Previewing the men’s and women’s Final Fours, plus the new rules are already changing MLB

Good morning to everyone but especially to…

THE FINAL FOUR TEAMS

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that’s certainly the case with a HUGE weekend of college basketball on deck. The women’s Final Four in Dallas begins tonight, and the men follow in Houston tomorrow.

Let’s start on the women’s side, and that means starting with Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, who claimed both Naismith and AP player of the year awards. She’s coming off a 40-point triple-double against Louisville in the Elite Eight, and our Isabel Gonzalez wrote a wonderful feature on Clark, an Iowa native, fulfilling her “destiny.”

Meanwhile, the Final Four is nothing new to Dawn Staley and South Carolina, who are making their third straight trip. Staley continues to lead and inspire in a unique manner, Isabel writes.

• Gonzalez: “‘These are young people we mentor and lead. We help them navigate through life right now and when they leave you. That’s a heavy load,’ she said. … Staley doesn’t just focus on helping her own team. In 2021, she sent pieces of the Gamecocks’ 2017 championship net to other Black women coaching Division I basketball as a way to share her accomplishment and encourage others to keep fighting for their dreams.”

Iowa-South Carolina has all the makings of an epic semifinal, and so does LSU (behind Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese) against Virginia Tech. You can read up on all four teams here.

On the men’s side, Chip Patterson has what you need to know about each of the four teams: San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, Miami and UConn. Much has been made about UConn’s dominance, Miami’s resurgence and FAU’s Cinderella tale. But what about San Diego State?

The Aztecs have quite the story of their own after their dominant 2020 squad never got to compete for a title after COVID-19 canceled the Tournament. Many of the players on that team are also on this one. Our David Cobb has the story.

So, who’s winning it all? Our experts have made their picks, and it’s unanimous. Here’s what else to know:

Honorable mentions

Not so honorable mentions

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