Friday's Final Four clashes have finally determined the last two teams in the women's March Madness tournament. On one side, there's Caitlin Clark and Iowa women's basketball. Coming off a closely-fought victory over UConn in the Final Four, Clark looks to culminate her collegiate career with a National Championship. On the other hand, there's Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina women's basketball, who just pulled off another dominant win against NC State. With two renowned powerhouses remaining, Sunday's upcoming finals has the entire country excited and one person who can't wait to witness the clash is Magic Johnson.
An NBA legend who regularly shares his thoughts on current basketball topics (through X/Twitter), Johnson couldn't help but express his eagerness for this season's culminating matchup.
“I'm really looking forward to the Iowa vs South Carolina matchup for the National Championship!” Johnson posted on his official X (Twitter) account. “South Carolina is the best team in the country and they have the chance to prove it this Sunday!”
Besides Johnson, many others also shared their enthusiasm. Well-known analyst Skip Bayless put out a tweet that touched on South Carolina's dominance in the paint.
“I just can't see how Iowa can overcome South Carolina's inside dominance,” Bayless said. “But I can't wait to watch it.”
Other users chimed in as well, letting their followers know they'll be tuned in come Sunday.
One journalist contemplated how the upcoming game could break the viewership record once again. For more context, Iowa's Elite Eight clash against LSU this past Monday generated 12.3 million viewers on ESPN. If the National Championship goes past that number, then it will be an even bigger milestone for the women's collegiate basketball scene.
While plenty of fans seem to be in favor of South Carolina, one user pointed out how the Gamecocks' only loss in the past two years came at the hands of none other than Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Iowa women's basketball
Fresh off a national championship loss to LSU last season, Iowa bounced back by garnering the number one seed in the Albany 2 region to start their March Madness campaign. Overcoming Holy Cross, West Virginia and Colorado in the first three rounds, the Hawkeyes pulled off a thrilling win over LSU during their aforementioned Elite Eight matchup. Clark sank nine three-pointers and finished her night with 41 points to book Iowa a ticket to the Final Four.
And just on Friday, the Hawkeyes overcame a slow start to rally past Paige Bueckers and UConn basketball and put themselves on the championship stage for the second year in a row.
South Carolina women's basketball
As for coach Dawn Staley's formidable squad, losing all of last year's starters to the WNBA draft didn't seem to affect the Gamecocks' dominance. Entering the season, South Carolina proved that they're still the team to beat courtesy of regular-season blowouts left and right. Led by the towering Kamilla Cardoso, SEC's top team continued their rampage throughout the tournament. Their only close March Madness game came against Indiana in the Sweet 16 (79-75 final score) but other than that, things were always a one-sided affair.
On Friday, Kardoso put up 22 points and 11 rebounds to overcome NC State and put the Gamecocks in the finals once more.
Can Caitlin Clark overcome the odds or will Kamilla Cardoso give Dawn Staley her second championship in three seasons? March Madness fans only have to sleep through two nights to find out.
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