Final Four Preview Numero Uno: Louisville vs. Oklahoma

Ahh yes, the first of our two Final Four previews. It's the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma Sooners taking on No. 3 seeded Louisville Cardinals.

After finishing second in the regular season in the Big East, the Cardinals found themselves in the Raleigh region, with a first round match up against Liberty University. The Cardinals made quick work of the Lady Flames, winning 62-42.

In the second round, they faced the LSU Tigers. All-American Angel McCoughtry's 28 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, helped guide the Cardinals into the Sweet 16, as they defeated the Tigers 62-52.

The Cardinals faced Baylor in the regional semifinals, where once again McCoughtry would shine for Louisville. Her 22 points helped guide the Cardinals to a 56-39 and a showdown with Maryland.

The Cardinals would reach their first Final Four after defeating the Lady Terrapins 77-60. McCoughtry once more would come up big for the Cardinals as she scored 21 points with 13 rebounds.

The Sooners found themselves playing close to home after picking up the top seed in the Oklahoma City region. They made quick work of Prarie View A&M, winning the game 76-47.

In round two, the Sooners defeated Georgia Tech 69-50. The Sooners outscored the Yellow Jackets 40-21 in the second half. Danielle Robinson's 15 points helped get the Sooners into the Sweet 16.

Whitney Hand's 22 points helped put the Sooners into the Elite Eight, defeating Pittsburgh 70-59. They would go on to defeat Purdue 74-68 to get the Sooners into the Final Four.

Key players:

The key player for Louisville is of course McCoughtry. The senior is averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds per game.

For Oklahoma, it comes down to Courtney and Ashley Paris. The duo have combined to score more than 28 points per game. With the motivation of her scholarship wager, Courtney Paris certainly will look to shut down the Cardinals.


Prediction

Oklahoma 61 - Louisville 54