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March Madness is upon us and it’s expected to be a wild ride for the team’s vying for a trip to the big dance in New Orleans on April 7th.
This was a college hoops season where UConn fell in the Big East Championship to Notre Dame, the Baylor Lady Bears landed just one game short of a perfect regular season, and for the first time in tourney history, the top four #1 seeds are the same for consecutive seasons, Baylor, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Stanford.
And it’s about to get even more exciting when the first and second round games get underway on Saturday.
In preparation for the tourney, here’s SheWired’s breakdown of the teams to watch.
BRIDGEPORT REGIONAL
(1) CONNECTICUT 29-4—If the Huskies make it through to the final four, it will be an unprecedented achievement as it will be their 20th straight season. The Huskies do have more losses this season than in previous years, but the losses came at the hands of Notre Dame (3 times, including one in triple overtime) and defending champion Baylor. The squad needs sophomore (F) Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and junior (C )Stefanie Dolson to step it up if they have any chance of upsetting the Lady Bears of Baylor.
(2) KENTUCKY 27-5-- The Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking loss in the SEC final to Texas A&M, but they could use that as fuel in this year’s tourney. They have a strong offense and a great pressure defense behind junior (F/C )Samarie Walker. But, in order for UK to advance to the final four, they will need plenty of scoring behind SEC player of the year, senior (G) A'dia Mathies.
(4) MARYLAND 24-7—If the Terps can get past UNC, they could make a run to the final four. Behind 2 time ACC Player of the Year, junior (F) Alyssa Thomas and senior All-ACC team member, senior (F) Tianna Hawkins, the Terps are a team to watch.
Dark Horse- (6) Delaware 30-3-The Blue Hens haven’t stretched their legs much this season in terms of top 25 teams, but they did defeat Maryland in impressive fashion mid season. Three time CAA Player of the Year, senior Elena Delle Donne (25.3 points, 8.5 rebounds per game) was named a finalist for the 2013 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year, the other players on the list include Notre Dame senior Skylar Diggins, Baylor senior Brittney Griner and Stanford junior Chiney Ogwumike. Not bad company to keep!
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NORFOLK REGIONAL
(1) NOTRE DAME 31-1--The Irish have beaten UConn twice in Connecticut and three times overall this season, including a stunning 2 pt victory to take the Big East Championship. ND will make it through to the final four, behind junior (F) Natalie Achonwa, and senior (G) Skylar Diggins, the Big East Player of the Year.
(4) SOUTH CAROLINA 24-7-- The Gamecocks set a school record with their 11 SEC wins this season and matched a 33-year-old school record with 23 regular-season wins. But, they did have a number of losses to top 25 teams including Stanford, Tennessee, and a 2nd round loss in the SEC championships to Texas A&M. In order to rally and have a good showing in the tourney, sophomore (F) Elem Ibiam and senior (F) Ashley Bruner have to show up to play.
(3)TEXAS A&M 24-9—The Texas A&M squad is peaking at the right time, the Aggies had three straight wins over South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky to win the SEC tournament, so they are battle tested. Junior (C ) Kelsey Bone, named to the (WBCA) All-Region Team, was the team’s leading rebounder with 9.9 per game, and is one of their leading scorers with 17.6 per.
Dark Horse (2) DUKE 30-2—The ACC tourney champs would be a no brainer to advance through but they were plagued by injuries all season, the most devastating coming in the form of a knee injury to junior (G) Chelsea Gray. Gray, one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, given to the nation’s best player, is one of the best passers (5.4 assists per game) in the nation, and an All-ACC Defensive Team member 3.6 steals per game). The Blue Devils sophomore (C ) Elizabeth Williams and freshman (G) Alexis Jones will have to step up for any chance.
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SPOKANE REGIONAL
(1)STANFORD 31-2—The Cardinals only two losses of the season came at the hands of Connecticut and California. The current PAC-12 champions are led by sophomore (G) Amber Orrange, and junior (F) Chiney Ogwumike. Ogwumike is the only player in the country rank top 10 in scoring (22.4 points), rebounding (13.1), field goal percentage (57.4) and double-doubles (26). The coupled with Orrange’s ability to strike outside the 3-pt line make the Cardinal’s one of the top teams to beat.
(3) PENN STATE 25-5—Even though they fell to Michigan State in the Big Ten tourney, the Nittany Lions has an impressive year behind the backcourt of Big Ten Player of the year, junior (G) Maggie Lucas and senior (G) Alex Bentley. This duo can strike fast, and accurately, Lucas finished third in the league in scoring (20.5 avg), and Bentley led the league and is fourth nationally with 3.7 steals per game. Their inside game is key.
(2)CALIFORNIA 28-3 – The Golden Bears were chosen by President Barack Obama has California advancing to the Final Four, but he is on Team Baylor for the win. Cal choked, going out during the second round of the Pac-12 Championship, but don’t let that be a reflection of what they are capable of doing. This team will rally under the leadership of senior (G) Layshia Clarendon and senior (C ) Talia Caldwell.
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OKLAHOMA CITY REGIONAL
(1)BAYLOR 32-1 -- Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims, and Brooklyn Pope. Enough said. Their only loss this season came early on against Stanford, and since then, there’s been no looking back for the Lady Bears. Just some of Griner’s achievements include being named 3-time Big 12 Player of the Year, 4-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, 4-time Big 12 first team, and
4-time All-Big 12 Defensive Team. The key to upsetting these defending champs, stop Griner.
(4) LOUISVILLE 24-8—The Cardinals lost to Notre Dame in the 2nd round of the Big East, but they have sophomore (F) Sara Hammond and the Schimmel sisters (Jude and Shoni) ready for redemption. Junior (G) Shoni Schimmel (13.7 pt avg) was selected for the second consecutive year as first team All-Big East and Hammond has stepped up her game as well, leading the team in rebounding. If Louisville doesn’t get it done this year, they will be a force to be reckoned with down the line.
(2)TENNESSEE 24-7—The new Lady Vols may not be as dominant as in year’s prior, but they are still in the conversation. Junior (G) Meighan Simmons leads the team being named SEC Co-Player of the Year and All-SEC First-Team. They may have fallen early in SEC championship play, but if we know anything about the Lady Vols, they are resilient and they fight until the end.
The picks for the final four were a tough call, but we think it might break down like this;
Connecticut v Notre Dame—UConn is 0-3 against Notre Dame this season, the Irish have definitely found their achilles heel. That said, you can’t see UConn losing to the same team 4 times in one season. The Huskies are pros when it comes to March basketball and will trade you a Big East title for the National Championship. I take UConn in a nail biter.
Baylor v Standford--The Cardinal’s were able to hand Baylor their only loss of the season, but that was early on in the season when players are still working off all of the off season rust. I take Baylor here, another good game but the defending champs will make it through.
The championship game will come down to Connecticut v Baylor and this time, UConn will have an answer for Griner. Baylor has the more difficult bracket, and just getting to the finals will take its toll on the veteran squad. The Huskies will go on to win their 8th championship.
