To this day, Pearman can still see the crowd and hear people cheering. She also remembers her coach, Chris Weller, emphasizing the significance of the first NCAA Final Four in women’s basketball history in the lead-up to the event.

“There were Final Fours before, and there’ll be Final Fours after, but we were gonna be the very first NCAA Final Four,” Pearman recalls Weller saying. “And what a great opportunity that would be for our team, and program, individually, et cetera, to be in that historical moment for the growth of women’s basketball.”

Before 1982, Division I women’s national basketball tournaments were organized and held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Starting in 1971, and accelerating in conjunction with Title IX in 1972, the AIAW endeavored to establish a foundation for growth, evolution and a pathway to equality for women’s collegiate sports — functioning similarly as the NCAA did for men’s sports.

The AIAW successfully raised the platform and created opportunities for women athletes, but it lagged behind the NCAA in funding and television contracts. That would play a crucial role in 1982 when the NCAA opted to hold its first women’s basketball tournament. Not every school was on board, but when 17 of the top 20 programs — including Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Old Dominion and Maryland — decided to participate, it signaled the beginning of the end for the AIAW and the start of something bigger.

“It was a huge step,” says Tanya Haave, a sophomore for Tennessee at the time. “You’re there with the men, and all that. The biggest thing was it provided that credibility.”

Haave, now the head coach of the Metropolitan State University at Denver women’s basketball team, didn’t grasp the significance of it back then. She was a young college athlete under the tutelage of legendary coach Pat Summit and was focused on playing basketball.

“We had actually been in a Final Four the year before, and it was with the AIAW,” Haave says. “At the time, I guess I didn’t really know what I didn’t know. So we’d been in a Final Four, but I think you could definitely feel a difference now that the NCAA had taken over, in terms of the resources committed to it and the marketing with it. And it seemed to be a level above.”

In 1981, C. Vivian Stringer attended an event for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the head coach of Cheyney State. The topic of participating with the NCAA was brought to the table. Other sports had already combined AIAW and NCAA tournaments and events, including gymnastics, softball and golf.

“We had a meeting, and they were discussing the fact that they believed that the NCAA only wanted to take over women’s sports because of the Title IX issue,” Stringer recalls. “And they were saying that as soon as Title IX came up, that we would not get an opportunity to have our voices heard, and that basically the guys would go ahead and take over and there would be nothing left.”

She spoke up about the lack of bigger venues and advertising at AIAW tournament games. The room went silent. Afterwards, other coaches confided in Stringer that she had made a great point and they were glad she had said something.

“My father taught me a long time ago to speak my mind and don’t be afraid ever to say what I think,” Stringer says.

The upside of joining the NCAA was too enticing to ignore. It offered more funding, transportation coverage, a wider audience, larger venues, better marketing and promotion, and television contracts. The AIAW couldn’t compete, and many women’s basketball programs decided to make the leap.

Thirty-two teams participated in the inaugural NCAA women’s basketball tournament the following year. Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Cheyney State and Maryland made it to the Final Four, hosted at Old Dominion University. The Lady Techsters were the favorites.

“Because it was the very first NCAA Final Four, everything they did, they tried to make it special for us,” says Pearman. “I remember talking to some of my teammates about it. Like, this is bigger than just going to a Final Four.”

Maryland had never been to any Final Four before, so Pearman and her teammates didn’t know what to expect. All they knew was that they were going up against a very quick and athletic Cheyney State squad.

“We knew going in it was going to be a tough game. We always tried to play Cheyney in the regular season, and we knew how athletic they were gonna be,” Pearman says. “But we thought we could go in and at least give it our best shot and see what could happen.”

The Wolves may have had the edge on the Terrapins from a basketball standpoint, but Maryland was a much bigger school with significantly more funding. Cheyney State, the first historically Black college or university (HBCU), at the time was a small school with few resources. People didn’t even know where the university was located and often asked how to pronounce it, Stringer says.

“We found our way because we were a hard-nosed team. We believed in ourselves very much. I was so proud of them, I can’t even tell you,” she says. “We didn’t have the same equipment, we didn’t even have a trainer. Our trainers were students that were studying to be trainers. We did not have anything. But we believed in ourselves.”

Stringer successfully guided Cheyney State past Maryland, 76-66. In the other semifinal, Tennessee took on Louisiana Tech. Haave, Tennessee’s forward, remembers the game all too well.

“I remember getting our rear ends kicked,” she says with a laugh. “From the post position, I think they were bigger, a little more athletic than we were. And it just seemed like we struggled with that part of the game, struggled scoring. I remember getting beat pretty handedly.”

