It’s been a thrilling March Madness thus far, and the women are outshining the men on the court. We have seen more people tune in to the women’s NCAA Tournament, and that has led to a lot of buzz surrounding the Final Four in San Antonio. The women don’t have the same upsets we see with the men in college basketball as no team higher than a No. 6 seed made it to the Sweet Sixteen, so it’s not a big surprise to see three No. 1 seeds in the Final Four.
College Basketball Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Arizona Wildcats +13.5
Connecticut Huskies -13.5
Total 127
The Arizona Wildcats have had a lot of success in men’s basketball, but the women are making their first appearance in the Final Four. Arizona is the only non-No. 1 seed to make it to this point, knocking off Texas A&M and Indiana to win the Mercado Regional as a No. 3 seed.
Aari McDonald has led Arizona this season. McDonald leads the Wildcats in points, assists, and steals. She is averaging 20.3 PPG, nearly double the total of the next leading scorer on the team. However, she is hitting just 41.4% of her field goals and 33.3% of her threes.
Teammate Cate Reese is the only other Arizona player scoring in double digits with 11.2 PPG. Reese is a much more efficient shooter, making 47.1% of her field goals and 44.8% of her threes, so she will be instrumental to any potential upset.
However, it’s hard to have a lot of faith in Arizona against a juggernaut like Connecticut. The Wildcats have more turnovers than assists this season, and that’s not the formula to beat the Huskies.
Geno Auriemma is in his 34th season as head coach of the UConn Huskies. Auriemma is the greatest coach in women’s basketball history, and he has made the Huskies the preeminent program in the sport. Connecticut has won 11 national championships, and this program has made it to the Final Four for 13 straight NCAA Tournaments.
Sensational freshman Paige Bueckers is one of the most talented players to ever suit up in Storrs, and that says a lot. Bueckers is averaging 20.1 PPG to lead the Huskies, and she is making 52.8% of her field goals and 45.9% of her threes. No other UConn player is making more than 35% of their triples, and Bueckers tops the Huskies in points, assists, and steals.
UConn nearly lost to Baylor in an instant classic on Monday night, but the Huskies gritted out the win. They have to be the pick here despite the number, as they won’t be overcome by the moment.
South Carolina Gamecocks +5.5
Stanford Cardinal -5.5
Total 134
Stanford was the No. 1 team in the nation entering the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal didn’t play much of a non-conference schedule as the Pac 12 was particularly cautious with COVID, but they did benefit from playing in one of the strongest conferences in the country.
Four different players are scoring in double digits for Stanford. Kiana Williams leads them all with 14.5 PPG as one of the best perimeter shooters on the Cardinal. Haley Jones and Cameron Brink are two frontcourt players that are making over 53% of their field goals with around seven boards a game, and Lexie Hull leads the team in steals. Hannah Jump and Anna Wilson are both lights out three-point shooters, making Stanford the most well-rounded team in the country.
South Carolina must be respected though. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks held Texas to just 34 points in their Elite Eight victory on Tuesday. They won their first national championship in 2017, but there are no contributors from that team on the roster.
Zia Cooke, Aliyah Boston, and Destanni Henderson are the top scorers on the Gamecocks. Boston is one of the best interior players in college basketball with 13.8 PPG and 11.4 RPG. Henderson is the best three-point shooter on the team, and she leads the team in assists too.
The Gamecocks could pull off the upset if Boston stays out of foul trouble.
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