Which 10 groups may win girls’s March Insanity NCAA title?

We have reached some extent within the girls’s NCAA event the place nearly something can occur within the early rounds. Final season, No. 1 seeds Stanford (to Ole Miss) and Indiana (to Miami) misplaced within the second spherical.

However by the regionals, big-time upsets are rarer. Within the final 10 years, simply two seeds beneath No. 4 have superior to the ladies’s Remaining 4: No. 5 Louisville in 2013 and No. 7 Washington in 2016.

The bottom-seeded staff to ever win a nationwide championship is No. 3: by North Carolina in 1994, Tennessee in 1997 and LSU final season.

So when you think about which groups may win the 2024 NCAA title, no squad past the projected high 16 seeds seem like a viable alternative.

However who’re the highest 16 of that group? Let’s take a look at the clear favourite to win the 2024 title and the most important challengers.

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Gamecocks earn eighth SEC title with thrilling win vs. LSU

MiLaysia Fulwiley scores a career-high 24 factors to guide top-seeded South Carolina previous the 2-seed Tigers’ 4 double-digit scorers within the 79-72 championship win.

The Gamecocks, Division I’s solely undefeated staff, are on a run through which they’ve misplaced two video games or much less in 4 of the previous 5 seasons. They appeared practically unbeatable final season, however bumped into the NCAA event’s hottest participant, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, and their very own chilly perimeter taking pictures in a nationwide semifinal loss.

Saturday, South Carolina was practically upset by Tennessee within the SEC event semifinals however escaped with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. It confirmed that even a uncommon time when the Gamecocks seemed to be in serious trouble, they nonetheless received out of it.

South Carolina misplaced Aliyah Boston, the WNBA No. 1 draft choose, together with 4 different starters from final 12 months. However this season’s staff has six gamers who common between 14.0 and 9.2 factors; the staff’s stability is a part of why South Carolina is so tough to beat.

The Gamecocks do have some concern: Their protection allow them to down within the second half in opposition to Tennessee, one thing that has not often occurred prior to now three years. And chilly spells in taking pictures can plague any staff. Nonetheless, if any staff has proven the fewest weaknesses, it is the Gamecocks.

It is also noteworthy that of the groups seeded No. 1 within the Energy 5 convention tournaments this season, South Carolina is the one one which gained its title.

“It’s March Insanity for a purpose,” Iowa State coach Invoice Fennelly mentioned after his staff upset Huge 12 No. 1 seed Oklahoma on Monday. “It is not finest 4 out of seven. It is not three out of 5. You do not have to beat somebody back-to-back nights. You must be one of the best staff in a 40-minute sport. That is what postseason is about and that is what makes it a lot enjoyable. That is why collegiate basketball in March is one of the best factor going.”

True, however the previous few years, South Carolina has been one of the best factor going about collegiate basketball on the ladies’s aspect.

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Caitlin Clark reacts to setting Huge Ten event scoring mark

Iowa star Caitlin Clark offers credit score to her coaches and teammates after setting the all-time scoring file for the Huge Ten event.

Who’re the following 5 groups that might win the nationwide championship?

Beating South Carolina shouldn’t be essentially the way in which to win the title; it did not occur for Iowa final 12 months. In fact, LSU benefited essentially the most from Iowa’s victory over the Gamecocks. It meant the Tigers did not should face acquainted SEC foe South Carolina within the nationwide championship sport. As an alternative, they performed Iowa, and realized so much from what the Gamecocks struggled with in opposition to Hawkeyes. That helped LSU win its first nationwide championship.

LSU and Iowa are again within the combine once more this season, and on our record of South Carolina’s high challengers for the title.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes gained their third Huge Ten event title in a row Sunday. They did not face two of the groups that beat them in league play: Ohio State and Indiana, which have been each upset earlier than the ultimate. However Iowa did avenge its solely different Huge Ten regular-season loss by beating Nebraska in additional time within the league last.

Clark struggled along with her 3-point shot in the course of the Huge Ten event, besides completed with a three-game whole of 86 factors and was once more MVP. The Hawkeyes are also getting robust play from the remainder of their guards, and ahead Hannah Stuelke. Iowa is perhaps susceptible to a staff with a number of publish threats, however the Hawkeyes have an offense that may overcome nearly something once they’re clicking.

LSU: The Tigers are the defending champions, and there are occasions once they have regarded able to repeating. However their perimeter — notably the playmaking — does not appear fairly as dependable because it was final season. And contemplating how essential LSU’s guards have been in main them to the NCAA title final 12 months, that is perhaps a priority.

That mentioned, LSU has measurement and quickness all over the place, and two of the school sport’s finest rebounders in Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow. To date in coach Kim Mulkey’s three seasons at LSU, she hasn’t defeated South Carolina. However relying on the NCAA bracket set-up, the Tigers may not have to do this to win all of it once more.

USC: The Pac-12 event champion Trojans have a reliable likelihood at a Remaining 4 journey for the primary time because the 1994, when future Corridor of Famers Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson have been teammates. USC reached the Elite Eight that season. Within the 30 years since, they Trojans have had seven completely different coaches — Mark Trakh had two stints separated by eight years — and have not gotten previous the second spherical of the NCAA event.

