March Madness: South Carolina-Louisville, UConn-Stanford meet in women's Final Four

April 1 (UPI) -- South Carolina will meet Louisville in the first of two NCAA Division I women's basketball Final Four games Friday in Minneapolis. Stanford will then take on perennial power UConn in the second game on the same court.

South Carolina, the top-overall seed in the tournament, faces fellow No. 1 seed Louisville at 7 p.m. on ESPN. No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UConn are expected to tip off at 9:30 p.m. on the same network.

"We hope to make everybody proud with a competitive and exciting game because that's what our fans deserve," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told reporters Thursday.

South Carolina, a longtime women's title favorite, and Stanford, the defending champion, are favored to advance to the National Championship game. The tournament finale will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

"The UConn-Stanford bicoastal rivalry is a long-standing tradition," Stanford guard Haley Jones said. "I'm happy to be a part of it. It's really special."

South Carolina vs. Louisville

South Carolina junior forward Aliyah Boston remains one of the best players in the country. The Greensboro Region MVP averaged 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. She is averaging 16.7 points and 14.2 rebounds in the tournament.

Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke are among South Carolina's other top scorers.

The Gamecocks (33-2) also have one of the best defenses in the nation. They led women's college basketball in blocked shots, rebounds and scoring margin, outscoring foes by an average of 20.6 points per game.

The Gamecocks beat No. 16 Howard, No. 8 Miami, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 10 Creighton to advance to the Final Four.

Wichita Region MVP Hailey Van Lith leads the Cardinals (29-4). The sophomore guard averaged 21.5 points per game through the first four rounds.

The Cardinals beat No. 16 Albany, No. 9 Gonzaga, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 3 Michigan en route to the Final Four. They hit an average of nearly 40% of their 3-pointers in the regular season, the best mark among the national semifinalists.

Stanford vs. UConn

Spokane region MVP Haley Jones leads Stanford into the second Final Four matchup. The junior guard averaged 17.5 points and 11 rebounds in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Cameron Brink, Stanford's top scorer and one of the top shot blockers in the country, and Lexie Hull also lead the Cardinal attack.

The Cardinal (29-3) beat No. 16 Montana State, No. 8 Kansas, No. 4 Maryland and No. 2 Texas to reach the Final Four.

Bridgeport Region MVP Paige Bueckers leads the Huskies into Minneapolis. The sophomore guard went off for 27 points and six rebounds in the Huskies' Elite Eight win over No. 1 N.C. State.

Christyn Williams, Azzi Fudd, Carolina Ducharme and Olivia Nelson-Ododa also should present problems for the Cardinal.