The Lady Techsters defeated the Lady Vols, 69-46, to advance to the first NCAA women’s championship game. And on March 28, 1982, Cheyney State and Louisiana Tech tipped off in front of 7,000 fans, and even more watching on CBS.

img
Louisiana Tech took down Tennessee in one of two NCAA Final Four games in 1982. (George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

It was exciting for everyone involved, but Stringer had more than basketball on her mind. As she looked out over the crowd, she kept thinking about her infant daughter, Janine, who was in the Philadelphia children’s hospital after contracting spinal meningitis.

“I had some ambivalence going in,” Stringer recalls. “Anytime that I practiced, I would immediately leave and go to the hospital.”

Janine’s health was “touch and go” for a while, Stringer explained, and the emotions of the situation weighed on her as she assumed her spot on Cheyney State’s sideline that day.

“My daughter was left without the ability to walk or talk or do anything. I’m grateful that she’s able to continue to live. They didn’t think she’d be able to live beyond 14 years old,” Stringer says. “As a parent, you can imagine that I’m sitting there in the midst of all this hoopla and thinking, I don’t know what to do. I was there, but I wasn’t there.”

Somehow, Stringer held it together. And even though she knew her team was smaller in size than Lousisana Tech’s, she had them believing in themselves to the fullest extent. They could shoot and they were quick. Those were the qualities that got them to the championship game, and they were the ones the team trusted in now.

The Wolves jumped out to a 22-18 lead early in the first half, keeping pace with the Lady Techsters basket for basket. Then the shots stopped falling, and Cheyney State fell behind. With Kim Mulkey running the point and Janice Lawrence leading the way with 20 points, Louisiana Tech never looked back, winning the first NCAA championship 76-62.

Despite the loss, Stringer felt pride in being part of such a historic moment.

“It’s always the first, and it’s just like anything — the first love that you have,” she says. “[I’m thinking during the game], I can’t believe that I’m here. I’m at the Scope. Wow, we are at the Scope.”

Pearman returned to the Final Four in 1989 as an assistant coach for Maryland and saw how much the event had grown in just six years. Then she watched as Oregon forward Sedona Prince’s video of the weight room at the 2021 NCAA Tournament drew attention to the disparities between the women’s resources and the men’s, and momentum behind the women’s game accelerated in a way that she’d never seen before.

“I think the greatest growth came from COVID to now, because the women finally had the strength to speak up and say, ‘This isn’t OK anymore,’” Pearman says. “We’re tired of being treated less than. I think that has allowed the moment now to be magnified, and people are now doing so much more for this Final Four than has ever been done before.”

Haave sees it, too. That’s why she makes it a point to have regular conversations with her Metropolitan State players about the history of the game. She doesn’t want them to forget the trailblazers like Kay Yow, Jody Conradt, Summit and Stringer, who propelled women’s basketball to where it is today.

“I’m watching Iowa play Creighton and it is a packed house. I mean, it is awesome to see that,” Haave says of Creighton’s second-round upset win in front of a sellout crowd of 14,382 fans at Hawkeye-Carver Arena. “I think we’re at a point now, with the focus on equality and diversity and inclusion these last few years, that we’re at a tipping point.”

The Women’s Final Four has come a long way since 1982, but it’s still not valued as highly as the men’s tournament, culturally and financially. Just this year, driven by public pressure and a report detailing the undervalued business opportunities in women’s basketball, the NCAA finally allowed the use of March Madness for promotion and marketing of the women’s tournament. And based on a letter lawmakers sent NCAA President Mark Emmert earlier this month calling attention to the “inadequate progress” in addressing inequities, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“I don’t know if I’ll see equal footing in my lifetime,” Pearman says bluntly. “We’re closing the gap, but it’s not just arenas or people in the stands. It’s game times, television opportunities throughout the entire year, and through the tournament and conference championships.”

Still, as South Carolina, Stanford, UConn and Louisville get set to compete in the Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend, Pearman know there’s a special reason to celebrate the 2022 tournament. Forty years ago, the trajectory of women’s basketball changed forever, becoming an integral part of women’s sports history and setting it up for the platform it stands on today.

“We all get together on occasion and we still brag about it,” Pearman says. “We’re proud of it.”

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA and college basketball. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

Perennial powerhouse South Carolina swept the Naismith national basketball awards.

Junior forward Aliyah Boston was named both the national player of the year and defensive player of the year, while Dawn Staley was named national coach of the year for the second time in three seasons.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Stanford’s Haley Jones and Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith all were finalists with Boston for the top honor, but Boston took home the Naismith Trophy. She becomes the second Gamecocks player to win the award after A’ja Wilson, who won in 2018.

