| Opponent | No. 2 Iowa (30-6, 15-3) vs. No. 1 South Carolina (36-0, 16-0) |
| Date | Friday, Mar. 31 |
| Location | American Airlines Center // |
| Tipoff | 8:30 p.m. (CT) |
| TV | ESPN |
| Radio | Hawkeye Radio Network // Sirius XM, Westwood One |
THE SETTING
2-Seed Iowa is set to battle 1-Seed South Carolina in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off for the contest is set for 8:30 p.m. (CT).
STREAM
The game will broadcast on ESPN. Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Ryan Ruocco, and Holly Rowe will call the action.
THE SERIES
This will be the second meeting between the two programs. South Carolina leads the all-time series, 1-0.
IOWA’S 2-SEED HISTORY
– The Hawkeyes have been a 2-Seed three times since 2019.
– This is the fifth time in school history Iowa has been tabbed as a 2-Seed.
– The Hawkeyes are 12-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a 2-Seed (1993, 1996, 2019, 2022).
– Iowa’s Final Four appearance came in 1993 and the latest Elite Eight showing in 2019.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
– The Gamecocks won the SEC regular season title and the SEC Tournament.
– USC has an average win margin of +29.5 ppg.
– South Carolina’s path to the Final Four: Norfolk St., S. Florida, UCLA, and Maryland.
– Zia Cooke leads South Carolina’s offense with 15.1 ppg.
– Aliyah Boston nearly averages a double-double with 13.2 ppg and 9.8 RPG.
– USC is giving up 51.1 ppg on the defensive side of the floor.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
– Clark is the third Big Ten player to score 900 points in a single season — at 984, she is second on the conference’s single-season scoring list. The Big Ten single-season scoring leader is Iowa’s Megan Gustafson (1,001 in 2018-19).
– Clark needs one 3-pointer to be the all-time leader in most made 3FGs at Iowa.
– Clark has registered 17 double-doubles this year which is for 15th nationally and leads the Big Ten. She has 43 in her career.
– Clark leads the country in games this season with 25 points, five boards, and five assists. (18)
– Clark is the only player in Big Ten women’s basketball history to be Top-10 in both points and assists.
– Clark needs 16 points to become the first Division I player to eclipse 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season.
PROGRAM QUICK HITTERS
– Iowa set a program record for most wins in a single season over Louisville to advance to its second Final Four in school history.
– Iowa won its third Big Ten Tournament title since 2019, over Ohio State which was the largest marging of victory in BTT Championship history.
– Caitlin Clark was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consective season.- Monika Czinano and Clark were unanimous All-Big Ten selections.
– Lisa Bluder and Clark were named to both Naismith Semifinalists Lists. (COY/POY)
– Since 2008, Bluder’s teams own a 230-42 record inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In that stretch, the Hawkeyes have posted three undefeated seasons at home. Over the last eight years, Iowa has dropped the second-fewest regular season home games in the Big Ten.
– Iowa welcomes four new players to the 2022-23 roster: Molly Davis, Jada Gyamfi, Taylor McCabe, and Hannah Stuelke. Gyamfi, McCabe, and Stuelke are all true freshmen, hailing from Johnston, Cedar Rapids and Fremont, Nebraska, respectively. Davis is a fourth-year transfer from Central Michigan.
– Clark was named The Athletic National Player of the Year and a unanimous AP First Team All-American.
– Czinano was tabbed as a Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Semifinalist.
– Iowa set a program record against Evansville scoring 115 points earlier this season.
– Iowa has had five out of the last six Big Ten Players of the Year.
– The Hawkeyes have a nation’s best five wins against AP Top 10 opponents.
– Clark was the Big Ten Tournament MVP for the second straight season which has only happened three times in conference history.
– For the first time in the Lisa Bluder era, the Hawkeyes won 15 Big Ten regular season conference games.
– This is Iowa’s 29th trip in school history to the Big Dance.
– Over the last seven postseason games, Gabbie Marshall is shooting 50% from 3-point range. (23-46)
– Bluder owns a 493-248 (.664) record and a 247-141 (.637) conference mark at Iowa. In her 38 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 849-389 (.685).
