Women’s Elite Eight and Final Four by the numbers
The GIST: The women’s and men’s Final Fours are officially set, but before they tip off this weekend, let’s take a look at a few of the gals’ recent history-making stats.
3: The number of records No. 1–seed Iowa star Caitlin Clark set with her 41-point game in Monday’s Elite Eight win over defending champ No. 3 LSU, making her the new leader in Division I (DI) career three-pointers, career NCAA tournament three-pointers, and career NCAA tourney assists. That Nike commercial just got even longer.
- Speaking of records, No. 1 USC phenom JuJu Watkins also made history on Monday by breaking the DI freshman scoring record set by San Diego State’s Tina Hutchinson in 1984. Watkins’ season ended with a loss to No. 3 UConn, but her best is definitely yet to come.
4: The consecutive Final Fours featuring South Carolina’s top-seeded women. That’s a stark contrast from their Friday opponent, No. 3 NC State, who’ve made two Final Fours…ever.
9: The number of inches short one of the three-point lines was on the Portland region’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight court — an egregious oversight that speaks volumes about how the NCAA undervalues women’s basketball.
15: The number of times a school has sent both their women’s and men’s teams to the Final Four in the same season…although this is the first time two schools, UConn and NC State, have done it. Impressive.
23: How many Final Fours UConn women’s head coach (HC) Geno Auriemma has led the Huskies to in 39 years at the helm. This season could be his greatest achievement, though: He’s booked UConn’s Final Four trip with just seven (!!!) healthy players after losing six to injuries this season. Can’t keep a good Dawg down.
$949: The minimum price (as of 1 p.m. ET yesterday) for a ticket to Friday’s women’s Final Four in Cleveland, OH. Thankfully, these semis are also on ESPN because everyone watches women’s sports.
12.3M: The average viewership of Monday’s 2023 title game rematch between Iowa and LSU, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever. Ted Lasso doesn’t lie.