Now the Trojans are hovering fairly excessive with a star akin to JuJu Watkins, the expertise of coach Lindsay Gottlieb, an opportunity to host the NCAA event early rounds for the primary time in three a long time, and the momentum of the league event.

Notre Dame:The Irish did not have injured guard Olivia Miles this season, and freshman Hannah Hidalgo needed to be taught on the fly. Nevertheless it has labored for them. Hidalgo could be the nationwide freshman of the 12 months if it weren’t for USC’s Watkins.

The Irish’s ACC event victories have been all in opposition to various kinds of groups: In these three video games, Notre Dame scored 77, 82 and 55 factors. They’ve gained eight in a row, and despite the fact that they have been the No. 4 seed within the ACC event, they performed just like the No. 1 seed.

UConn: The Huskies have been out of the nationwide highlight this season greater than regular, shedding 5 nonconference video games after which cruising by means of a Huge East slate that did not actually problem them. Plus, their NCAA-record streak of constructing each Remaining 4 from 2008-2022 ended final season, too, so there is not that very same sense of invincibility that UConn had for thus lengthy.

To say the least, accidents have altered UConn’s actuality over the previous two years — Azzi Fudd was the most important loss this season — and due to that, the Huskies haven’t got the identical margin for error they’ve normally had.

Even so, Paige Bueckers has had an amazing season, and elite guards like her imply a lot within the NCAA event. She scored a mixed 83 factors within the Huskies’ three Huge East event video games.

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Notre Dame wins ACC Championship with late-game heroics

Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron comes down with a clutch rebound late within the fourth quarter to ice the sport in opposition to NC State.

What different groups may need an opportunity to triumph in Cleveland?

Stanford is the outlier on this quartet as a result of the Cardinal have been Remaining 4 regulars — most lately reaching the nationwide semifinals in 2022 — and gained a nationwide championship as lately as 2021, this system’s third.

Texas’ final Remaining 4 was 2003, and Ohio State’s was 1993. The Longhorns gained the NCAA title in 1986; Ohio State hasn’t gained the nationwide championship. UCLA hasn’t been to the Remaining 4 within the NCAA period however gained the AIWA championship in 1978.

This 12 months, Stanford, UCLA and Ohio State all hung out ranked No. 2 within the nation, whereas Texas has been as excessive as No. 3. The Longhorns are additionally nonetheless within the combine to win their convention event title, as they face Iowa State within the Huge 12 last Tuesday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Stanford: Of those final 4 groups, the Cardinal probably have the most important disparity between one of the best and worst variations of themselves. At time]s, they’ve regarded like a Remaining 4 contender. However of their 4 losses to Pac-12 foes — two of them to USC — the offense has been missing. In these video games, Stanford scored 59, 58, 61 and 61 factors.

The latest defeat was within the Pac-12 last. There, Stanford did a significantly better job in opposition to USC’s JuJu Watkins — she had 51 factors of their Feb. 2 regular-season matchup vs. 9 factors Sunday — however struggled offensively and was dominated on the boards.

UCLA: Since a 20-point loss at Stanford on Feb. 4, the Bruins have performed properly, going 8-2. So why are they on this third group? There may be concern over late-game execution within the two losses. They fell 79-77 at Oregon State on Feb. 16 after main by 7 with simply over 2:half-hour left. Then the lead modified palms 5 occasions within the final 15 seconds. Credit score Oregon State, but it surely felt like the sport slipped away from UCLA.

Then of their double-overtime loss to USC in Friday’s Pac-12 event semifinal, the Bruins had the final possession on the finish of regulation and the primary additional time, however did not get a shot off both time. It may not appear truthful to deal with what UCLA did unsuitable amid doing a lot proper. However the Bruins should be prepared for crunch time within the NCAA event.

Ohio State: The Huge Ten regular-season champion Buckeyes have been one of many hottest groups within the nation, having gained 15 in a row going into their regular-season finale at Iowa. However then they misplaced by 10 to the Hawkeyes and have been blown out by 21 by No. 8 seed Maryland within the Huge Ten event quarterfinals. The Buckeyes have considerations about rebounding that confirmed up in each these defeats. However within the loss to the Terps, coach Kevin McGuff questioned Ohio State’s effort and focus.

Ohio State had one of many greatest wins within the NCAA event final 12 months, beating UConn within the regional semifinals. For the Buckeyes to go to a Remaining 4 this 12 months, they have to take a look at what went unsuitable in these final two losses and get again on observe.

Texas: The Longhorns got here into the Huge 12 event hoping for an additional likelihood at Oklahoma, the staff that beat Texas twice this season. That will not occur because the Sooners have been upset within the semifinals, however Texas can depart Kansas Metropolis with one other championship.

They misplaced star guard Rori Harmon to harm in December, however freshman Madison Booker has been a revelation, and the Longhorns have some ways to attain. Defensively, they’ll dominate video games, too. Whether or not their consistency can maintain up for a nationwide championship run is a query, however they’ve sufficient expertise to play with any staff.