NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2017: Complete Final Four Schedule, Bracket

Can anybody stop the Connecticut Huskies?

It's become a lasting question in NCAA women's basketball, one that hasn't been answered since Stanford defeated the Huskies over two years ago, scraping out a two-point victory in overtime, no less.

On Friday, it will be No. 2 Mississippi State's turn to take a crack at solving UConn head coach Geno Auriemma's nigh unsolvable riddle, as the two teams take part in their 2017 NCAA Final Four matchup. 

The Huskies are the top overall seed this year; the Bulldogs are an excellent team in their own right but not expected to outlast the best team in women's college basketball.

The other semifinal pits No. 2 Stanford against No. 1 South Carolina. The Cardinal, as evidenced by being the last program to beat UConn, are more than comfortable in the upper echelons of women's basketball. Stanford has missed the Final Four only three times since 2008.

The Gamecocks are also no stranger to playing basketball in late March. Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina has reached five of the last six Sweet 16s and is in its second Final Four in the last three years.

Here's a look at the schedule for the Final Four and national championship game.

Final Four Matchups	Date	Time (ET)	Location	TV Info
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 1 South Carolina	Mar. 31	7:30 p.m.	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ESPN2
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 2 Mississippi State	Mar. 31	10 p.m.	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ESPN2
National Championship
TBD vs. TBD	Apr. 2	6 p.m.	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ESPN

Full bracket available at NCAA.com. Live-streaming of each game is available at WatchESPN.

Anything less than a fifth-straight national title would be an underachievement for the Huskies. For some teams, that kind of pressure could lead to tight, tense play. However, the Huskies are having fun with it all

"The Final Four itself is something to be celebrated," junior guard Kia Nurse said, per the Hartford Courant's Paul Doyle. "It's not easy to get here. It's a lot of fun to be part of."

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, might not be so loose, but only because they have a painful loss to avenge. In last year's Sweet 16, UConn rolled over Mississippi State by a staggering 98-38 final scoreline. According to the Dallas News' Chuck Carlton, the 60-point margin has been a motivator for Mississippi State ever since: 

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The number 60 -- representing the largest margin of victory ever in the Sweet 16 and beyond -- adorned the Bulldogs' weight room for offseason workouts. Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer made them watch the whole game and then a director's cut version. The ending never changed.

"We see it every day. It didn't leave our heads at all," junior center Victoria Vivians said.

Players have described the game and its aftermath as "annoying" and "embarrassing."

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There's little reason to believe that the Bulldogs will suffer a repeat of that debacle, despite the fact that the Huskies are rolling into this contest with a dominant 90-52 win over Oregon in the Elite Eight. At the very least, they should be able to do a better job on offense

Mississippi State has put up at least 90 points twice in this tournament and also opened with a 110-69 win over Troy. UConn boasts a top-10 scoring defense, but the Bulldogs are in fine form on offense and should be able to put up a good number of points.

One player to watch on Mississippi State is Morgan William, who poured in 41 points and racked up seven assists in the Elite Eight win over Baylor. If she can stay hot against UConn, the Bulldogs might have a fighting chance.

While the Bulldogs are underdogs against Connecticut, Stanford is something of an underdog against South Carolina.

The Cardinal's main focus will be stopping All-American forward A'ja Wilson, the 6'5" centerpiece of the Gamecocks' team. Wilson's abilities are augmented by the capable guards orbiting around her, something that she believes has made the team more difficult to stop on offense.

“In the past, they would play off our point guards because they thought they couldn’t shoot,” Wilson said, per the Mercury News' Elliott Almond. “The basketball world has to play” freshman Tyasha Harris. “That takes one defender out of the paint.”

Wilson averages 17.4 points per game, but he also makes a major impact on defense. In South Carolina's 71-64 victory over Florida State, Wilson had four blocks. 

In that case, Stanford might be better off staying out of the paint. They ranked 30th in the nation in three-point percentage this year (35.8), and in their 76-75 thriller against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, they sank 12-of-26 three-point attempts. 

Stanford leading scorer Erica McCall played all 40 minutes in that contest but scored just nine points. Brittany McPhee stepped up in a major way with 27 points on the strength of 5-of-9 shooting from downtown. 

Strong outside shooting could be a necessity for Stanford if they are to get past South Carolina. If they do that, maybe they will meet UConn in the national championship, where they can once again bust the Huskies' winning streak, now at 111 games and counting.