The inaugural segment of the women’s national championship scene will come together as No. 3 UConn, and the top-seeded Iowa tip off at 9 p.m. ET in Cleveland this Friday night.

Witness the impressive star quality within Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse when the Huskies led by Paige Bueckers confront the Hawkeyes with superstar Caitlin Clark.

TREND

Iowa is predicted to win by 2.5 to 3.5 points in most sportsbooks. Majority of the bets at BetMGM are in favor of Hawkeyes, with 88 percent backing the 2.5-point line and 76 percent on the -155 moneyline.

A similar scenario is observed at BetRivers, with 64 percent supporting Iowa’s 2.5-point line and 86 percent favoring the Hawkeyes’ -150 moneyline.

The book also noted that Iowa’s spread-line is attracting 19.6 percent of the overall Women’s Final Four bets, making it the most popular, while the Hawkeyes’ moneyline follows closely with 19.0 percent of the total money wagered.

PROPS

Caitlin Clark Over 33.5 Points (-155 at BetMGM): Of all the game props at the book, the most favored are related to Clark. After averaging 29.3 points in the initial three tournament matches, Clark exploded with 41 points in the Elite Eight victory against LSU.

Over 162.5 Points: Since opening at 163.5 points, BetMGM has observed 81 percent of the money leaning towards the Over. At BetRivers, the 163-point total has enticed 72 percent of the bets and 65 percent of the money. Iowa boasts an average of 84.5 points per game in the tournament while UConn holds an average of 72.8 points in their journey to the Final Four.

THE NEWS

CLEVELAND — Iowa (33-4) secured its spot after defeating defending national champions LSU in the Albany Elite Eight game where Clark achieved 41 points, attracting a record 12.3 million viewers as the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history.

The UConn matchup (33-5) is expected to draw a significant audience as well.

Featuring two players of the year battling it out, Bueckers, the 2021 consensus Player of the Year, faces off against Clark, who swept the accolades last season and claimed the AP honor on Thursday.

Clark and Bueckers have been acquaintances for half of their lives, competing against each other since middle school in the Midwest AAU circuits. They have also been teammates with Team USA.

“I think the coolest thing about Paige is how resilient she is,” Clark said. “The way she carries herself on and off the court and the way she works hard, none of that has changed. She’s always worked that same way, always had that fire and been a leader.”

In their last encounter during the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Texas amidst COVID-19 restrictions, Bueckers’ UConn bested Iowa in the Sweet 16. Bueckers tallied 18 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists while Clark notched 21 points and five assists in a 20-point victory for UConn.

Furthermore, UConn triumphed over Clark’s Iowa team, sans Bueckers due to her recovery from knee surgery, in a 2022 neutral-site clash with a score of 86-79, restricting Clark (25 points) to a 2-of-11 performance from beyond the arc.

“I know Caitlin. We go way back,” Bueckers said. “She’s just a competitor. She wants to win. She has the intangibles of the game. She knows how to play, great IQ. I think the biggest thing about her is she competes and she’s just a winner, she wants to win at all costs.”

While Clark and Bueckers shine under the spotlight, the pivotal player in Friday’s clash may be UConn’s adept post player, Aaliyah Edwards. The 6-foot-3 double All-American boasts averages of 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season, shooting at an impressive 59.5 percent accuracy.

In the Elite Eight against No. 1 USC, Edwards recorded 24 points and six rebounds, while Bueckers contributed 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.

“I think one of the things that we learned is just leaning more on each other, playing more as a unit, and just playing for something bigger than just the win,” Edwards said.

Despite lacking in size, Iowa has effectively contained potent post players throughout the season. In the Elite Eight matchup against LSU, Angel Reese scored 17 points but required 21 shots to achieve it, eventually fouling out with two minutes on the clock.

Iowa has also subdued teams featuring towering players like Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, both standing at 6-6.

“I think we’re going to have to play a great half-court defense, going to need to run in transition, and need to execute our offense in the half-court,” Clark said. “I think it’s all those things.”

HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY

UConn holds a 6-3 historical advantage against Iowa.

THEY SAID IT

“I do not want this to be a game that’s promoted as Caitlin versus Paige, and I know it already has been. But I don’t want that,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “I want it to be Iowa versus UConn and let these two women do what they do best.”