Iowa vs South Carolina Women's National Championship Game injury report & prediction, April 7, 2024

Iowa and South Carolina clash in the women's national championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Hawkeyes made it to the final after edging past UConn in the Final Four, while the Gamecocks dispatched North Carolina State in their own Final Four battle to arrange the titular showdown.

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Iowa vs. South Carolina women's basketball injuries

Both teams have a couple of injuries to their starters going into this afternoon's game.

Molly Davis, Iowa

Molly Davis has missed all of the Hawkeyes' eight postseason games since she suffered the injury in the Hawkeyes' last regular-season game against Ohio State.

In an interview on Saturday, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder expressed doubt on whether she would field Davis on the floor in the championship game.

"I would love for Molly to have that opportunity (to play), she deserves it. My heart aches for that kid. Basketball is so important to her. And to have this happen to her, and honestly, we thought she was going to be back, we thought she was going to be back a couple weeks ago," Bluder said of Davis, who started in 27 of the 30 games she played this season.

The Iowa coach admired the 5-foot-7 guard's positive attitude despite being hampered by her injury.

"For her to be able to not bring any added attention to herself, like 'woe is me,' it's amazing how she's handled this and I know how much it's hurting her," she added.

However, Bluder remains optimistic that the 5-foot-7 guard might be called to play for a couple of seconds and will be replaced immediately.

Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina

The 6-foot-7 center had a slight injury scare during the Gamecocks' Final Four clash against NC State.

Cardoso briefly exited the game due to a right leg injury. However, that didn't stop the center from damaging the Wolfpack's defense, as she dominated the low post, tallying 22 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said that her top player shrugged it off and was fine right after she exited the matchup.

Teammate Ashlyn Watkins is optimistic that Cardoso will play in the championship game.

“I knew she was going to be OK. Kamilla is a warrior. She’s not going to let an injury like that affect her. She’s going to push and be ready for Sunday,” Watkins said.

Iowa vs. South Carolina women's basketball prediction

Hannah Stuelke needs another excellent performance down low to help Clark against the formidable South Carolina squad.

South Carolina is a 6.5-point favorite to beat Iowa in the championship game, but Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes are no strangers to being underdogs in the clash.

Expect Clark to flick her 3-point attempts from downtown to force the Gamecocks' defense to extend to the 3-point area. This will allow Clark's teammates to have open space to attack the rim and score points against a tough South Carolina squad.

As for the Gamecocks, they need Cardoso to dominate using her size against the smaller Iowa defenders. Her teammates must drop the ball immediately to the Brazilian from point-blank range to improve her chances of scoring and dominating the paint early.

Prediction: South Carolina wins by five points.

Who do you think will win the women's national championship? Let us know in the comments.