The Elite Eight spherical of the N.C.A.A. ladies’s event begins on Sunday, bringing even larger stakes and tight matchups. Within the Greensboro and Spokane areas, two No. 1 seeds will battle for the Last 4 spots that they consider are rightfully theirs, and two decrease seeds — one a lot decrease — will attempt to spoil their social gathering.
No. 1 seed South Carolina performs No. 10 seed Creighton at 7 p.m. Japanese (ESPN) within the Greensboro regional closing, whereas No. 1 seed Stanford performs No. 2 seed Texas at 9 p.m. Japanese (ESPN) within the Spokane area.
The highest total seed, South Carolina, will face one other massive underdog.
In accordance with ESPN, 3 percent of women’s basketball tournament brackets created utilizing its platform had No. 10 seed Creighton within the Elite Eight. Even that appears excessive, and going farther is a tall order towards South Carolina, a workforce whose dominance all season has solely lately proven indicators of faltering.
The Gamecocks received their spherical of 16 sport on Friday towards fifth-seeded North Carolina with out posting gaudy statistics — no less than not past ahead Aliyah Boston’s 28 factors and 22 rebounds. The Tar Heels stayed inside attain till the top, and South Carolina had its second straight sport during which it didn’t have sufficient separation to be snug till the clock ran out. As a substitute, the Gamecocks wanted Boston to publish numbers far larger than her season averages to outlive, one thing Creighton is probably going contemplating because it places collectively its sport plan.
With the intention to beat No. 3-seeded Iowa State, the Bluejays needed to play spectacular, constant protection. The Cyclones had been one of many highest scoring groups within the nation coming into the sport, however Creighton was in a position to frustrate their greatest offensive weapon, artful Iowa State senior Ashley Joens. She made simply 4 photographs from the sector. The 6-foot-5 Boston must use her substantial dimension benefit over Creighton — which has no gamers taller than 6-foot-1 — to as soon as once more rating constantly inside, even when the Bluejays can take away lots of her guards’ open appears.
South Carolina may even want to protect the perimeter as a way to clinch their second straight journey to the Last 4, which has been one among their strengths this season. On common, opposing groups make simply 26.6 p.c of their 3-point photographs towards the Gamecocks. They’ll have to match or surpass that common towards Creighton, which has made 9.6 three-point baskets per sport to this point on this event whereas taking comparatively few photographs. Though Creighton is combating towards the chances to develop into the primary double-digit seed to make the Last 4, the sport may very effectively come right down to the wire.
No. 2 Texas will attempt to replicate their greatest upset of the season.
“That was a fairly very long time in the past,” mentioned Texas freshman level guard Rori Harmon when requested concerning the Longhorns’ win over the Stanford, the reigning champion, again in November. “It’s utterly completely different now.”
The Cardinal, it might appear, don’t fairly see it that manner. Texas beat them on their residence courtroom on the very sport the place they had been celebrating their title and awarding gamers their championship rings. Stanford had a 5-point lead going into the fourth quarter of that sport, and nonetheless misplaced — one thing coach Tara VanDerveer introduced up when contemplating the matchup. “I don’t suppose anybody on our workforce has forgotten about that,” she mentioned after Stanford’s spherical of 16 win.
Sadly for Texas, Stanford regarded as intimidating as ever in its near-total domination of No. 4 seed Maryland. Its weakest quarter, although, was as soon as once more the fourth, during which the Terrapins had been in a position to reduce what had been a 26-point lead down to six. The Longhorns see relentlessness, and particularly relentless protection, as their trademark, and can goal to as soon as once more fluster the Cardinal late.
The problem will likely be stifling Stanford’s electrical offense, powered by junior Haley Jones and a slew of different shooters with the scale to create open appears from wherever on the courtroom. In the event that they wish to pull off the upset, the Longhorns’ publish gamers must play cautious, tight protection as a way to draw Stanford’s Cameron Brink — one of many Cardinal’s most effective scorers — into foul bother, which may be one among her weaknesses.
Even when the Longhorns can sluggish Stanford down utilizing the press protection, they may possible need to battle to attain themselves. Joanne Allen-Taylor was the main scorer for Texas within the spherical of 16, combating for pull-up jumpers and drawing fouls. The senior must hold her vitality excessive and the ball shifting as a way to discover any offense in any respect towards this skilled Stanford workforce.