The highest seeds fell into place as predicted. Stanford, the reigning champions; South Carolina, North Carolina State and Louisville garnered the highest 4 seeds within the 2022 ladies’s Division I event — however that doesn’t make it any simpler to observe the chalk when filling out your individual bracket.
If something, these 4 groups’ static standing atop projections has betrayed a few of their weaknesses. Analysts have already picked aside their worthiness, whereas late-surging groups like Iowa and Kentucky are coming into the event seeded decrease, however with all of the momentum.
Listed below are some concepts on make your ladies’s bracket sing.
Choose extra upsets within the Bridgeport area.
No area appears extra fraught for top seeds than Bridgeport. North Carolina State drew the highest seed, however the Wolfpack will rapidly face spectacular competitors in the event that they advance out of the primary spherical as anticipated. The junior Kansas State heart Ayoka Lee, who set the N.C.A.A. Division I ladies’s single-game scoring file earlier this yr with 61 factors, may make even a ninth seed pose an early menace if Kansas State can handle to win its first sport in opposition to No. 8 seed Washington State. Groups with excessive ceilings are scattered up and down the Bridgeport area, from fifth-seeded Notre Dame and fourth-seeded Oklahoma to a Kentucky crew that simply upset the No. 1 total seed, South Carolina, to win the Southeastern Convention event — and the Wildcats are a No. 6 seed.
Much more formidable is No. 3 seed Indiana, which got here tantalizingly near profitable the Massive Ten title every week in the past — and, in fact, UConn, a No. 2 seed, which can have a determined home-court benefit. Choosing this part of your bracket appropriately will likely be practically inconceivable — there’s a case to be made for any of the highest 4 seeds to make it to Minneapolis for the Remaining 4.
On your 5-12 upset, you will have two good choices.
The clearest selection for a 5-12 upset is Florida Gulf Coast, a No. 12 seed, over Virginia Tech, a No. 5. Each groups like to shoot from behind the arc, however the Eagles accomplish that at an unmatched clip, making a mean of 11.4 3-point pictures per sport. Florida Gulf Coast’s scoring potential makes it a formidable opponent for any crew, and although the Hokies have a strong protection, they haven’t been significantly efficient at defending 3-point shooters.
There may be an alternative choice, for bolder bracketeers: No. 12 Stephen F. Austin over North Carolina. This isn’t a selection justified by any of the numbers. North Carolina was undefeated getting into convention play, and it continued to carry out effectively because of the management of the sophomore guard Deja Kelly. However in final yr’s event, Stephen F. Austin, which was additionally then a No. 12 seed, took North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast Convention colleagues, fifth-seeded Georgia Tech, to the brink within the first spherical, arising only a couple factors in need of an time beyond regulation victory.
Select one or two double-digit seeds, no less than.
Overlook no matter you could have heard in regards to the ladies’s event missing upsets and pleasure. Final season’s event had three double-digit seeds triumph within the first spherical — as clear a sign as any of the sport’s rising parity. Missouri State, Florida State, DePaul and Dayton will all be taking part in within the First 4 for No. 11 seeds, however whichever of the 4 makes it into the highest 64 will deserve consideration as an upset decide.
One other one to look at: No. 13 Buffalo. Those that have been watching the event for no less than a number of years will keep in mind a Buffalo crew that gave UConn’s juggernaut a significant push within the second spherical in 2019. The Bulls are again this yr behind the junior guard Dyaisha Honest, who’s averaging 23.4 factors per sport. Her expertise, in addition to the consistency of coach Felisha Lagette-Jack and Buffalo’s event expertise, make it a promising potential decide.
Solely let a most of three prime seeds into your Remaining 4.
Though South Carolina has dominated Division I because the tip-off of the 2021-22 season, not even the Gamecocks are infallible going into the event. Each prime seed has no less than one notable loss, in addition to flaws that make them look much less formidable to their lower-seeded friends. Statistically talking, nonetheless, a lot of the prime 4 groups will most likely nonetheless be taking part in in April.
Stanford is in the identical area as an ascendant No. 2 Texas crew that beat it earlier this season. N.C. State has a veritable gantlet to get by way of in Bridgeport, although followers will argue that the truth that Louisville can also be a prime seed exhibits how Atlantic Coast Convention play has already been a trial — one by which the Wolfpack proved their endurance by changing into convention champions. Louisville may face No. 2 Baylor and its dominant star NaLyssa Smith, whose dimension and expertise current a difficult matchup. South Carolina might need to get previous the explosive Caitlin Clark and her Iowa squad. Taking a threat on a second or third (or fourth!) seed in a number of of their locations may very well be the important thing to a profitable bracket.