Boston averaged 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds for South Carolina this season. The 6-foot-5 U.S. Virgin Islands native posted double-doubles in 27 straight games before the streak was broken in the Gamecocks’ Elite Eight win against Creighton.

South Carolina (33-2) enters Friday’s Final Four as the wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll, which helped garner Staley her second Naismith coach of the year award. She also was named the national coach of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for the second time in her career.

The overall No. 1 seed, South Carolina will face another No. 1 seed in Louisville at 7 p.m. ET Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of the 9:30 p.m. ET contest between No. 2 UConn and No. 1 Stanford in the national championship game at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are locked in heading into Final Four weekend, with the South Carolina coach ready for March Madness redemption.

“Now it’s just making sure that our season doesn’t end or repeat itself from last season,” Staley says on the latest NetLife podcast, providing insight into her team’s mindset.

South Carolina was bounced from the 2021 Final Four with a heartbreaking loss to Stanford, which went on to claim the NCAA title.

The Gamecocks are aiming for a better outcome this year. After recording convincing wins against North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen and Creighton in the Elite Eight, Staley says she’s pleased with her squad’s performance.

“You got Deja Kelly, who absolutely lit us up,” Staley says of the UNC sophomore. “We’re not a team that usually gives someone as many looks of what they do best,” she added, but also noted that the Gamecocks did a good job of keeping the rest of the Tar Heels under their average.

Staley also gives credit to Creighton, saying, “their style is five out, run you around, be patient enough until your defense makes a mistake, and then they make you pay for it.”  The Gamecocks, however, were able to limit the number of three-point attempts by the Bluejays and cruised to an 80-50 victory.

With the Greensboro regional behind South Carolina, Staley says the Gamecocks are entering Final Four weekend with their eyes on the prize.

“We have a job to do, and our job is to win a national championship,” Staley says. “We have a team that from top to bottom on the roster, we have enough to win a national championship.”

While Staley is focused on her mission to cut down the nets, she is also at peace with the process, saying: “Whatever becomes of the Final Four weekend is what is supposed to happen.”

Hear more from Staley on South Carolina’s lead-up to the Final Four on the season finale of NetLife.

The 2021-22 college basketball season is almost over. The Final Four is days away, and soon we will crown an NCAA Tournament champion.

But before anyone cuts down the nets in Minneapolis, there are individual awards to hand out. Here are my picks for the top players and coach in college basketball this season:

Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A few weeks ago, I broke down the cases for Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston in the Player of the Year race. I settled on Boston as my POY, and that hasn’t changed. I won’t rehash the entire argument, but I will say this: If you aren’t sure why Boston should win the award, turn on a replay of South Carolina’s Elite Eight win over North Carolina and settle into your spot on the couch. Her performance in that game tells you everything you need to know.

Boston’s 28-point and 22-rebound performance epitomizes exactly what she has brought to the court all season. The junior’s ability to block and alter shots, and altogether change the way South Carolina’s opponents play by making them avoid the paint, make her the clear choice for this award.

Defensive Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A big part of Boston’s POY campaign has been her defense, so my gut was telling me all season that she should win Defensive Player of the Year as well. Stanford’s Cameron Brink is also a solid contender, so here is a statistical breakdown of the two.

Per Her Hoop Stats, Boston averages 11.7 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes compared to Brink’s 10, and 1.8 steals to Brink’s 1.6. The Stanford sophomore ranks better in blocked shots, with 4.8 per 40 minutes, compared to Boston’s 3.5, but the category that truly tips this race in Boston’s favor is fouls. She averages just two fouls in 40 minutes of action, while Brink averages 5.1. In order to make a defensive impact, you have to stay on the floor, and South Carolina’s star is able to do that.

Coach of the Year

Wes Moore, NC State

In his ninth season as NC State head coach, Wes Moore put together his best performance. The Wolfpack recorded their best record during his tenure (32-4) and won the ACC regular season in 32 years. And after three straight Sweet 16s, Moore — who was named ACC Coach of the Year — led his team to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. The first came in 1998. NC State was consistent all season, losing just four games and finishing the year on a 13-game win streak that ended with a thrilling double-overtime loss to UConn on Monday.

Freshman of the Year

Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame

Every play for Notre Dame can be traced back to freshman point guard Olivia Miles. Her passing, decision-making and ability to dictate the flow of a game are all reasons why she’s my Freshman of the Year. Miles averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, the latter of which ranks second in the country behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. She also led Notre Dame to the Sweet 16, the program’s first under second-year coach Niele Ivey.

