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A pair of No. 1 seeds will try to book the first two spots in the Women’s Final Four on Sunday.
The South Carolina Gamecocks are an overwhelming favorite to get past the Oregon State Beavers in Albany.
The Texas Longhorns are looking to make their fourth Final Four in program history and first since 2003. Texas is a six-point favorite for its clash in Portland with the NC State Wolfpack.
Oregon State and NC State pulled off upsets over No. 2 seeds to reach the Elite Eight, but achieving that feat again versus the top seeds in their respective brackets will be incredibly difficult.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
South Carolina experienced a scare in the Sweet 16 against the Indiana Hoosiers, which may serve as bad news for Oregon State’s upset prospects.
The Gamecocks rarely played games decided by one possession in succession during their 35-0 run.
Dawn Staley’s team won two of those 35 games by fewer than five points, so a blowout seems likely in Albany.
South Carolina will be more than aware of the threat posed by Oregon State, who knocked out the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16.
The Beavers went 5-6 against the ranked foes on their Pac-12 schedule. They did not play any ranked squads in nonconference play.
The two-forward threat of Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner can be neutralized by Kamilla Cardoso in the paint, which makes South Carolina look like a strong favorite.
Beers and Gardiner combined for 39 of Oregon State’s 70 points on Friday.
If South Carolina controls the paint through Cardoso, it will be difficult for Oregon State to et a consistent offense going and that could lead to a double-digit defeat.
Pick: South Carolina -15.5
Texas is under far more pressure to reach the Final Four than South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are used to playing at the Elite Eight level, while the Longhorns are looking to get back to the Final Four for the first time in 21 years.
The Longhorns fell in the Elite Eight in 2021 and 2022, but 2024 is their best shot to get over that hump under head coach Vic Schaefer.
Texas produced three straight double-digit wins to open the NCAA women’s tournament and it held all three of its opponents under 55 points.
The Longhorns’ smothering defense could limit what NC State wants to do offensively. The Wolfpack scored 77 and 79 points in their last two wins over the Stanford Cardinal and Tennessee Volunteers.
NC State will try to get out of Texas’ defensive grip through its variety of scorers. Five Wolfpack players average over 10 points per game.
However, Texas allowed a single opponent to score over 70 points in a win since February 1, and its that defense that will take the Longhorns to the Final Four in Cleveland.
Pick: Texas -6
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