The stage is set for the NCAA women’s basketball finals — and it’s Under Armour vs. Nike.
The UA-sponsored Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the Nike-backed Baylor Bears at 6 p.m. ET tomorrow. Both teams entered the tournament as No. 1 seeds.
To get to the championship game, Notre Dame took out No. 2-seeded University of Connecticut in the Final Four. The Fighting Irish, who are the reigning NCAA Division I women’s basketball champs, beat UConn by a score of 81-76. The Nike-sponsored UConn has been somewhat of a powerhouse in women’s hoops for the past decade, making regular Final Four appearances and winning championships in both 2010 and 2013.
Baylor’s path to the championship round similarly required facing a No. 2 seed, with the Bears beating fellow Nike team University of Oregon 72-67.
The one non-Nike team to make it to the Final Four, Notre Dame received a motivational gift from Under Armour prior to yesterday’s game. The Curry 6 “Splash Party” sneaker — a style created in celebration of Steph Curry’s 31st birthday — was gifted to all members of the team. Curry also spoke to the women in a specially filmed good luck video, and it appears the well wishes paid off.
On the men’s end, the four remaining teams are Virginia, Auburn, Texas Tech and Michigan State. Virginia and Auburn square off at 6 p.m. ET tonight, while Texas Tech takes on Michigan State at 8:50 p.m.
Both Auburn and Texas Tech are UA-sponsored, while Nike backs UVA and Michigan State.
Watch FN’s behind-the-scenes video with Steph Curry on his cover shoot below.
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