The Gamecocks were considered a heavy favorite to repeat as champions. But Clark and the Hawkeyes delivered, all the way to the championship game against Louisiana State.
With stars, story lines and skill, the TV rights for the women’s Division I basketball tournament could be worth over $80 million, part of a larger wave of investors flocking to women’s sports.
Virginia Tech is in its first Final Four, while Iowa last went in 1993, and L.S.U. in 2008. South Carolina, the reigning champion, knows what to expect.
Maryland led after a quarter, but the Gamecocks wore down the Terrapins with their swarming defense. South Carolina will face Iowa in a national semifinal.