The NCAA women's basketball tournament is down to three powerhouses and a newcomer in the Final Four.

The UConn Huskies come in as the favorite to win the national championship because they have 11 titles and face the more favorable matchup against the Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona knocked off the Indiana Hoosiers and Texas A&M Aggies in the second week of the competition to extend the Pac-12's dominance across the men's and women's tournaments.

The Stanford Cardinal, who are the No. 1 overall seed, face the tougher Final Four showdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have risen to the top of the sport under head coach Dawn Staley.

South Carolina has the most recent title of the foursome from 2017. UConn has not cut down the nets since 2016, and Stanford is vying for its first championship since 1992.

Women's Final Four Schedule

Friday, April 2

No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 1 South Carolina (6 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 3 Arizona (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Games can be live-streamed on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.

Preview

UConn carries the most Final Four experience from the last three tournaments, but each of those runs ended in the semifinals.

The Huskies come into their matchup against Arizona with four double-digit victories, including triumphs over the Iowa Hawkeyes and Baylor Bears.

Freshman guard Paige Bueckers is the top individual player to watch in the Final Four. She became the first freshman to win AP National Player of the Year on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old is coming off a 28-point performance against Baylor, and her offensive dominance will be a major concern for Arizona's defenders.

Bueckers isn't the only driving force in the UConn offense, though. Christyn Williams has turned in 48 points in the last two games.

If Geno Auriemma's team cuts down the nets this year, it will be because of the play of Bueckers and Williams, who could tear apart an Arizona squad with no experience at this stage.

The Wildcats' run has been nothing short of fantastic, but it did receive a bit of an easier path to the Final Four once the top-seeded NC State Wolfpack were eliminated in the Sweet 16.

Arizona held all four of its opponents under 60 points, but that is going to be a hard task against UConn. The Huskies have put up at least 69 points in all four tournament contests.

South Carolina's defense may be more effective on Friday, as it is coming off a fourth-quarter shutout of the Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight.

The 62-34 score could have been much worse if the Gamecocks scored more than 10 points in the final stanza.

Three of South Carolina's opponents were held under 55 points, and it has conceded an average of 48.5 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

Stanford has the potential to break that defensive hold through its quartet of guards who hurt the Missouri State Bears and Louisville Cardinals in the last two rounds.

Three of Lexie Hull, Haley Jones, Kiana Williams and Anna Wilson reached double digits in those victories. Williams and Hull both had 30 points in the wins.

South Carolina's defense was the story the last time the two sides squared off in the Final Four in 2017. The Gamecocks held the Cardinal to 53 points in the semifinal and then went on to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs for the title.

Although the players are different for Friday's game, that matchup provides an idea of how the programs will match up from a stylistic standpoint.

South Carolina has not allowed more than 65 points during its seven-game winning streak, and only four teams crossed the 70-point mark in games that it won.

If the Gamecocks can smother the Cardinal's offensive stars, they would likely set up a first-ever title game matchup with UConn.

Statistics obtained from NCAA.com.