The No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four on Friday at 9 p.m. ET from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX (ESPN).
The Hawkeyes defeated No. 5 seed Louisville Cardinals 97-83 in the Elite Eight over the weekend behind a historic performance from Caitlin Clark. Clark notched her 11th career triple-double, recording 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. The AP All-American first-team guard has produced 30- and 40-point triple-doubles during Iowa's Final Four run. In addition to Clark, McKenna Warnock had 17 points and five rebounds, while Gabbie Marshall added 14 points, four steals, and two assists. The Hawkeyes began the tournament with a 54-point win over No. 15 seed Southeastern Louisiana in the first round before defeating No. 10 seed Georgia (74-66) in the second round and No. 6 seed Colorado (87-77) in the Sweet 16.
Meanwhile, the defending national champion Gamecocks defeated No. 2 seed Maryland 86-75 in the Elite Eight. South Carolina had three players in double figures, led by All-American first-team forward and SEC Player of the Year Aliyah Boston. Boston recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Brea Beal also did a little bit of everything on the floor, posting 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Zia Cooke scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Gamecocks move to 36-0. The Gamecocks started their run with a 32-point win over No. 16 seed Norfolk State in the first round. After that, South Carolina defeated No. 8 seed South Florida (76-45) in the second round and No. 4 seed UCLA (59-43) in the Sweet 16.
Here's everything to know about betting on Iowa vs. South Carolina in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including updated odds, trends, and our prediction for the Final Four matchup.
Iowa vs. South Carolina odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
South Carolina enters Friday night's Final Four contest as an 11.5-point favorite over Iowa. The Gamecocks have not lost a game since March 6, 2021, which is incredible to think about and shows how dominant they've been over the past two seasons. However, bettors should not sleep on the Hawkeyes, who are riding an eight-game winning streak. Bettors should also track the OVER in this matchup, as Iowa is averaging 87.6 points per game and South Carolina is scoring 80.5 points per game.
- Spread: Iowa +11.5 (-110); South Carolina -11.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: OVER 150.5 (-110); UNDER 150.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Iowa +500; South Carolina -750
Betting trend to watch
The Gamecocks are surprisingly 1-3 against the spread in the NCAA tournament so far. South Carolina's lone ATS win was against South Florida, where they were favored by 28 points. With that in mind, bettors might want to consider taking the Hawkeyes with the points. Iowa has an explosive offense and could pull off a monumental upset with another epic performance from Clark.
South Carolina has only covered 1x this tournament:
— Danielle Alvari (@DanielleAlvari) March 28, 2023
-14.5 vs Maryland ❌ 86-75
-17.5 vs UCLA ❌ 59-43
-28 vs South Florida 💰 76-45
-50.5 vs Norfolk State ❌ 72-40 https://t.co/8YXfH96LrA
Iowa key players
As we all know, the Hawkeyes are led by Caitlin Clark, who is the best guard in the nation this season. The junior guard is averaging 27.3 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game. Clark is also shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range. Along with Clark, Iowa has two other players scoring in double figures -- Monika Czinano (17.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG) and McKenna Warnock (11.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG). Warnock has scored 10-plus points in three-straight games and done a tremendous job of crashing the boards in the tourney (6.2 RPG).
South Carolina key players
The Gamecocks are led by Aliyah Boston, who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year this season. Boston is averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds per game in the tournament. However, she doesn't carry the entire offensive workload by herself, as Zia Cooke and Kamilla Cardoso play a large role in South Carolina's success. Cooke is the Gamecocks' leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game and a team-high 1.8 threes made per game. Meanwhile, Cardoso is recording 9.7 points and 8.4 rebounds (second behind Boston) per game.
Best individual matchup: Zia Cooke vs. Caitlin Clark
If the Gamecocks want to stay undefeated and play in the National Championship game, they must slow down Clark and look for Cooke to be their leading scorer. Cooke's best game in the tournament happened in the second round against South Florida when she had 21 points on 42.1-percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. As for Clark, she's coming off back-to-back outstanding performances against Louisville and Colorado and is capable of popping for 40-plus points against anyone.
Iowa vs. South Carolina stat to know
Iowa has the best offense in the NCAA this season, averaging 87.6 points per game. However, South Carolina will provide a tough test for them, as it allows just 51.1 points per game. The Hawkeyes shoot 37.9 percent from three-point range (seventh in the country), but the Gamecocks hold their opponents to 26.4 percent from beyond the arc (15th in the NCAA). It will be a great matchup between two teams with different schools of thought.
Iowa vs. South Carolina prediction
Friday night's game will be a tremendous matchup between two teams that could win the national title. Clark has all the accolades and is the best scorer left in the tourney, while Boston is a decorated all-around player and will make things tough for the Hawkeyes. Iowa will cover the spread, but South Carolina's defense will reign supreme and get back to the National Championship game.
Prediction: South Carolina 75, Iowa 70. Iowa (+11.5) covers the spread, with the game going UNDER the total (150.5).
