Women's NCAA tournament - Best bets for the Final Four

The 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament is nearing its conclusion, with the Final Four taking place in Minneapolis on Friday. No. 1 seeds Louisville, South Carolina and Stanford all advanced, while No. 2 UConn knocked out NC State to reach the semifinals. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme and analyst Monica McNutt offer their best bets for the Final Four matchups and entire event.

Both games will be televised on ESPN.

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Money line: Louisville +320, South Carolina -420

7 p.m. ET (ESPN), Target Center, Minneapolis

Creme's pick: South Carolina -8.5

Much has been made of South Carolina's offensive struggles in the tournament, but the Cardinals' troubles have been just as pronounced. The Gamecocks have the best defense in the country by a wide margin and Louisville should really struggle to score. Hailey Van Lith has been the one bright light for the Cardinals' offense with four 20-point games in the tournament, but South Carolina has the size, skills and physical style in its backcourt to potentially take her out of the game. Dawn Staley could assign 6-foot-1 Brea Beal to the 5-foot-7 Van Lith and take Louisville's top scorer out of the game. Then where do the Cardinals turn? No one else has been nearly as consistent or dependable.

McNutt's pick: Louisville +8.5

I see this game as a defensive one with very clunky offense on both sides. I wouldn't play this total as I think it is spot on, but if you wanted the action, lean towards the under. Both teams take pride in their defensive, and South Carolina's Elite Eight win over Creighton was the first time all season the Gamecocks had four players in double figures. I think Louisville covers the 8.5, but South Carolina moves to the title