3 keys for Stanford vs South Carolina in 2021 Women’s Final Four
By Ian Mumm
The 2021 Final Four field was officially rounded out by 1-seeds Stanford and South Carolina following their wins in the Elite 8. Head coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks advanced to the national semifinals after completely dismantling the Texas Longhorns 62-34. Adding to the blowout, South Carolina held Texas to a scoreless 4th-quarter easily locking up their victory down the stretch.
The Gamecocks are a well-balanced offensive team, led by double-digit scorers Zia Cooke, Aliyah Boston, and Destanni Henderson. Along with a deep and productive bench, this group finds it much easier to navigate difficult defensive matchups and poor shooting nights by riding the hot hand.
Outside of an earlier loss to Tennessee, South Carolina has only managed to lose games to top-10 teams (i.e., UConn, Texas A&M, and North Carolina State) and has yet to defeat a program of that caliber.
They will be tested by a very talented Stanford team that utilized a 49-20 scoring outburst in the final 17 minutes of action to come back against Louisville. Down nearly 15 points in the opening minutes of the 2nd half, the Cardinal caught fire and turned the headlines upside on a potential exit just short of the team’s season-long goal. The result was fitting as Stanford has proven to be one of the most complete teams in the nation with only two losses to their resume.
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Featuring four double-digit scoring threats, Kiana Williams, Haley Johnson, Lexie Hull, and Cameron Brink, the Cardinal are capable of competing with any team in the nation. Much like Connecticut in the other semifinal game, Stanford pairs their strong offensive production with an elite-level defense.
In fact, Stanford has been so sound on the court this season that a team has only finished within 10 points four times (Oregon x2, Arizona State, and Colorado) not including games lost.
Despite that fact, this game could play to be much closer than any other tournament game the Cardinal have played. South Carolina has a lot in common with their next opponent and given the way each of these teams is playing at the moment we could be in for a clash of titans. There are some crucial areas this game can be won and I have detailed them ahead of Friday’s matchup.