WHO: #1 South Carolina Gamecocks (36-0 overall, 16-0 in SEC)
WHEN: Friday, March 31 at approximately 8:30 PM CT
WHERE: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)
TV: ESPN
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network | Sirius/XM 109 or 196

Monday night, South Carolina defeated Maryland 86-75 to advance to face Iowa in the Final Four Friday night. Maryland actually held a 21-15 lead after the first quarter, but the Gamecocks won the second quarter 23-9 to seize control of the game. Maryland made a run in the third quarter and got as close as six before South Carolina pulled away to win comfortably.

South Carolina dominated Maryland on the boards -- they had a 45-23 rebounding edge, including a 22-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Reigning National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston paced the Gamecocks with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, but Zia Cooke (18 points) and Brea Beal (16) also finished in double figures.

Last year the Gamecocks went 36-2 and won the National Championship 64-49 over UConn. This year, they've somehow been even better, going 36-0 and rarely being tested throughout the season -- only six of those 36 wins have been by 10 points or fewer.

Over the past two years, Caitlin Clark and South Carolina's Aliyah Boston have been at the center of National Player of the Year discussions. Now, they will finally meet on the biggest stage for the first time in their illustrious college careers.

This game also features elite offense versus elite defense. Iowa leads the nation in scoring offense (87.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (51.1%), while South Carolina leads the nation in scoring defense (50.4 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (31.2%). This is definitely the women's basketball version of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.

Iowa will likely be a large underdog in this game, but the Hawks are playing their best basketball right now, and any team with Caitlin Clark has a shooter's chance.

We'll have much more about South Carolina and Iowa in the buildup to Friday night's huge game.