Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes square off against the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament national championship game on Sunday. South Carolina enters Sunday's showdown with a perfect 37-0 record. Iowa, meanwhile, has won 11 straight behind the brilliance of Clark and her teammates. The Hawkeyes defeated South Carolina 77-73 last year in the Final Four.
Tipoff from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, is set for 3 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks are 6.5-point favorites in the latest South Carolina vs. Iowa odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 160.5. Before making any Iowa vs. South Carolina picks or championship game predictions, you have to see what women's basketball expert Calvin Wetzel has to say.
Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks. Now Wetzel has turned his attention to women's college basketball after teaming up with Aaron Barzilai, a Ph.D. from Stanford. Since the start of the 2021-22 women's college basketball campaign, he is 1384-988 (+371.33 units). Wetzel also predicted 66 of 68 tournament teams this year, as well as 62 of 68 teams within one seed line, and correctly picked 13 of 16 second-round games. Anybody following his picks has seen huge results.
Now, he has set his sights on Iowa vs. South Carolina and made his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for South Carolina vs. Iowa:
- Iowa vs. South Carolina spread: Gamecocks -6.5
- Iowa vs. South Carolina over/under: 160.5 points
- Iowa vs. South Carolina money line: Gamecocks -300, Hawkeyes +210
- IOWA: The Hawkeyes shoot 37.8% from 3-point range
- SC: South Carolina averages 46.3 RPG
- Iowa vs. South Carolina picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why South Carolina can cover
The Gamecocks are aiming to become the fifth school and first team since the 2016 UConn Huskies to go undefeated. Over the last three seasons, South Carolina has gone 108-3, while every other school has at least 12 losses. The Gamecocks head into Sunday's contest leading the NCAA in points per game differential (+29.4), opponent field-goal percentage (32.2%), and blocks per game (7.8).
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao has been an effective playmaker in the backcourt. Paopao can knock down perimeter shots with ease and has good court vision to get her teammates involved. She averages 10.9 points and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 46% from downtown. In her last game, she racked up 10 points and six assists. See which team to pick here.
Why Iowa can cover
Everyone knows that Clark is a superstar but the Hawkeyes have seen other players step up to help keep the pressure off of her. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke has been a reliable outlet offensively for the Hawkeyes. Stuelke does a great job cutting to the rim and is able to finish with either hand. She averages 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 63% from the field.
In her last game, Stuelke finished with a tournament-high 23 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field. Senior guard Kate Martin provides the team with another capable floor spacer. Martin has a reliable jumper and is a competitive force on the boards. She averages 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. In the Elite Eight against LSU, Martin finished with 21 points and six boards. See which team to pick here.
How to make South Carolina vs. Iowa picks
Wetzel has analyzed this matchup and he is leaning Under on the point total, while discovering a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins Iowa vs. South Carolina, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread hits, all from the expert who's up 371 units since the start of the 2021-22 season, and find out.
