1 of 4 | Caitlin Clark will take on fellow All-American guard Paige Bueckers when her Iowa Hawkeyes face the UConn Huskies on Friday in Cleveland. Photo by Brian Ray/HawkeyeSports.com
April 5 (UPI) — North Carolina State will test undefeated South Carolina before UConn and Paige Bueckers battle Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night in the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament.
The unblemished and top-seeded Gamecocks (36-0) will first take on the No. 3 Wolfpack (31-6) at 7 p.m. EDT at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The No. 1 Hawkeyes (33-4) will face the No. 3 Huskies (33-5) in the next game on the same court, which is expected to tip off at 9:30 p.m.
“We are so excited to be here in another Final Four, to play against N.C. State,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley told reporters Thursday in Cleveland. “It’s a super cool opportunity for us to play in another Final Four to play in the last weekend of all of college basketball and play on the biggest stage.
“This is what our players came to South Carolina for.”
Both matchups will air on ESPN. The least expensive ticket price on the secondary market for both sessions was about $355, before taxes and fees, as of Friday morning.
About 1,000 players from 68 teams started the tournament March 20 and navigated through different cities and opponents, shrinking the field to the four current contenders.
Unfamiliar accommodations, hectic travel schedules and a slew of interviews and other requests continue to impact those still active in the competition. But Clark said the Hawkeyes learned to tune-out the distractions after last year’s runner-up finish to the LSU Tigers.
“This is business,” Clark said. “We are here to win a basketball game and hopefully win two.”
Clark, who claimed National Player of the Year honors on Thursday for the second-consecutive season, carried the Hawkeyes past No. 16 Holy Cross, No. 8 West Virginia, No. 5 Colorado and No. 3 LSU, the defending national champions, en route to Cleveland.
College basketball’s all-time scoring leader carries the nation’s top offense, which averages 91.9 points per game. They also average the most 3-pointers per game (11.1) and lead the nation with 21.2 assists per game, led by Clark, who ranks third in in NCAA history in that category.
Guard Kate Martin (13.1 points per game) and forward Hannah Stuelke (13.8) are the Hawkeyes’ other top scorers, behind Clark’s national-best 32 points per bout.
Bueckers, a two-time All-American and the 2021 Player of the Year, leads the Huskies with 22 points per game. All-American forward Aaliyah Edwards aids in the Huskies’ two-headed scoring attack, with 17.6 points per game. Guard Ashylnn Shade also averaged double figures (11.2) this season.
The Huskies beat No. 14 Jackson State, No. 6 Syracuse, No.