Breaking Down the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Matchups
QU advances to first Sweet 16 in program history
The 2017 NCAA Tournament has had almost everything you could want and some things we haven’t seen in a long time. It's no shock that top seeds UConn, Baylor, South Carolina and Notre Dame made it through the opening two rounds. However, it is #10 Oregon and #12 Quinnipiac that has brought some unexpected excitement to the national tournament.
Ten years ago, it was Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion Marist that made a run into the Sweet 16, and with wins against Marquette and Miami, Qunnipiac is looking to go even further in the big dance. #1 seed South Carolina awaits the Bobcats in the regional semifinal. In 2007, Marist (#13) and Florida State (#10) made the Sweet 16 but neither team would make it into the Elite Eight.
Overall, the tournament has given fans, no matter their affiliation, plenty to cheer about. UConn has continued its dominating run and will now face UCLA for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight. Notre Dame had to escape a very tough Purdue team in overtime but will be without star Brianna Turner, who suffered an ACL injury in the same game.
A big matchup on Friday night will be the third rematch between #4 Louisville and #1 Baylor. The two teams have met previously in the regional semifinals, with the Cardinals earning victories in both 2009 and 2013. In the 2013 meeting, Louisville took down Brittney Griner and top seed Baylor in a thrilling 82-81 victory.
Breaking Down the Field:
Friday, March 24, 2017
LEXINGTON REGION:
#5 OSU: Ohio State is back in the Sweet 16 after defeating #12 Western Kentucky and #4 Kentucky in the first two rounds. Kelsey Mitchell has led the way for the Buckeyes, who are looking to make their first Elite 8 appearance since 1993. The junior is averaging 25.1 points and has hit at least two 3-pointers in each of her seven NCAA Appearances. She is the all-time Big Ten and OSU three-point leader with 366. Player to Watch: Tori McCoy - 13 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 4 blocks in 2 NCAA Games
#1 ND: Notre Dame earned a hard fought 88-82 overtime victory against Purdue in the second round, but were dealt a huge loss. Brianna Turner suffered a season ending ACL injury before halftime of the Purdue game. Turner is Notre Dame's leading scorer at 15.3 PPG and rebounder at 7.1 RPG. Marina Mabrey scored 21 points and will need to keep up her pace to help the Irish advance. Notre Dame is 3-1 against Ohio State, but each of the meetings have been decided by seven points or less. Player to Watch: Jackie Young - 16 points (7-9FG), 6 Rebounds in 38 minutes v. Purdue.
#3 UT: The Texas Longhorns survived an upset bid by NC State in the round of 32 and will have a big test waiting in Stanford. Brooke McCarty played 38 minutes and led the team with 23 points. Leading the Longhorns to their third straight Sweet 16 appearance, Head Coach, Karen Aston went with depth against NC State and it paid off. Texas had eight different players log 10+ minutes in the win. Player to Watch: Joyner Holmes - 12 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.1 BPG this season
#2 SU: With wins against New Mexico State and Kansas State, the Cardinals are back in the Sweet 16 for the 24th time. Brittany McPhee has been a staple in the Stanford game plan in the first two rounds, averaging 18.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Erica McCall is also having quite the tourney, adding 9.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. Stanford defeated Texas earlier this season; McCall added 17 points in that win. In 1988, these two programs met for their first and only NCAA tournament contest, with #1 seed Texas earning the win. It was Tara VanDerveer's first NCAA appearance at Stanford. Player to Watch: Alanna Smith - 19 PPG, 9 RPG and 3.5 BPG in 2 NCAA Games
OKLAHOMA CITY REGION:
#3 UW: For the sixth time in program history, the Washington Huskies are heading to the Sweet 16. Washington has reached the regional semifinal with relative ease, dismissing Montana State 91-63 and Oklahoma 108-82. Kelsey Plum, the NCAA all-time leading scorer, is shooting 53% from the field and 43% from the 3-point stripe. Plum has received some help from the nation’s leading rebounder, Chantel Osahor, who accounted for an NCAA leading 29 double doubles. Natalie Romeo also adds to the Huskies depth, she is one of three current Washington players to notch over 1,000 career points. Player to Watch: Kelsey Plum - 33.5 PPG, 22 made FG and 7 3-pointers in 2 NCAA Games
