JEFF WALZ

Aliyah Boston had 23 points and 18 rebounds to back up her AP National Player of the Year award and carry South Carolina to the NCAA championship game.

There was a time, not that many years ago, when predicting who would win the women’s NCAA Tournament was not that difficult.

Hailey Van Lith scored 22 points, Olivia Cochran made a series of crucial baskets in the final minutes, and Louisville held off Michigan 62-50 to return to the Final Four for the fourth time in program history.

Hailey Van Lith had 23 points and six assists, Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Louisville held off Tennessee 76-64 in the women's NCAA Tournament to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive time.

Destiny Harden hit a turnaround jumper as time expired to cap a one-woman comeback as Miami scored the game’s final 17 points to stun No. 4 Louisville 61-59 in Friday night’s quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Kianna Smith and Hailey Van Lith each scored 20 points and No. 4 Louisville raced to a huge lead and routed No. 14 Notre Dame 86-64 in a testy matchup.

“It's by far our best first half since I've been here against a Top 25 team,” Walz said. The Cardinals led 31-3 after the first quarter, then scored the first 10 points of the second period. Louisville was up 48-6 when Notre Dame made consecutive baskets, the second by Olivia Miles at 2:49 before halftime after her steal.

Diamond Johnson scored 11 of her 16 points in a 4 1/2-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, and No. 4 North Carolina State wiped out a 16-point second-half deficit to beat No. 3 Louisville 68-59.

Emily Engstler scored 14 points and hit a layup with three seconds remaining, lifting No. 3 Louisville to its 12th straight victory, 50-48 over No. 16 Georgia Tech. In a matchup of the nation’s top scoring defense in Georgia Tech and the nation’s third-best in Louisville, the Yellow Jackets were trying to knock off a top-three team for the second time after beating UConn on Dec. 9.

The Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball race is headlined by contenders filled with experienced talent.

The freshman guard has lived up to it so far, delivering record-breaking performances and earning a spot on The Associated Press women's basketball All-American team Wednesday. She's only the third freshman to make the AP team, joining Oklahoma's Courtney Paris and UConn's Maya Moore. “Name one player that has taken a team this young to where we are today," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. She became the school's first women's basketball All-American last season. She was joined by Naz Hillmon, who is the first women's player at Michigan to earn All-America honors.

Louisville head coach Jeff Walz instructs his team in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Boston College, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)Louisville coach Jeff Walz first heard his daughter sing the national anthem while she was in the playroom at their house earlier this week. So was his team after it heard a recorded rendition of 5-year-old Lucy singing the “The Star-Spangled Banner” Thursday night before the Senior Night game against Georgia Tech. They were staging their own Senior night game for Cardinals star Dana Evans. “I knew though she wouldn't have wanted to do it if I told her.”___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball game between Louisville and No. The postponement follows one earlier Wednesday between Louisville at Syracuse following a positive test, quarantining and contact tracing within the Cardinals’ program. The league cited a combination of a positive test, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the Lady Vols’ program. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference says Louisville’s men’s basketball game at Syracuse scheduled for Wednesday night has been postponed. AdThe league said the postponement was due to a positive COVID-19 test, quarantining and contact tracing within the Cardinals' program.

Louisville guard Dana Evans, left, drives around Wake Forest guard Gina Conti (5) in the first quarter of an NCAA women's college basketball game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – WINSTON-Dana Evans hit a driving shot for the go-ahead three-point play with 8.0 seconds left to help top-ranked Louisville barely avoid a huge upset by holding off Wake Forest 65-63 on Sunday. Conti scored 13 points while Raca had 12 to lead the Demon Deacons (7-6, 4-5), who erased an early nine-point deficit by getting on the boards. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were hosting a No. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons host Florida State on Thursday.

Louisville coach Jeff Walz gestures during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)For the first time in school history, coach Jeff Walz has Louisville at No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll. Louisville received 20 first-place votes from a 29-member national media panel. UConn coach Geno Auriemma is tied with the late Pat Summitt for the second most victories in women’s basketball history. ___More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Washington State has earned its first ranking ever in The Associated Press womens college basketball poll, entering at No. (AP Photo/Collin Andrew, File)Kamie Ethridge was surprised to hear that Washington State had never been ranked before. How exciting it is to be on the way up.”The ranking comes a day after Washington State beat then-No. Washington State (7-1) has won five of its first six Pac-12 games for the first time since the 2013-14 season. We’ll celebrate and acknowledge and enjoy the feeling.”While Washington State was enjoying its first ranking, Stanford tightened its grip on the No.

(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)Stanford remained atop The Associated Press women's basketball poll released Monday and picked up first-place votes, too. “I just would like to say to everybody, basketball was invented as, always has been and always will be a great team sport," she said. It’s been about great, great, great assistant coaches that have worked extremely hard for our program and it’s about having great players. Louisville, UConn, N.C. State and South Carolina followed Stanford as the first five remained unchanged in their position. ___More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

North Carolina State players celebrate with the coaching staff after an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)NEW YORK – It didn't take long for there to be a new No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll. Because it’s early in the season, there are a few teams that have a good shot to ascend to the top, including the Wolfpack. “That was a big win the other night but there's a lot of teams playing well,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. 1 in the women’s basketball poll, so history isn’t on their side.

Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz knows it's likely games will be scrapped at the last minute this season because of the coronavirus. If that seems chaotic and haphazard, welcome to the 2020-21 college basketball season. We’ll figure it out if it’s home or away, things like that.”Walz said he got the idea from a friend of his, Scott Davenport, who is the men's basketball coach at Bellarmine. Additional league games will be played outside the mini-conferences to complete the 16-game regular-season schedule. We adapt for weather for the basketball season all the time.

FILE - These are 2019 and 2020 file photos showing, from left: Aliyah Boston, Dana Evans, Rhyne Howard, Aari McDonald and Michaela Onyenwere. She was joined on the five-person team by sophomore Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, who was also a unanimous pick. She was joined on the five-player team by sophomore Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, who was also a unanimous pick. Howard was first team while Boston, McDonald and Evans made second team. The AP started choosing a preseason All-America team before the 1994-95 season.