Women’s Final Four 2022 – How each team in Minneapolis can win the national title

The 2022 women’s Final Four might look a little familiar: Three of the four teams that are in Minneapolis also reached the final weekend a year ago. Also familiar: Three of the four teams are No. 1 seeds for the fifth consecutive tournament. The Stanford Cardinal are the defending champions. The South Carolina Gamecocks are the 2021-22 wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the country. The UConn Huskies are making their 14th Final Four appearance in a row. And the Louisville Cardinals, the team that wasn’t in San Antonio last March, are making their fourth trip to the national semifinals.

All four teams bring plenty of star power: Aliyah Boston of South Carolina; Haley Jones and Cameron Brink from Stanford; UConn’s Paige Bueckers; and Hailey Van Lith of Louisville. But it’s their defense that got them all here. Her Hoops Stats rates all four among the six best defensive teams in the country. Points will be at a premium. First one to 65 wins, then?

Here’s a look at how all four teams plan to raise the championship trophy on Sunday night at the Target Center. The women’s Final Four tips off Friday on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Reason to be excited: After 14 games this season, Van Lith was a 25.0% 3-point shooter who had more turnovers than assists. Now she’s the first Louisville player with four consecutive 20-point games in the NCAA tournament. Van Lith’s enthusiasm and excitement over the Cardinals’ success has been one of the stories of the tournament. More importantly, her scoring is carrying her team’s offense.

Reason to be concerned: Emily Engstler is college basketball’s Swiss Army knife. Her ability to spearhead a press, get steals (six against Michigan), block shots (1.8 BPG this season) and rebound at a double-digit clip (11.0 RPG in the…