The Candy 16 is again in its regular type on the N.C.A.A. ladies’s basketball match, after the 2020 match was canceled and final yr’s occasion was based mostly round a single metropolis due to the pandemic.
The ladies’s regionals are in Greensboro, N.C.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Wichita, Kan.; and Spokane, Wash., with round-of-16 video games on Friday and Saturday and round-of-8 video games on Sunday and Monday.
Right here’s what to observe getting into Friday’s video games.
All occasions are Jap.
Two No. 10 seeds supply an additional dose of unpredictability.
Creighton and South Dakota, the 2 Tenth-seeded groups making their first journeys to the spherical of 16, should not alike past their bracket-breaking successes. Creighton is younger, with a pointy offense, whereas South Dakota’s suffocating protection hinges on fifth-year gamers who’ve labored collectively seamlessly.
One similarity: Many of the match groups don’t know them. Moreover competing towards one another (due to their proximity, being separated by solely a two-hour drive), Creighton and South Dakota have every performed just one remaining match staff: Creighton misplaced twice to Connecticut in Huge East Convention play; South Dakota misplaced to South Carolina in November.
They’re wild playing cards in a sea of acquainted faces. Thus far, that has made South Dakota harmful. The Coyotes haven’t trailed of their match wins over Mississippi and Baylor, a feat that means they had been underseeded.
So when Creighton faces third-seeded Iowa State (Friday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2) in Greensboro and South Dakota faces Michigan (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2) in Wichita, they are going to attempt to stay unsolved mysteries.
The highest seeds ought to face their first main assessments.
All 4 No. 1 seeds made it to the spherical of 16, however some made it extra simply than others.
Stanford and North Carolina State obliterated their opponents. When Kansas performed Stanford shut within the first half of their second-round sport, the Cardinal compensated with an offensive explosion and received by 26. That was after Stanford’s 41-point win over Montana State within the first spherical. North Carolina State additionally received by massive margins in its first two video games, permitting its bench to get in on the motion.
These groups will beginning going through extra stress. Stanford will play fourth-seeded Maryland (Friday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN), whose offense has been electrical. Stanford beat Maryland in November.
Dive Deeper Into the N.C.A.A. Tournaments
North Carolina State will play fifth-seeded Notre Dame (Saturday, 11:30 a.m., ESPN), which was chargeable for one of many Wolfpack’s three losses. That loss, 69-66, on Feb. 1 in South Bend, Ind., was North Carolina State’s sole defeat in Atlantic Coast Convention play, a testomony to the Wolfpack’s dominance and to the Combating Irish’s potential to create chaos.
In spherical two, two powers put the ‘survive’ in ‘survive and advance.’
Two groups that sprinted out of the match’s gates staggered within the second spherical.
Second-seeded Connecticut, again within the Huge East, was challenged by the No. 7 seed Central Florida, which it had often throttled when each groups had been within the American Athletic Convention. UConn received, 52-47, however the rating confirmed how irritating the Knights’ protection proved to be. The margin of victory was the smallest for a Huskies second-round sport since 1999, historical past that they would favor to not make.
South Carolina appeared sluggish offensively in its 49-33 win towards eighth-seeded Miami. When the nationwide title favourite scores fewer than 50 factors in an early-round sport, eyebrows will rise.
Within the Greensboro regional, the Gamecocks will face fifth-seeded North Carolina (Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN), whose stellar defensive efficiency despatched fourth-seeded Arizona packing on its residence courtroom. South Carolina has been nice defensively, nevertheless it has not confronted an offense as shifty because the Tar Heels’ or a participant as productive as Deja Kelly, a sophomore who averages 16.3 factors per sport.
To get again on observe, the Huskies have the unenviable project of competing towards a scrappy, veteran Indiana staff (Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN) that’s undoubtedly finding out movie of the Central Florida sport. UConn’s benefit shall be within the seats: taking part in in Bridgeport, the Huskies can count on a pleasant, fervent crowd.
Texas is preventing for its second straight journey to the spherical of 8.
“One of many first issues we are saying, earlier than the sport even begins, is to punch first,” the Texas freshman Rori Harmon stated. “Whenever you punch first, the sport is in your favor.”
The No. 2-seeded Longhorns enter their matchup with No. 6-seeded Ohio State because the favorites (Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN2), however they’ve clearly retained a number of the underdog mentality that fueled final yr’s round-of-16 victory over second-seeded Maryland. This yr, although, they’re hoping to achieve the Ultimate 4.
“We each have comparable groups, and we have now sure gamers we don’t need to convey off the ground,” Texas Coach Vic Schaefer stated about Ohio State. “So it’s most likely going to be a sport of attrition somewhat bit.” The Buckeyes shall be relying on guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell to facilitate scoring, whereas Schaefer and the Longhorns will look to publish gamers like Lauren Ebo and Aaliyah Moore to take high-percentage photographs.
The Buckeyes have been one thing of an enigma, barely escaping their first-round sport towards No. 11-seeded Missouri State, then dispatching third-seeded Louisiana State, 79-64, in Baton Rouge behind 23 factors from Sheldon and 18 from Mikesell.
To the Buckeyes, although, the win wasn’t a shock. When requested concerning the upset victory, Ohio State guard Kateri Poole stated, “March is for everyone.”
