Girls’s March Insanity bracket questions for Choice Sunday

After one of the crucial thrilling and unpredictable girls’s school basketball seasons in current reminiscence, Choice Sunday has arrived.

It has been a improbable journey, from Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking season to a different unbeaten run by South Carolina, and from the ultracompetitive race within the last season of the Pac-12 to all the dynamic freshmen lighting up courts throughout the nation.

Evaluating schedules, high quality wins, questionable losses, NET rankings and all of the observations from video games has crammed the land of Bracketology for the previous six weeks. Now it is time for the ladies’s NCAA match choice committee to take heart stage and supply the ultimate 68-team subject.

Because the committee continues to fulfill in Indianapolis forward of Sunday’s Choice Particular (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), some choices and crew placements are simple. No person will spend a lot time on the No. 1 total seed. The Gamecocks had that wrapped up weeks in the past. Many different elements of the bracket won’t be really easy to find out.

So what are the most important questions going through the choice committee? Here’s a take a look at probably the most urgent discussions these 12 committee members are going through.

What’s the impression of Elizabeth Kitley’s harm?

Having seen how Virginia Tech performed down the stretch in its regular-season finale (upset by Virginia) and the ACC match (blowout loss to Notre Dame within the semifinals), it is clear the Hokies are considerably diminished with out their star heart. The three-time ACC Participant of the 12 months suffered a knee harm towards the Cavaliers and hasn’t performed since, sitting out the ACC match. Virginia Tech hasn’t disclosed Kitley’s standing, together with to — to our data — the choice committee. She remains to be being described as day-to-day.

The committee has no selection however to take that at face worth.

The philosophy on accidents is that solely a crew’s full résumé will have an effect on its inclusion within the NCAA match, however participant availability, or lack of it, can impression a seed. The Hokies have been in place to be a top-16 crew and thus host first- and second-round video games. If the committee knew for certain that Kitley was not going to play, Virginia Tech’s place as a bunch could possibly be in danger.

In terms of seeding, there’s not a lot precedent for late-season accidents to stars. In 1998, Stanford misplaced Vanessa Nygaard to an ACL tear within the last sport of the common season after which Kristin Folkl 4 days later to the identical harm. In that a lot totally different period, the Cardinal nonetheless acquired a No. 1 seed. Finally, they grew to become the primary and solely prime seed to lose to a No. 16, falling to Harvard.

Final 12 months is the closest and most up-to-date comparability to the Kitley state of affairs. Notre Dame misplaced star level guard Olivia Miles within the regular-season finale to a knee harm. The Irish had been in an analogous spot because the Hokies, hoping to host NCAA match video games. However Notre Dame’s standing as a top-16 seed was much more tenuous than Virginia Tech’s this 12 months. Miles remained listed as day-to-day proper up till the beginning of the NCAA match; the Irish acquired a No. 3 seed and received two video games in South Bend, Indiana, to succeed in the Candy 16.

Per week earlier than the top of this common season, Virginia Tech was contending for a No. 1 seed if the Hokies had a powerful end. That pursuit ended with a decisive loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 29. The Hokies’ spot continued to fall primarily based on how they performed, dropping from a No. 2 seed to No. 4. With none additional data of Kitley’s enjoying standing, that needs to be the place they keep.

Stanford, USC or Texas for the ultimate No. 1 spot?

The Cardinal have a regular-season championship within the nation’s highest-rated convention. USC received the Pac-12 match title. Texas got here up in need of first place within the regular-season race however received the match within the Large 12, the nation’s second-highest rated league. The Longhorns have the highest NET rating of the three. The Trojans have probably the most top-25 NET wins. Stanford has probably the most within the prime 50.

It is that shut amongst these three groups, however there are solely two remaining No. 1 seed slots after South Carolina and Iowa. Somebody have to be a No. 2 seed.

The explanation Texas seemingly is the odd crew out comes all the way down to nonconference schedule energy. The excessive worth positioned on how a crew schedules is the one constant marker for the NCAA match choice committee over the previous few seasons, whilst members change from 12 months to 12 months. The Longhorns rank 159th in nonconference schedule. USC ranks 93rd, Stanford forty sixth. Whereas Texas performed — and convincingly beat — UConn and Arizona, each different nonconference sport was towards groups outdoors the NET prime 100.

Will Gonzaga maintain on to a spot within the prime 16?

The Bulldogs had been a lock to host NCAA match video games earlier than the WCC match. They received all their convention video games by a mean of 30.7 factors through the common season. And Gonzaga had overwhelmed its finals opponent, Portland, by 50 simply two weeks earlier.

However the Pilots surprised the Zags within the WCC title sport for the second straight 12 months, and now Gonzaga is resigned to an anxious Sunday. Bracketology saved the Bulldogs within the prime 16 following the loss. As a result of Oklahoma and Kansas State misplaced within the Large 12 match semifinals, and Syracuse and the Utah Utes went out early of their tournaments, there wasn’t a crew to come back up and take Gonzaga’s spot.

Nonetheless, the committee may give the top-16 edge to the Sooners, who received the Large 12 regular-season title, or the Wildcats, who’ve wins over Texas and Iowa.

It needs to be famous that Oklahoma cannot host even when the Sooners land within the prime 16. The Large 12 gymnastics championships are the identical weekend as the primary and second spherical of the NCAA match and are being held on the Lloyd Noble Heart, the Sooners’ basketball dwelling area. Which means the next-highest seed in Oklahoma’s half of the bracket would have the choice to host.

On this case, the No. 5 seed (with Oklahoma because the No. 4) in that area would host video games.

Will 17-15 Arizona make the sphere?

The Wildcats have been the “final crew in” ESPN’s subject of 68 for greater than every week. It is not unprecedented for a crew this near the .500 mark to make the sphere. However it is not widespread, both. Oklahoma made it at 16-14 in 2018. Auburn was 17-14 when the Tigers acquired a No. 11 seed in 2017.

The Wildcats have loads going for them, together with energy of convention (the Pac-12 is No. 1 within the NET) and the way they completed heading into Choice Sunday (a late-season win over Stanford and two aggressive losses to USC). They rank No. 2 in energy of schedule and thirty fifth within the NET.

The general file works towards them, as does a 2-10 mark towards the NET prime 25 and a 7-15 file towards the highest 100. Nonetheless, these two top-25 wins are greater than different bubble groups like Mississippi State and Penn State have, each of which additionally completed the season poorly. Arizona had a 19-point win in its most up-to-date sport towards Washington State, one other bubble crew.

In terms of the Wildcats, there may be loads of contrasting information the committee members will seemingly focus on proper to the top.