North Carolina (33-1) vs. Maryland (32-4)
TV: 6 p.m., ESPN.
Players to watch: N.C.: G Ivory Latta, 5-6, sr.; F Erlana Larkins, 6-1, soph. Maryland: C/F Crystal Langhorne, 6-2, soph.; G Shay Doron, 5-9, jr.
Coaches: N.C.’s Sylvia Hatchell, 20th year, 445-187; Maryland’s Brenda Frese, fourth year, 82-45.
The skinny: A high-scoring offense (3rd in nation) and relentless, pressing, trapping defense make the Tar Heels the tournament favorite. “The quickest, most aggressive defense we’ve seen all year,” said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt after UNC beat the Vols in the regional final. Latta is a dynamo who leads the team in scoring (18.6 ppg) and assists and is one of the country’s top three-point shooters.
This should be a high-scoring game because Maryland is No. 2 in the nation in scoring and North Carolina No. 3. The Terps are the only team to have beaten North Carolina this season. Maryland has three dangerous three-point shooters.
Duke (30-3) vs. LSU (31-3)
TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN.
Players to watch: Duke: G Lindsay Harding, 5-8, jr.; G Monique Curry, 6-0, sr. LSU: G Seimone Augustus, 6-1, sr.; C Sylvia Fowles, 6-6 soph.
Coaches: Duke’s Gail Goestenkors, 14th season, 363-96; LSU’s Pokey Chatman, second year, 64-6.
The skinny: This is the fifth time Duke has entered the tournament as a top seed, but the Blue Devils have made the final only once, losing to Purdue in 1999. Ten players are averaging 12 or more minutes per game for the run-and-gun Devils, whose 87 points-per-game average leads the nation. Currie (16.3) is the leading scorer, while Harding runs the offense and frequently draws the toughest defensive assignment.
It’s the last dance for Augustus, the nation’s leading scorer at 23 ppg who was voted the player of the year for the second straight season. The last two seasons LSU lost in the semis. Fowles, an imposing presence and impressive shot-blocker, pairs with Augustus to create the most formidable 1-2 offensive punch among the Final Four teams. This is the classic offense-defense confrontation: LSU’s scoring defense (53.0) ranks fourth in the nation, and it has not allowed 60 points in any of its four tournament games.
