Women's NCAA Tournament Raleigh Regional Overview
Notre Dame may have the easiest road to Denver of any of the #1 seeds. Yet, there are quite a few possible upsets to keep an eye out for in this bracket. The Irish may not be upset, but there are some under the radar type of teams in the Raleigh Region, like St. Bonaventure, Marist and Dayton.
Who Can Win?
Notre Dame is the favorite to advance to the Final Four and it is hard to argue with that, but this region is not just about the Irish. Maryland is a hot team right now after winning the ACC Tournament. What else makes the Terrapins a big threat in March is their depth. Maryland can go seven deep without a drop off in talent at all and they have a few other players who can steal some minutes here and there when needed. The result is going to be a team that will not get tired down the stretch.
Who Can Surprise?
Texas A&M should not be considered a surprise, but they have a pretty easy road to Raleigh. The Aggies should have little trouble with Albany and then face the winner of Arkansas and Dayton. More importantly, the Aggies play in College Station. Once they reach the Sweet Sixteen, the Aggies will likely run into Maryland, a team they can beat.
Who’s Hot?
Dayton finished third in the Atlantic 10 conference during the regular season, but they are playing their best basketball right now. After losing a heartbreaker at home to St. Bonaventure on February 11th, the Flyers tallied seven wins in a row to close out the season. Most impressively, they beat the Bonnies 56-53 in the A-10 Tournament Final.
Marist has only lost one game since the calendar turned to 2012. Sure the MAAC has not had a particularly strong year overall, but this is a Red Foxes team that has proven to be a dangerous squad in March. In three of the last five years, Marist has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament. Last year their victim was Iowa State and do not be surprised if this team keeps rolling along to the Sweet Sixteen.
As mentioned earlier, Maryland is a hot team. That is why they are one of the non #1 seeds who have a very good shot at reaching the Final Four. Maryland may not be the team one thinks of when talking about parody spreading to women’s college basketball, but with four obvious top seeds, finding a team that can knock off a prohibitive favorite is a must when filling out your bracket. May I recommend Maryland.
Who’s Cold?
The Aggies are good, but Texas A&M finished the regular season by losing three out of their final four games. They turned things around by beating Kansas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament before falling to Baylor, but the Aggies are struggling a little bit right now. This is not the same Texas A&M team that won the national title last year. While this is a team that can play very well and even eye the Final Four, they do not have momentum on their side right now.
Upset Alert!
Marist will be as popular of an upset pick as there can be for a #13 seed beating a #4 seed. The Red Foxes will take a lot of three-pointers and if they get hot against Georgia, Marist can win. Just as importantly, Marist takes great care of the ball and they can hang around with just about anybody. And then it just comes down to making shots.
Arkansas is a strong team, but Dayton is hot and has seven straight wins heading into this game. On a neutral floor in College Station, the Flyers have the offensive firepower, led by senior forward Justine Rateman, to take down the Bulldogs. Another thing going in Dayton’s favor is their extremely deep bench.
Michigan State beating Louisville is not much of an upset since it is a #7 seed and a #10 seed, but the Spartans have been through the grind of the Big Ten and come away with some very good wins. The Cardinals are certainly a very good team that has played an even tougher schedule. However, the Spartans have Lykendra Johnson under the basket and Louisville could have trouble finding a way to stop her.
What Possible Matchup is Interesting?
Coach Jim Crowley led St. Bonaventure to a perfect 14-0 record in Atlantic 10 play. The Bonnies rely heavily on the shooting of Jessica Jenkins and if they can make it to Raleigh, this is a team that could pull off an upset against Notre Dame. The Irish defense will key in on Jenkins, but she can still do a ton of damage and she will get plenty of help from her teammates. There will not be many opportunities for smaller schools to beat a team like Notre Dame, but this is one that could get very, very interesting.
Which Player Will Dominate?
Jessica Jenkins of St. Bonaventure is one of the best shooters in the nation. She connects on 3.2 three-pointers per game and nearly hits 40 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. She is also a great, 96.9 percent great, free-throw shooter. During close games, Jenkins is a great asset for the Bonnies, but her shot will need to keep falling if St. Bonaventure wants to advance past the Sweet Sixteen.
Raleigh Regional 1st Round Game Breakdowns
