Here are four fun facts ahead of today's NCAA women's basketball Final Four showdowns, which features a significant Chattanooga area tie in the first game between No. 3 North Carolina State (31-6) and No. 1 and unbeaten South Carolina (36-0).
1. Familiar foes
Both McDonald's All-American selections in 2020, NC State senior Madison Hayes and South Carolina senior Kamilla Cardoso have already become Chattanooga basketball legends at an early age.
The two leaders will matchup tonight in Cleveland, Ohio at 7 p.m. on ESPN with the winner advancing to Sunday's national championship game against either UConn or Iowa.
South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, right, celebrates after scoring the game winning basket with guard Te-Hina Paopao against Tennessee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Southeastern Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Hayes, who scored 3,055 points in her high school career at East Hamilton, played on the same select basketball team called FBC United-Hunt with Cardoso over their prep years. Cardoso was a four-year star at Hamilton Heights.
The first regular season game for Hayes and Cardoso at their current college program's came against each other on November 9, 2021 in Raleigh, North Carolina where top-ranked South Carolina defeated No. 5 NC State, 66-57, with Cardoso contributing a couple of points and four rebounds off the bench in her debut for the Lady Gamecocks.
2. Chattanooga Parks and Rec
This is where Madison Hayes first got started in her journey to becoming one of the top women's basketball players to ever come out of Chattanooga.
As a young hooper, Hayes was filmed saying her favorite part of the game is "shooting".
Ironically, shooting has been the name of the game for the 6-foot Hayes, who has made 102-of-265 (.385) 3-point attempts in her collegiate career. She has set a new career-high with 55 long-range makes this season, while shooting nearly 41 percent from beyond the arc.
3. Battle for the boards
A crucial part of the game is controlled by both Cardoso and Hayes, who respectively lead their teams in rebounds this season. This March Madness tournament has seen each record 10 rebounds in one game. Hayes did so in a Sweet 16 win over Stanford, while Cardoso did so in a second round win over North Carolina.
Cardoso is seven inches taller than Hayes, but both have a strong desire to crash the boards and give their team an edge. Both are very good on the offensive glass, as they combine for 5.7 per game and 16.3 overall.
4. Season-high in points very close
Hayes has the edge on Cardoso by one point when it comes to her season-high in points, which was 24 in a win against Clemson earlier this season. Cardoso has scored 23 points twice this season.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.