How to Watch | Storylines for Louisville-South Carolina Final Four game |

MINNEAPOLIS (WDRB) -- Under Jeff Walz, the University of Louisville has developed into one of the top-10 women's programs in the nation, a team that never flinches against the best teams in the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences.

The Cards win conference titles. They regularly host their opening two games in the NCAA Tournament. They send players to the WNBA.

There is one thing left for the Cardinals to achieve: win a national title.

This weekend, Louisville returns to the Final Four for the fourth time since 2009 under Walz. The Cards will play national championship favorite South Carolina on Friday night in the opening semifinal, a game that will be followed by Connecticut vs. Stanford.

The Cards have a pair of runner-up finishes against UConn and as well as a national semifinal loss to Mississippi State in 2018 on their resume.

“No, we haven’t won a national championship, so I understand that,” Walz said. “I’m the first to say that.

“We’ve played for two and unfortunately for us, I guess in some ways, I think the two we lost in '09 and '12, the UConn teams (that beat U of L), would probably be ranked in the top five of all women’s basketball teams ever.”

A note of perspective: In men’s college basketball, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will chase his sixth NCAA title this weekend in New Orleans,

Coach K took Duke to the Final Four in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990 before the Blue Devils finally broke through in 1991.

Time: 7 p.m. Friday, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.

TV: ESPN — Ryan Ruocco, play by play; Rebecca Lobo, analyst; Holly Rowe, Andraya Carter, sideline reporters.

Records: South Carolina 33-2 overall, 15-1 in the Southeastern Conference; Louisville 29-4, 16-2.

The Last Time: South Carolina defeated the Cards, 83-59, on Nov. 27, 2016, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge. The Gamecocks lead the series, 17-4.

The Ratings: The Gamecocks have been ranked No. 1 all season in the AP Top 25 and they rank first at HerHoopsStats.com while the Cards rank fourth in the AP poll at fifth at HerHoopsStats.com.

The Quote: U of L guard Hailey Van Lith spoke about one factor that will decide the game:

“It is going to be an elite guard matchup, but I think it’s going to be who’s the mentally toughest to fight through the fact that these are both elite defenses and not get in their feelings about what’s happening on the offensive end.”

The News: South Carolina’s only two losses this season were at Missouri by one point and against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament by two points. Louisville beat Kentucky, 64-58. South Carolina has wins against the other two Final Four teams, defeating Stanford, 65-61, and UConn, 73-57.

The Matchup that Matters: Louisville’s defense against South Carolina center Aliyah Boston. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Boston averages 16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.5 points. She scored 22 points against UConn and 18 against Stanford. Expect Walz to use a variety of defenses against Boston with Olivia Cochran, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, and Emily Engstler, who is 6 feet 1 inches tall, drawing most of the one-on-one assignments.

Strengths: The Gamecocks rank first nationally in defensive efficiency while playing the nation’s top-ranked schedule. The Cards have a major edge in three-point shooting. U of L has made nearly 36% of its attempts from distance this season, which ranks 16th in the nation, while the Gamecocks convert only 30.8%, which ranks No. 169.

Weaknesses: South Carolina is clearly the worst shooting team in the field. The Gamecocks are No. 73 in field goal percentage at 42.6%. The Cards will have issues on the glass that South Carolina will try to exploit. The Gamecocks are the nation’s top offensive rebounding team, while Louisville ranks No. 132 in percentage of shots that they rebound on the defensive glass.

Tasty Tidbits: According to HerHoopsStats.com, South Carolina has limited its opponents to fewer points than its season average in all 35 games this season. Louisville is 151-19 over the last five seasons, a winning percentage that ranks behind only UConn and Baylor during that period. Louisville leads the NCAA Tournament with 54 steals while forcing an average of 21 turnovers per game. Engstler has 19 steals, tops among all players. Louisville has two wins over teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Cards beat top-ranked Oregon in 2019 and defeated No. 1 Baylor in the NCAA regional semifinals in 2013.

Prediction: Louisville 57, South Carolina 56.