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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mitchell Northam

2024 Super Bowl appetizer: Stacked women’s basketball slate, including UConn vs. South Carolina, leads into Super Bowl 58

You may have heard that the 2024 Super Bowl will be played on Sunday. The San Francisco 49ers are taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, Nevada. And Taylor Swift possibly will be there too.

But what about before the game? What’s the rest of your Sunday look like?

You could watch the Puppy Bowl, or line up your Super Bowl bets and parlays.

Or you could tune into an absolutely loaded women’s college basketball slate that features ranked-on-ranked matchups, a classic rivalry, and Caitlin Clark chasing history.

Here’s your guide to a jam-packed slate of women’s basketball on Sunday.

1
No. 15 Louisville at No. 23 Syracuse

Jan 25, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Felisha Legette-Jack talks to guard Dyaisha Fair (2) in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
  • Time: Noon EST
  • Channel: The CW
  • The Buzz: After reshuffling their roster in the off-season after the transfer of Hailey Van Lith, the new-look Cardinals are finding their groove in the thick of ACC play with Nyla Harris, Kiki Jefferson and Olivia Cochran leading the way. Under second-year coach Felisha Legette-Jack, the Orange are enjoying one of their best seasons in a while. Dyaisha Fair leads the way with 21.4 points per game for Syracuse – which is also one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation. Louisville beat Syracuse 81-69 in their first meeting this season.

2
No. 2 Iowa at Nebraska

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark celebrates after making a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola of Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 98-69. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
  • Time: 1 p.m. EST
  • Channel: FOX
  • The Buzz: Caitlin Clark is 38 points shy of tying Kelsey Plum’s NCAA all-time scoring record for Division I women’s basketball, and she just might break the record against Nebraska. Clark has a history of torching the Cornhuskers as she’s 8-0 against them in her career and has scored at least 30 points in each of those games. Iowa is coming off a game where Clark wasn’t the star; Hannah Stuelke scored 47 points in their Thursday win over Penn State. Clark could break the scoring record and see her favorite team win the Super Bowl on Sunday (and, like a lot of us, she’ll be watching the big game for Taylor Swift too).

3
No. 11 UConn at No. 1 South Carolina

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley talks to guard Raven Johnson (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
  • Time: 2 p.m. EST
  • Channel: ESPN
  • The Buzz: South Carolina is the only undefeated team left in the sport and will take on a UConn team that is eager for a signature win. Geno Auriemma’s side is 0-3 against opponents ranked in the top 15 of the AP Poll this season. Key in the matchup will be the play of Huskies’ post Aaliyah Edwards, who will be facing a South Carolina frontcourt without Kamilla Cardoso, who is with Brazil in a qualifying tournament for the summer Olympics. Her absence didn’t seem to slow the Gamecocks down in their 83-45 win over Missouri on Thursday though.

4
North Carolina at Duke

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 1: Head coach Courtney Banghart of the North Carolina Tar Heels talks with Deja Kelly #25 during the first half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum on February 1, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
  • Time: 2 p.m. EST
  • Channel: ACC Network
  • The Buzz: Neither of these teams are ranked at the moment, but they’ve both been solid this season. Both are in the top 30 of the NET, and UNC has a collection of impressive wins over the likes of Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville and Oklahoma. Also, come on, it’s Duke versus Carolina. The game at Cameron Indoor Stadium – where UNC seniors Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby have never lost – is sold out. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils met three times last season, with UNC taking both regular season meetings, but Duke getting the last laugh at the ACC tournament in Greensboro. This is their first game this year, and UNC is in desperate need of a victory after losing three straight.

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