In the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament, the lead is not safe.
On Friday, Georgia, Princeton and South Florida closed the deficit and advanced to the second round. It was just an appetizer.
Saturday returns were historic. This is the first time three teams with at least 16 points have won on the same day, according to Sportzshala Stats & Information. This is only the second time this has happened on a single. tournament, but Baylor, Miami, and Ohio State did it in four hours. The Bears won the grand prize after winning back an 18-point lead over Alabama in the first quarter. At halftime, the Hurricanes were down 17 points to Oklahoma State. The Buckeyes trailed an upset James Madison by 14 points midway through the second quarter before the press and the Columbus crowd spurred them into action.
Two No. 12 seeds also won on Saturday after advancing No. 11 and No. 10 on Friday. Biggest shock: Toledo defeats Big 12 champion Iowa State. Florida’s Gulf Coast made it to the second round for the second year in a row, knocking out the other conference champion, Washington State of the Pac-12s.
And as failures and dominant performances give the field a new look, we are also changing the landscape.
The reseeding of the remaining 32 teams means some movement even among the top teams. Did the #1 seed do enough to stay on top? Where do two-digit numbers fit now?
Based on the performances of the past two days, as well as some injuries and player availability, here is our new field of 32.
Follow these links for Sunday schedules and Monday games available on the Sportzshala network and on the Sportzshala app. Follow this link to check Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket. For the first 32 games, six grids remain perfect.
Seeds #1
South Carolina Gamecocks
NCAA Seed: 1st overall (Greenville 1)
First round: Defeated Norfolk State 72-40
Anyone who didn’t watch South Carolina before Friday probably wasn’t as impressed as the rest of us all season. The always focused Gamecocks were not always in sync and threw the ball poorly (38.9%). However, as expected, the Spartans had no chance. South Carolina won every way South Carolina could go: defensive choke, dominant rebounding, and great bench scoring. Only two Gamecocks reached double figures, but 12 scored as coach Don Staley gave the entire roster a few potentially valuable NCAA tournament minutes. He was just doing business in Colombia.
Next: vs. South Florida on Sunday (13:00 ET, ABC)
Stanford Cardinal
NCAA Seed: No. 1 (Seattle 4)
First round: Defeated Sacred Heart 92-49
This NCAA Tournament marks the 25th anniversary of Stanford’s loss as the No. 1 seed to 16-seeded Harvard. This version of Cardinal took care of the lack of communication. After trailing the Pioneers early, Stanford established control and scored 19 points by halftime. Playing without Cameron Brink of the 6-foot-4 second-team who was sidelined with a stomach problem, the Cardinal still dominated the inside with 56 paint points and 29 rebounding margin. The win was Stanford’s 100th in the NCAA Tournament. , which rank third all-time behind Tennessee and the University of California, Connecticut. The Cardinal are also one game away from their 15th straight Sweet 16.
Next: vs. Ole Miss Sunday (9:30 pm ET, Sportzshala)
UConn Huskies
NCAA Seed: No. 2 (Seattle 3)
First round: Defeated Vermont 95-52
The Huskies can win in multiple ways now that they’re as healthy as they’ve been all season. On Saturday against Vermont, it was all about using your physical superiority to dominate the close quarters. Alia Edwards and Dorka Juhas were the top two players on the court and were 20 out of 25 combined. Edwards set a career high with 28 points and was nearly flawless as the Catamounts had little resistance against the Huskies, who had scored the most points in the game since mid-January. Many thought these Huskies were worthy of the #1 seed. Now they are. UConn has won 49 consecutive NCAA tournament games in the Northeast, but the second-round game against Baylor will be the last of the year. Victory and the Huskies go to Seattle. They last missed out on the Final Four in 2007 when they last played in a West Coast Regional. That same year, UConn lost to LSU at Elite Eight in Fresno.
Next: vs. Baylor on Monday
Indiana Hoosiers
NCAA Seed: No. 1
First round: Defeated Tennessee Institute of Technology 77-47
After some early troubling moments, the Hoosiers looked just fine without Mackenzie Holmes against Tennessee Tech and played in typical fashion: good shooting (58.0%), lots of entrants (nine hit by the Hoosiers) and solid defense (22.0% shooting) Eagles in the first round). Second half). However, Indiana can no longer qualify as the second team overall if Holmes’ knee pain continues to limit her advancement in the NCAA Tournament. She’s too important to Indiana’s success to pretend it’s the same team without her, or even if they have fewer opportunities. The Hoosiers are still good enough to make it into the Sweet 16, but as the competition gets tougher, Holmes’ health becomes one of the tournament’s main storylines.