All-American First Team

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks

Based on my previous choice for POY and DPOY, Boston heading up the All-American team doesn’t need any more of an explanation.

Caitlin Clark, Sophomore, G, Iowa

27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists

Clark led the country in both assists and points per game this year, and her scoring prowess is unmatched. She can shoot logo 3-pointers, finish off balance at the rim and score in the mid range.

Haley Jones, Junior, G, Stanford

12.9 points, 3.7 assists, 7.8 rebounds

Jones has been the anchor for a Stanford team that is playing in the Final Four for the second year in a row. She does a little bit of everything for the Cardinal, while also posing a serious mismatch for opponents thanks to her versatility as a scorer.

Rhyne Howard, Senior, G, Kentucky

20.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists

Throughout the season, Howard showcased her basketball IQ and offensive skill while leading Kentucky in scoring. The senior creates her own shot better than almost anyone else in the country.

NaLyssa Smith, Senior, F, Baylor

22.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

Smith led Baylor offensively with her ability to face up and create from the free-throw line. The Bears played through Smith and counted on her to rebound and score in every contest.

All-American Second Team

Elissa Cunane, Senior, C, NC State
Cameron Brink, Sophomore, F, Stanford
Ashley Joens, Senior, G/F, Iowa State
Maddy Siegrist, Junior, F, Villanova
Ayoka Lee, Senior, C, Kansas State

All-American Third Team

Aneesah Morrow, Freshman, F, DePaul
Kierstan Bell, Junior, G, Florida Gulf Coast
Khayla Pointer, Grad Student, G, LSU
Angel Reese, Sophomore, F/G, Maryland
Elizabeth Kitley, Senior, C, Virginia Tech

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — In the days after Paige Bueckers went down with a tibial plateau fracture in her knee in early December, and it was determined she would need surgery to repair it, Geno Auriemma tried to keep a level head. The coach has pretty much seen it all during his 37 years of coaching at UConn, and he knew there were more benefits to taking the long-term approach with Bueckers’ recovery than rushing her back.

Auriemma stuck to that plan as his star sophomore guard returned to the court late last month, limiting her minutes and easing her back into the leading role everyone came to expect of her as a freshman. Even after the Huskies’ Sweet 16 win over Indiana on Saturday, Auriemma said Bueckers was “not quite” back to her old self.

So on Monday night, when Buckers took over the game in overtime, scoring 15 of UConn’s 30 points in the two extra periods to lead her team to a 91-87 win over NC State and a berth in its 14th straight Final Four, Auriemma could only shake his head.

When a player like Bueckers steps into the bright lights of an NCAA Tournament game, there’s only so much you can predict.

“There was a point in time during the season where I really said to the team, ‘I don’t know if you guys are all walking around in practice every day going, that’s OK, it doesn’t matter how bad we are, Paige is coming back and she’ll fix everything. I said, ‘I’m not counting on it,’” Auriemma recalled from the podium, trying to put words to what he called “one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of” at UConn.

“But when it was evident that there was a chance, by that time a lot of other players on our team had gotten a lot better. I think if Paige had come back to the exact same team, we probably wouldn’t be in this game, given what happened.”

In the 19 games Bueckers missed while recovering from her injury, Auriemma needed other players to step up. The same was true when freshman Azzi Fudd was sidelined for over two months with a foot injury. Freshman Caroline Ducharme and sophomore Nika Mühl suddenly were playing more minutes and, though they might not have realized it at the time, earning valuable experience for March.

That evolution has turned UConn into a well-rounded and fearsome team after an uncharacteristic season in which it lost to multiple unranked teams. It was just No. 1 seed NC State’s luck to draw the Huskies into their quarter of the bracket when they were peaking at the right time.

Where Fudd steadied UConn’s offense throughout the game Monday, scoring 17 of her 19 points in regulation and making critical free throws down the stretch, Bueckers played the part of closer. Jakia Brown-Turner’s improbable 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to send the game to double overtime and keep NC State’s hopes alive was just the fuel Bueckers needed.

“I mean, that whole game she was amazing,” said Fudd, “but I think NC State hitting that big shot to put us into that second overtime on her was the best thing they could do, but the worst thing they could do.”

NC State knew it, too. Coach Wes Moore said that they focused on getting the ball out of Bueckers’ hands late in the game — just like they did against Notre Dame freshman Olivia Miles in the fourth quarter on Saturday — but this time, the effort was fruitless.

It had been a while since the reigning National Player of the Year had tapped into her magic, but in overtime Monday, Paige Bueckers became Paige Bueckers.