#2 MSU: For just the third time in program history Mississippi State has moved on to the Sweet 16. In their first two games, the Bulldogs scored 202 points, defeating #15 Troy and #7 DePaul. Led by Blair Schaefer, Mississippi State outscored DePaul 54-33 in the last 20 minutes of their round of 32 matchup. In each of the two games, the Bulldogs have played 10 players, each averaging 10+ minutes in the tournament. Player to Watch: Breanna Richardson - 11 PPG, 8 RPG and 3.5 APG in 2 NCAA Games
#4 UL: Mariya Moore shot lights out to help propel Louisville past Tennessee in the Round of 32. Moore shot 5 for 5 from beyond the arc and the Cardinals outscored the Lady Vols 29-17 in the fourth quarter. Asia Durr, the teams leading scorer in the tourney, is averaging 25 points a game and has Louisville back in the Sweet 16. Head coach Jeff Walz will have his hands full when he meets Kim Mulkey and #1 Baylor in the regional semifinals. Player to Watch: Myisha Hines-Allen - 15 PPG and 12.5 RPG in 2 NCAA Games
#1 BU: For the ninth straight season, the Baylor Lady Bears will appear in the NCAA Sweet 16. Baylor dismantled Texas Southern in the opening round, 119-30 for an NCAA record 89 point margin of victory. Two days later, the Lady Bears pulled away from California to punch their ticket into the regional semifinal. Alexis Prince and Nina Davis have led the way for Baylor all year and will be put to the test against Louisville. The Lady Bears are 0-2 vs. the Cardinals, both meetings coming in NCAA Sweet 16 play, the last being in 2013.
Player to Watch: Kristy Wallace - 11 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 2.5 SPG in 2 NCAA Games
Saturday, March 25, 2017
BRIDGEPORT REGION:
#10 ORE: For the first time in program history, the Oregon Ducks are into the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Ruthy Hebard averaged 21.5 points and 11 rebounds in two games last weekend at Duke. The forward has propelled the Ducks out of opening weekend for the first time in 13 tournament appearances. With 5.5 seconds left she nailed a jumper to upset 7-seed Temple, and then scored 20 points as Oregon stunned Duke. Oregon starts three freshmen this season, the only team in the NCAA to do so, but all play a vital role in the Ducks' success. The rookies have accounted for 63% of UO's scoring this tournament. Oregon is also a deadly team from beyond the arc, shooting 39%, which is good for fourth in the NCAA. Lexi Bando is second in active 3-point shooting percentage in the NCAA. Player To Watch: Sabrina Ionescu - 14.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 5.6 APG this season
#3 UMD: Maryland is back into the Sweet 16 for the eighth time under Head Coach Brenda Frese. The 32-2 Terps have been one of the hottest teams all season and displayed their dominance in the opening rounds of the Bridgeport region. After taking down #14 Bucknell 103-61, Maryland handled #6 West Virginia, 83-56, on Sunday. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough is playing phenomenal basketball, going off for 28 in game one and 19 in game two. Brionna Jones has also been a presence on the court; in the opening weekend Jones averaged 23.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG. Maryland comes into the weekend with their best scoring offense in Terps history, averaging 90.1 PPG, and outscoring opponents by +26.0 on the season. Walker-Kimbrough is the current active 3-point shooting percentage leader in the NCAA. Player to Watch: Destiny Slocum - 11.6 PPG and 6.1 APG this season
#4 UCLA: The Bruins are back in the Sweet 16, where last year they were bounced from the tournament in the Bridgeport region. Now with an even tougher task, UCLA looks to do the improbable and defeat #1 Connecticut in order to advance to their first Elite Eight since 1999. Jordin Canada turned heads last weekend with her impressive numbers, going for 15 points and 16 assist against Boise State, and 12 points, 11 assists against Texas A&M. In an impressive defensive effort, the Bruins forced 14 turnovers and held A&M to 31% shooting from the field. Monique Billings will need to be a big factor against Uconn; the junior is averaging 16.7 points a game and 10.3 rebounds a game this season.