Next: vs Miami on Monday
Seeds #2
Iowa Hawkeyes
NCAA Seed: No. 2 (Seattle 4)
First round: Defeated SE Louisiana 95-43
The lesson may have been learned in Iowa City on Friday: don’t verbally challenge Hawkeyes. Southeast Louisiana coach Ayala Gusardo was critical of Iowa’s defense prior to their matchup. In the second half, the Hawks completely pinned the Lions, holding them to 11 points and just three field goals in the last 20 minutes. The 52-point difference was the largest in NCAA tournament play in Iowa program history. It took Caitlin Clark just 29 minutes to score 26 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds.
The Hawkeyes had a similar first-round record last March when they scored 98 against Illinois State and Creighton held them to 62 in a second-round loss. Georgia could present an even bigger defensive challenge than the Bluejays, making Sunday’s game one of the most intriguing in the second round.
Next: vs. Georgia on Sunday (3:00 pm ET, ABC)
Virginia Tech Hawkeyes
NCAA Seed: No. 1 (Seattle 3)
First round: Defeated Chattanooga 58-33
Like South Carolina, the Hokies easily entered this year’s NCAA Tournament without playing their best game. When it happened a year ago, Virginia Tech was eliminated in the first round. This Hokies team is much better and Virginia Tech beat the Mocs without much trouble despite being second in scoring of the season. Unsurprisingly, the Hawks relied on Elizabeth Keatley (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Georgia Amour (22 points, 5-of-8 on 3-pointers) as they did during their 12-game winning streak. Chattanooga had a low-profile offensive all season and was one of the worst teams in the country in rebounding. The Hokies used both areas, holding the Mocs on 28.6% shooting and outperforming them 38-22 in rebounding. None of these things are going to be so easy against South Dakota State, which could pose a problem for Virginia Tech if they don’t play with a little more offensive power.
Next: vs. South Dakota State on Sunday (5:00 pm ET, Sportzshala2)
Maryland Terrapins
NCAA Seed: No. 2
First round: Defeated Holy Cross 93-61
The Terrapins didn’t risk it. They didn’t let Holy Cross breathe in the first minutes, scoring the first 14 points of the game. And then, less than seven minutes into the game, the Crusaders were in too deep a hole. After that, everything was business-like for Maryland, who forced 24 losses and 13 interceptions. The Turps didn’t need much from top scorer and second-team All-American Diamond Miller. Her 13 points was Miller’s lowest score since Thanksgiving weekend. Getting four 3s from Bryne Alexander is a good sign for the Terps as the competition gets better starting from Arizona.
Next: vs. Arizona Sunday (5:30 pm ET, Sportzshala)
utah cliff
NCAA Seed: No. 2 (Greenville 2)
First round: Defeated Gardner-Webb 103-77
Alyssa Pealy has been one of the country’s highest scoring and scoring players all season. She rose to a new level against Gardner-Webb. Pac-12 Player of the Year scored a career-high 33 points on just 17 shots. Pealy added eight rebounds and eight assists, ahead of Utes, who had 32 assists on 37 field goals made. The Runnin’ Bulldogs entered the game on a 21-game winning streak, but their strategy of playing one-on-one at the post fell short from the start. Peley either scored or assisted in Utah’s first five baskets. Princeton will present a big defensive challenge, but the Utes will play another double-figure seed as they try to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2006.
Next: Princeton, Sunday (7:00 pm ET, Sportzshala2)
Seeds #3
LSU Tigers
NCAA Seed: No. 3 (Greenville 2)
First round: Defeated Hawaii 73-50
Despite a comfortable win and a second straight second-round advance since the arrival of Kim Mulkey, the Tigers’ biggest takeaway on Friday may be that Angel Reese needs some extra help. The sophomore record with 34 points and 15 rebounds was the best among SEC players in the NCAA Tournament this century, but freshman Flowjay Johnson (10 points) was the only other LSU player in double figures. The rest of the team in total threw only 33.3% from the field. Against the veteran Michigan team, the Tigers will likely need more effort to move forward.
Next: vs. Michigan on Sunday (7:30 pm ET, Sportzshala)
Ohio State Buckeyes
NCAA Seed: No. 3 (Seattle 3)
First round: Defeated James Madison 80-66
Early lagging has become a curious hallmark of these buckeyes. They came from 24th to beat Indiana in the Big Ten tournament, and they did it again on Saturday against the Dukes. After trailing by 16 points midway through the second quarter, Ohio State used their vaunted all-court pressing to turn the game around. The Buckeyes forced 20 losses and eventually went up to 16 points before…
Source: www.espn.com
