Half of the women’s Final Four is set with two familiar faces — Stanford and South Carolina — advancing to the national semifinals.
They could be joined by the other two No. 1 seeds, Louisville and N.C. State, or national semifinal stalwart UConn and newcomer Michigan. The Cardinals face the Wolverines and the Wolfpack play the Huskies on Monday night.
With all the upsets that occurred during the women’s tournament this year — a record number of double-digit seeds won — so far it’s the top two teams in the field reaching the Final Four.
Stanford is two wins away from repeating as champion and is playing in the Final Four for the 15th time in program history.
“It’s crazy to say this but you’re always happy to go to the Final Four, but sometimes you’re like really happy. And I’m like really happy,” coach Tara VanDerveer said.
This year’s trip was easier for the Cardinal, who spent months away from home last year living in hotels because of the pandemic.
