Women's NCAA tournament 2022 bracket winners, losers and a potential South Carolina-Iowa regional final

The debate about the women's basketball national player of the year has been going on for a while now, with South Carolina fans certain it has to be junior post player Aliyah Boston, and Iowa fans just as sure about sophomore guard Caitlin Clark.

And thanks to the setup of the 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket, these two might face off for a trip to the Final Four. South Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the Greensboro Region and Iowa is No. 2. The Gamecocks are seeking their fourth shot at the women's Final Four — all since 2015 — while the Hawkeyes are aiming for the program's second trip, but first since 1993.

As we look at the 2022 bracket winners and losers, South Carolina, which was ranked No. 1 throughout the season, should be pretty pleased with its potential path to Minneapolis.

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Sure, Iowa is a hot team now, coming off its Big Ten tournament title after tying for the regular-season crown with Ohio State. But look at the other No. 2 seeds: UConn (Bridgeport Region), Texas (Spokane) and Baylor (Wichita). The Huskies won the Big East tournament title and the Longhorns the Big 12 tournament crown. Baylor was the Big 12 regular-season champion and lost in the league final.

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The biggest concern for South Carolina is its offensive output and not its defense, which has been very reliable. Can Iowa, with Clark's all-over-the-court range and post player Monika Czinano's sky-high field goal percentage test even the best defenses? Definitely. But Iowa's defense is not quite at the level of Texas, UConn or Baylor.

Plus,