Previewing Each Game in the NCAA Women’s Sweet 16®
Stanford, South Carolina and Louisville look the part, while underdogs like South Dakota and Creighton lurk. Here's what to expect in the Sweet 16®.
In its first year being branded by the NCAA as ‘March Madness®’ the Women’s College Basketball tournament has lived up to that moniker. Not only have a couple of double digits seeds found their way to the Sweet 16®, but ESPN has reported record viewership and attendance during the tournament.
Let’s take a look at each matchup and be sure to tune into all the Sweet 16® and Elite Eight® action Friday to Monday on ESPN and ESPN2 with Sling Orange.
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Friday March 25
No. 6 Ohio State vs No. 2 Texas - 7pm ET - ESPN2
It looked like the Buckeyes just needed to shed some nerves in their first round game vs Missouri State. Following their slow start and tough shooting night, they bounced back to get an early lead vs LSU and not look back. Texas is a different animal though. Freshman Rori Harmon and Aaliyah Moore lead the way for the Longhorns. Ohio State will rely on their consistent three ball, while Texas, which seems to be peaking at the right time, will continue to ride the wave.
No. 5 North Carolina vs No. 1 South Carolina - 7pm ET - ESPN
South Carolina have been the best team all season long, no doubt about it. They cruised in the first round but Miami gave them some fits in round two. Is there a cause for concern after that low scoring performance? We don’t think so, but UNC never let Arizona challenge them, en route to a 63-45 victory in the second round. Tread carefully, Gamecock fans.
No. 4 Maryland vs No. 1 Stanford - 9:30pm ET - ESPN
Where South Carolina has shown some mortality, Stanford look like a super team. Behind Lexie Hull, the Cardinal are rolling. In their way is the second-highest scoring team in the tournament, the Maryland Terrapins.
No. 10 Creighton vs No. 3 Iowa State - 9:30pm ET - ESPN2
On your March Madness BINGO card, who had Creighton waltzing into Iowa City and holding Division 1 leading scorer Caitlin Clark to a season low 15 points? The Bluejays are known for their offense, but it was their defense and physicality that bothered Iowa. Iowa State follows the same blue print as Creighton, efficient offensively and sneaky good defensively.
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Saturday March 26, 2022
No. 5 Notre Dame vs No. 1 NC State 1- 1:30am ET - ESPN
NC State's All-American Elissa Cunane played just 14-minutes and only scored 4 points en route to a 89-57 blowout over Kansas State. That’s a good sign for the Wolfpack, but next they meet a Notre Dame team that beat them earlier this season and just put up a 108 points against Oklahoma. Wolfpack coach Wes Moore is 2-7 against the Fighting Irish. Uh-oh!
No. 3 Indiana vs No. 2 UConn - 2pm ET - ESPN
UConn was forced into a dog fight by UCF in the second round. The five-point victory was not very Huskie-like, but the team found a way to win, and you can bet Geno Auriemma will drill his team to fix the missed layups and lack of rebounding. On the other side, Indiana is one of the more experienced teams in the tournament. They barely got through Princeton and will rely on that starting five, all of whom average in double figures.
No. 4 Tennessee vs No. 1 Louisville - 4pm ET - ESPN2
For the first time since 2016, the Lady Vols are in the Sweet 16. However, they only had to beat a 12 and 13-seed to do it, and will now run up against number-1 seed Louisville. The Cardinal play stifling defense and will rely on Hailey Van Lith, who is off to a hot start at the tournament.
No. 10 South Dakota vs No. 3 Michigan - 6:30pm ET - ESPN2
Baylor losing to South Dakota sent shockwaves through the tournament. The Coyotes forced Baylor into 10 first quarter turnovers, and, after holding likely top 5 WNBA pick Shakira Austin to 9-points in the first round, held another top five pick, NaLyssa Smith, to 10 points. Michigan stumbled into the tournament, losing four of its last six games, but have seemed to bounce back. We’ll see if the Coyotes defensive swarm continues or if the clock strikes midnight for this Cinderella.
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