Women’s NCAA Tournament Spokane Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
It didn’t pay to be a third seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. All four of the three seeds lost, including the third seed in this regional (Penn State). That sets up a 1-4 and 6-2 showdown, which is the same setup as the Bridgeport regional. In short, the top four seeds almost survived this tournament, but the Nittany Lions didn’t make it. This leaves behind what should be two decent semifinal matchups.
Let’s take a look at the games as action shifts to Spokane for the next two rounds:
#1 Stanford vs. #4 Georgia (9 p.m. Saturday at Spokane, Washington)
Tara VanDerveer must have given her Cardinal team a stern talking-to following a closer than expected first-round game with Tulsa. Following that 72-56 victory, Stanford went out and positively destroyed 8-seed Michigan in a 73-40 victory. Chiney Ogwumike, who burned Tulsa to the tune of 29 points, was held to 12 points and 15 rebounds in this matchup, but Joslyn Tinkle drained five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. Michigan played a zone defense against Stanford (33-2), and that contributed to Stanford’s hot shooting night. This is the third time in six seasons that Stanford will play games in Spokane, so the Cardinal are used to this being a comfortable second home. Stanford faces Georgia (27-6), which topped 13-seed Montana 70-50 in the first round and then outlasted Iowa State 65-60. Shacobia Barbee led the way with 20 points, but Georgia nearly blew its lead before it recovered and moved to the regional semifinals. This is the 20th time in the regional semifinals for Georgia, which lost to Marist in the first round of last year’s tournament. These two teams have not played this season, but Stanford has beaten fellow Southeastern Conference opponents South Carolina (53-49) and Tennessee (73-60). I give the edge to Stanford in this game, mainly because of its experience against SEC schools and its national-powerhouse status alone. It could be a close contest, however.
#6 LSU vs. #2 California (11:30 p.m. Saturday at Spokane, Washington)
Although California had little trouble with Fresno State in the first round, as the Golden Bears won 90-76, California nearly lost in a stunner. It needed overtime for an 82-78 win over South Florida behind Layshia Clarendon’s 27 points. South Florida was a pesky team coming into this tournament and the duo of Andrea Smith and Inga Orekhova combined for 46 points to nearly take down the Golden Bears. This is California’s second trip to the Sweet 16 and its first time to 30 victories in school history. California (30-3) takes on LSU (22-11), which advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins of 75-71 over Wisconsin-Green Bay and 71-66 over Penn State. What brought down the Nittany Lions? LSU’s swarming defense got to Maggie Lucas, limiting the Big Ten Player of the Year to nine points on 2-for-10 shooting. Nikki Greene rebounded for 16 points and 16 rebounds, but it was not enough. Meanwhile, LSU’s Adrienne Webb led her team with 29 points. This is LSU’s first trip to the regional semifinals since 2008, but there may be some problems lurking underneath. The Tigers had only seven players dressed and available following Jeanne Kenney’s concussion in the Green Bay victory. Foul trouble could cause trouble for the Tigers. All signs point to a Pac-12 rematch in the regional finals, as California should prevail here.
Oklahoma City Regional Overview
Oklahoma City Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Norfolk Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Bridgeport Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
