On Friday, Louisville and South Carolina face off in a matchup of No. 1 seeds, followed by No. 2 Connecticut against No. 1 Stanford. The women’s national championship game is Sunday.
The Final Four features three No. 1 seeds, South Carolina, Stanford and Louisville, and the blue blood Connecticut. But it hasn’t been an easy tournament for favorites.
The Bluejays had become the rare No. 10 seed to reach the round of 8, but top-seeded South Carolina proved too tough and advanced to its fourth national semifinal under Coach Dawn Staley.
Her move to Massachusetts from the Virgin Islands at age 12 exposed her to a world of basketball possibilities. Now she’s leading top-ranked South Carolina into the round of 16.
The N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament finally has the same branding as the men’s. Attendance is up, too. But some coaches and players say there’s more work to do.