The Women’s Final Four Guide: Preview, Start Time and More

McDonald’s handsy play and 2.7 steals per game earned her a share of the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, but forward Sam Thomas is right behind her with an average of 2.4 takeaways. The Wildcats’ approach is to agitate, not dominate, their opponents. They will need to be as obnoxious as possible against UConn’s streamlined offense, which has been one of the highest scoring in the nation.

UConn’s defense will probably focus on McDonald, since containing her is the key to stopping Arizona. The problem is that few people have managed to do it this season, because to lower her shooting percentage you have to keep up with her first.

Who will prevail in a battle of the bigs?

South Carolina and Stanford have talented young post players with very different skill sets. Aliyah Boston, the Gamecocks’ 6-foot-5 sophomore, is listed as a forward but plays more like a traditional center, dominant around the basket and on the glass, with the size and strength — as well as the deft footwork — to overpower opponents. The fact that she averages a double-double is almost a footnote to the ways in which she broadly shapes South Carolina’s game.

“When she’s on the floor, you’ve got to guard her with a player and probably a half a player,” South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said. “So she afforded us opportunities.”

Stanford’s Cameron Brink, a 6-foot-4 freshman, doesn’t have the same ability to muscle her fellow post players, but she can score quickly in transition and — occasionally — shoot from behind the arc. Brink has already helped the Cardinal with her volleyball-trained vertical leap, which allows her to block and rebound with ease. She is not yet dominant enough to attract double teams in the way that Boston tends to, but her range on the floor allows her to spread defenses and open up lanes for the Cardinal’s smaller guards, like senior Kiana Williams.

The Boston-Brink face-off calls to mind considerations at other levels of basketball, where coaches mull whether a traditional big should serve as an offense’s centerpiece or if flexibility at the position is more important.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/sports/ncaabasketball/womens-final-four-stanford-south-carolina-uconn-arizona.html