“Just my teammates and my coaches just instilling that confidence in me that they trust me in these moments and they trust me with the ball and they trust me to do the right thing,” Bueckers said. “I just wanted to continue to play, and Coach is always huge on me about just making sure just to find a way to win. So I think that was the key tonight.”

UConn’s Final Four streak was far from Auriemma’s mind when Bueckers went down nearly four months ago. He knew he’d need her healthy for whenever UConn made a run at its 12th national championship.

He just didn’t realize that moment would be now. There’s only so much you can predict with your players, but then again, this player was made for these moments.

“It could end tomorrow. It could end next week. It could end next year, like everything else ends,” Auriemma said. “But kids like Paige won’t let it end, and there has to be that kind of kid.”

Hannah Withiam is the Managing Editor at Just Women’s Sports. She previously served as an editor at The Athletic and a reporter at the New York Post. Follow her on Twitter @HannahWithiam.

Hailey Van Lith scored a game-high 22 points to lead No. 1 seed Louisville to a 62-50 win against No. 3 seed Michigan on Monday. The Cardinals earned their first Final Four berth since 2018 with the victory.

Van Lith scored at least 20 points for the fourth straight game, becoming the first Cardinal to accomplish that feat in the NCAA tournament. She scored a game-high 23 points in the Cardinals’ win against Tennessee on Saturday.

While Van Lith dominated the game, forward Olivia dominated the final minutes. She had nine points in the game, but six of them came in the final two minutes. She scored three layups in a row to stretch what had been a two-point Louisville lead to eight with 34 seconds remaining.

Michigan’s Naz Hillmon posted 18 points, but she was the only Wolverines player to score in double digits. She also added 11 rebounds.

Louisville moves on to play the overall No. 1 seed South Carolina in the national semifinals in Minneapolis on Friday.

The Cardinals and the Gamecocks will face off in the early game, which is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and then UConn will take on Stanford starting at 9:30 p.m. ET.

UConn’s Paige Bueckers finished the first half of Monday’s Elite Eight contest against NC State with just four points. The Huskies’ lead, once in the double digits, was dwindling.

Still, Christyn Williams remained confident in her team and in the sophomore star.

“Literally, I was thinking, we have Paige Bueckers and they don’t,” Williams said.

Bueckers went on to score 15 points in the two overtime periods – 10 in the first, then the first five points of the second – to push No. 2 seed UConn to a 91-87 win over No. 1 seed NC State in Bridgeport, Conn. The star guard finished with a game-high 27 points.

Last season’s Associated Press National Player of the Year, Bueckers missed 19 games this season after a left knee injury and subsequent surgery sidelined her for more than two months. She returned to the court in late February and has helped lead the Huskies to the Final Four.

“When everyone’s healthy, they’ve got a shot to win it all, and it makes it that much harder to swallow when you didn’t quite get that done,” NC State coach Wes Moore said.

UConn advances to the national semifinals at Target Center in Minneapolis, just 10 miles from Bueckers’ hometown of Hopkins, Minn.

The Huskies, who are seeking their first national championship since 2016, will face No. 1 seed and defending champion Stanford on Friday.

After a ferocious tug-of-war between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 1 seed NC State in Monday night’s Elite Eight contest in Bridgeport, Conn., the Huskies edged the Wolfpack 91-87 in double overtime.

A Christyn Williams layup with 5.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime put the game out of reach and sealed UConn’s 14th consecutive trip to the Final Four.

UConn star Paige Bueckers scored just four points in the first half but finished with a game-high 27 points overall. The sophomore tallied 15 points in overtime, including the first five points in the second overtime, to help her team clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament semifinals in Minneapolis, just miles from her hometown.

“Two days ago I said, ‘Win or go home,’” said Bueckers after the win. “But we won and I’m still going home!”

The Huskies will face another No. 1 seed in Stanford on Friday, while the Wolfpack missed out on what would have been their first Final Four appearance since 1998.

Jakia Brown-Turner led NC State with 20 points, including a 3-pointer over Bueckers with 0.8 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the score and force the second extra frame.

The game featured 18 ties and 26 lead changes.

UConn led by as many as 10 points in the first half but lost some energy after forward Dorka Juhász exited with an apparent wrist injury midway through the second quarter.

“This team has been through so much and it’s only made us stronger,” Bueckers said. “And if we see one of our sisters go down, we’re going to do it for her. We all love each other, we’re all so close. It just signifies what we’ve been through all year. Whole bunch of adversity, highs and lows, ups and downs. We stayed composed and we stayed together.”