Re-ranking the women’s Sweet 16 teams: March Madness field takes shape
We’re onto the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, and although most of the big favorites are still in the competition, a few unexpected teams have crashed the party.
Notre Dame is in the running as a No. 6 seed after knocking off No. 3 seed Ohio State, while No. 10 seed Virginia is on a surprise run following an upset of No. 2 seed Iowa. How do these results impact the hierarchy of the field? And can either of those teams continue their run?
Here is a re-ranking of every team left in the field:
1) 1-seed UConn
Sweet 16 Matchup: North Carolina
The Huskies look every bit the part of a prohibitive favorite after consecutive wins of 38 and 53 points. Sarah Strong is still the team’s top option, but Azzi Fudd showed she can be the best player on the court at any time with 34 points and eight threes against Syracuse.
2) 1-seed South Carolina
Sweet 16 Matchup: Oklahoma
The Gamecocks have actually been even more dominant than the Huskies so far, winning their two games by a combined 109 points. They nearly beat Southern by 70 in the first round before waxing a talented Southern California team 101-61 in the second.
Oklahoma will be confident vs. South Carolina
Oklahoma was the only team to beat South Carolina in conference play this season. Can the Sooners do it again in the Sweet 16?
3) 1-seed UCLA
Sweet 16 Matchup: Minnesota
The Bruins let the rope slip a tad at times against Oklahoma State in the second round. Good thing they have Lauren Betts to pick up the slack; she has led UCLA in scoring in both games, including a career-high 35 on 15-of-19 shooting in the win over OSU.
4) 1-seed Texas
Sweet 16 Matchup: Kentucky
Don’t take this as a slight; the Longhorns are right there with the Gamecocks and Bruins as the top challengers to the Huskies. It helps to have a player who can drop 40 at any time, as Madison Booker did in the second round against Oregon, but there are contributors across this roster.
Texas’ Booker ‘on a mission’ ahead of Sweet 16
Natalie Esquire, Jordan Robinson, Terrika Foster-Brasby preview No. 1 Texas facing No. 5 Kentucky in the Sweet 16 Saturday afternoon, with Madison Booker expected to lead the Longhorns to the next round.
5) 2-seed LSU
Sweet 16 Matchup: Duke
The Tigers boast the best point differential in the tournament to this point, winning their two games by an eye-popping 112 points. LSU has been unstoppable offensively, but it will be fun to see them get more of a challenge against a Duke team the Tigers beat earlier this season.
6) 2-seed Michigan
Sweet 16 Matchup: Louisville
The Wolverines’ sluggish middle two quarters against Holy Cross limit the domination factor here, but they proved their elite bona fides by running NC State off the court in the second half of the Round of 32. Olivia Olson is one of the most unstoppable players in the tournament.
Swords leads Michigan vs Louisville in Sweet 16
Natalie Esquire, Jordan Robinson, and Terrika Foster-Brasby preview the Sweet 16 matchup between Michigan and Louisville, focusing on Syla Swords and Elif Istanbulluoğlu’s impact.
7) 2-seed Vanderbilt
Sweet 16 Matchup: Notre Dame
The Commodores would have been in trouble against Illinois if not for Mikayla Blakes, who came up one assist short of a triple-double. Blakes is also averaging 27.5 PPG in the tournament, and it will be so fun to watch her match up with Hannah Hidalgo.
8) 3-seed Duke
Sweet 16 Matchup: LSU
The Blue Devils struggled to hit shots against Baylor but still pulled away because of impressive defense (Baylor shot 30% overall and 0-of-14 from three). They will need more of that along with improved offense to get revenge on the high-scoring Tigers.
Can Duke get revenge on LSU in Sweet 16?
LSU scored a win against Duke earlier this season, but the Blue Devils have been on a major tear. Can they get their payback in the Sweet 16?
9) 3-seed TCU
Sweet 16 Matchup: Virginia
The Horned Frogs won all but one period against Washington, but that 16-6 stinker in the second quarter nearly dashed their hopes. Olivia Miles continues to be a do-it-all maestro, leading TCU in rebounding and assists in both games while averaging 15 PPG.
10) 4-seed Oklahoma
Sweet 16 Matchup: South Carolina
The Sooners staged a second-half rally to overcome Michigan State in the second round, but they will need to be better to beat South Carolina. The Gamecocks surely haven’t forgotten that the Sooners handed them their only conference loss of the season.
11) 3-seed Louisville
Sweet 16 Matchup: Michigan
The Cardinals were lucky to escape the Round of 32 as Alabama put a good scare in them. Elif Istanbulluoglu stepped up in a huge way for Louisville, though, scoring 18 points and adding a crucial steal with 1:42 remaining to help the Cardinals advance.
12) 4-seed North Carolina
Sweet 16 matchup: UConn
The Tar Heels played impressive ball to overcome a lackluster third quarter and finish strong against Maryland. Hanging with this juggernaut UConn squad will certainly be difficult, but if UNC can do that, it has already shown it can execute late in games.
‘Not even a thought’ that UNC could beat UConn
Natalie Esquire, Terrika Foster-Brasby and Jordan Robinson discuss why North Carolina likely won’t have an answer for UConn’s firepower in the Sweet 16.
13) 6-seed Notre Dame
Sweet 16 Matchup: Vanderbilt
How can the Fighting Irish beat the higher-ranked Commodores? Two words: Hannah Hidalgo. Notre Dame’s star guard, standing tall at 5-foot-6, is averaging 24.5 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and EIGHT steals per game. Now, she gets the Mikayla Blakes assignment.
Battle of the guards ahead of ND-Vandy Sweet 16
Natalie Esquire, Jordan Robinson, and Terrika Foster-Brasby preview the Sweet 16 matchup between No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Notre Dame, breaking down the key guard battle between Hannah Hidalgo and Mikayla Blakes.
14) 4-seed Minnesota
Sweet 16 Matchup: UCLA
Amaya Battle’s game-winner in the second round was one of the most exciting moments of the tournament, but it belies the Golden Gophers’ inconsistent play. They needed a 30-9 fourth quarter to surge past Green Bay in the first round and easily could have fallen to the Rebels.
15) 5-seed Kentucky
Sweet 16 Matchup: Texas
The Wildcats eased their way to a first-round win over James Madison before eking out a nail-biter against West Virginia to make the Sweet 16. They hung tough with the Longhorns in Austin but lost 64-53 in their only previous matchup this season.
16) 10-seed Virginia
Sweet 16 Matchup: TCU
This ranking is not meant to convey disrespect for the Cavaliers; they were clearly the better team in beating Iowa, winning the fourth quarter and overtime by a combined score of 44-27. We already established that TCU has looked beatable, so don’t write off Virginia.
First Appeared on
Source link
