Clark, Cardoso Top Player Prop Picks in Iowa-South Carolina Showdown
It has come down to a matchup with the record-breaking Caitlin Clark leading Iowa against undefeated South Carolina in Sunday’s national title game. The Gamecocks are favored by the college basketball betting lines to top the Hawkeyes and win the program’s second national title in the last three seasons.
Iowa was also an underdog in the 2023 Final Four game against the favored Gamecocks but South Carolina, which was also undefeated entering that game, had no answers for Clark.
When looking at NCAAW futures odds, South Carolina was first at -200 with Iowa second at +300 in the odds of winning the NCAAW title when the Final Four began.
The game is set to tip shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will air on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+.
Here’s a look at some player props to consider as the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season winds to a close at the women’s Final Four.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark to go Under 32 1/2 Points (-114)
The returning South Carolina players probably didn’t need to see the footage of Clark’s 41-point masterpiece in a win over the Gamecocks in the 2023 Final Four as the record-breaking Iowa guard ended South Carolina’s hopes of an undefeated season and a national title.
Only three players who saw action for South Carolina in that game are back. This year’s team will have some new faces to throw at Clark. Will the results be any different?
“We’ll be going into it believing we can win. Our group will be ready.”
Caitlin Clark looks ahead to @IowaWBB‘s national final matchup with No. 1 overall seed South Carolina. 🗣️#WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/wjVkd82pyh
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) April 6, 2024
While none of them might do as good of a job defending Clark as UConn’s Nika Muhl did in the first half in Friday’s semifinals, the Gamecocks have plenty of players to throw at Clark and the chance to come up with different defensive looks.
Clark did drop 41 points on LSU but Clark has scored 32 points or less in the other four NCAA tournament games and when looking at the NCAA player prop options, it might be the smart play to go with Clark to finish under 32½ points in her final game at Iowa when considering the women’s Final Four props.
South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso to have 16+ Points (-130)
Iowa has had some issues slowing elite post players during the 2023-24 season.
If UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards can score 17 points against Iowa, what can Cardoso manage against the Hawkeyes?
Cardoso is coming off a game with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the national semifinals. She is putting up 17 points per game on 68% shooting in the NCAA tournament while pulling down 9.3 rebounds.
When looking at NCAAW player prop options in the national title game, go with Cardoso to make a run at her tournament averages and perhaps even top those numbers.
Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke to score 16+ Points (+123)
It was Stuelke and not Clark who led the Hawkeyes with 23 points in the semifinal win over UConn.
Facing South Carolina’s 6-foot-7 Cardoso could make scoring in the lane challenging. However, Stuelke rose to the occasion against UConn’s 6-foot-3 Aaliyah Edwards.
It seems unlikely that Stuelke will go 9-of-12 from the floor as she did against the Huskies, but she will need to hold her own in the low post against Cardoso and the other post players for South Carolina.
South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins to have 10+ Rebounds (+100)
Watkins didn’t start in the semifinal matchup against North Carolina State, but she was there at the end.
Watkins played 19 more minutes than starting forward Chloe Kitts and pulled down 20 rebounds in the win against the Wolfpack.
Watkins has 34 rebounds in South Carolina’s last two games. It was just the third time all season that she reached double digits in rebounds in consecutive games.
It is worth rolling with Watkins, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who didn’t grow up far from the South Carolina campus, to make it three games in a row with at least 10 rebounds.
A Quick Look Back
Before making any player prop picks, it might be helpful to see how the players from Iowa and South Carolina did in the semifinals.
Stuelke led the Hawkeyes with 23 points against UConn and that mad those who bet online happy since she had +520 odds to hit that mark.
Cardoso not only came through at +293 according to the college basketball betting line to score at least 21 points but also at +104 to have 11 rebounds.
Guard Raven Johnson delivered at +216 to score 12 points with Ashlyn Watkins at +108 to score a minimum of eight points.
Along with Stuelke, the best return among Iowa players was Caitlin Clark at +165 to have nine rebounds.
Questions of the Day
How many returning players saw action in the 2023 Final Four game between the Hawkeyes and the Gamecocks?
Caitlin Clark led Iowa with 41 points and eight assists. Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin also started in the game for the Hawkeyes with Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter, Molly Davis, and Addison O’Grady coming off the bench. Kamilla Cardoso had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Raven Johnson scored 13 points and Bree Hall had three points for South Carolina.
What are the game odds for the national title matchup between Iowa and South Carolina?
South Carolina is listed by our sportsbook as the 6½-point favorite with -275 odds to win the game outright. The Moneyline is at +190 for Iowa with the total set at 159½.
