This women’s Final Four in Indianapolis has the potential to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory.
That’s largely because of Texas A&M, which knocked off No. 1 seed Baylor to advance to the Final Four in the fourth meeting of the season between the programs. The Aggies (31-5) aren’t a bona fide upstart because of their No. 2 seed, but compared with the accomplishments of the other three participants, their resume is hardly bloated.
Making their first appearance in the Final Four, the Aggies will play Stanford in the first game tonight. The Cardinal (33-2), which earned a No. 1 seed, is making its 10th trip to the Final Four and has won two national championships, the last in 1992.
In the second game, Connecticut (36-1), another top seed, faces No. 2 seed Notre Dame for a fourth time this season. The Huskies are in the Final Four for the 12th time and have won seven national championships, one short of matching Tennessee for the most in NCAA history. The Fighting Irish (30-7) are making their third appearance in the national semifinals and aiming for a second national title.
Notre Dame’s narrowest margin of defeat to Connecticut this season was 79-76 on Jan. 8, and in that game the teams were tied at halftime. In the two subsequent games, the Fighting Irish trailed at halftime and lost by an average of 15 points.