Player to Watch: Kari Korver - 15 PPG (10-15 3pt FG) in 2 NCAA Games
#1 UCONN: 109 and counting for the University of Connecticut, as the Huskies breezed through the opening weekend with wins against #16 Albany and #8 Syracuse. Kia Nurse has been lights out this postseason, shooting 18 of 23 from the field and 15 of 19 from beyond the arc. Nurse is averaging 26.5 points a game and 4.5 assists during the NCAA Tournament. The UConn defense has been suffocating, producing 28 turnovers, 20 steals, and 11 blocked shots in two games. Gabby Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson added 23 points apiece in the win against Syracuse. The 11 time national champions are looking for number five in a row. Player to Watch: Napheesa Collier - 20.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 2 NCAA Games
STOCKTON REGION:
#12 QU: For the first time since 2007 the NCAA field has two double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. 12-seed Quinnipiac is the highest remaining seed and had to pull off back-to-back upsets to get to their first ever Sweet 16. Jen Fay led the charge against Marquette, going for 20 points on 9 of 16 from the field. In round two against Miami, senior Morgan Manz, who averages just under 20 minutes a game, went 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and finished with 22 points to help shock the Hurricanes. The Bobcats have got help from all over the roster and are looking to pull off another upset when they play 1-seed South Carolina in the regional semifinals. Player to Watch: Adily Martucci - 10.3 PPG (2nd on team this season)
#1 USC: The Gamecocks advanced to the Sweet 16 by avoiding an upset bid from #8 Arizona State in the Round of 32. Already without second leading scorer and leading rebounder, Alaina Coates, South Carolina was dealt another blow when Allisah Gray was carried off the court with a possible knee injury against the Sun Devils. However, A'ja Wilson hit a late jumper and some free throws late to cap off her 21-point night. Junior Kaela Davis scored 15 second half points to help propel the run. The Gamecocks have allowed 10 3-pointers in their first two games and will need to clean up the perimeter defense to avoid a potential upset against Quinnipiac. Player to Watch: A'ja Wilson - 19.5 PPG and 8 RPG in 2 NCAA Games
#3 FSU: For the third consecutive season and fifth time overall, Florida State is back into the Sweet 16. The Seminoles earned victories over Western Illinois and Missouri behind Shakayla Thomas. The junior averaged 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds during the opening weekend. The ACC Player of the Year has turned it on during the NCAA tournament after FSU was bounced from the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals. Imani Wright added 14 points in each of the two games last weekend and will need to remain a presence for the Seminoles to advance to the Elite Eight. Player to Watch: Leticia Romero - 12.3 PPG, 3.7 APG and 52% from 3pt FG this season
#2 OSU: Oregon State was taken to the brink in their opening round game against 15-seed Long Beach State, but earned a hard fought 56-55 victory. In the Round of 32, the Beavers led Creighton from start to finish and now play a tough Florida State team in the Sweet 16. Before making a run to the Final Four in 2016, Oregon State's deepest run came in 1983, when they appeared in the Sweet 16. Senior Sydney Wiese struggled against Long Beach State but found her groove against Creighton. Marie Gulich has played a vital role in the Beavers success this season, averaging 10 points a game and 8.2 rebounds a game during the season. Player to Watch: Sydney Wiese - 15.4 PPG, 4.6 APG and 103 made 3pt FG this season
