The NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Committee has revealed its first view of the top 16 teams for the NCAA tournament, as of now.
There is still a lot of basketball ahead of the national team on Monday, March 15. If you’re getting into the heat of the season right now, here’s one notable thing you should know about each team in Monday night’s initial standings:
No. 1 seeds – UConn, South Carolina, Stanford and Louisville
1. UConn – Neither age nor lack of experience has been an obstacle for this team of nine rookies. Especially when her gunner, Paige Bueckers, is a freshman, but she acts as a veteran. Bueckers helped his team to become number 1 in the AP vote on February 15, after beating first place in the vote. 1 South Carolina in overtime. Bueckers made history on the show in the first two clashes, becoming the first Husky with three consecutive performances of more than 30 points.
2. South Carolina – It is no secret that Gamecocks are one of the strongest defensive teams in the country. In fact, South Carolina is the country’s second largest in set pieces. It is Aaliyah Boston’s credit for blocking the painting, ranking in the top five in the country in blocks, while Victaria Saxton occupies the second position in the SEC.
3 – Stanford – Cardinal occupied 1st place in the AP ranking in the opening month, up to a difficult week of twists for opponents of Pac-12 in Week 9. Cardinal fell to Colorado disqualified in overtime and then in 6th UCLA by one digit. Since that January 22 defeat to the Bruins, Stanford has had a seven-game winning streak and still remains the number one team in Pac-12, with ranked wins over Arizona, Oregon and UCLA.
4. Louisville – Dana Evans. This is something you should know about Louisville. The ACC’s top scorer (20.8 points per game) can do this in a number of ways, especially with the game in play. On Evans’ main night against Georgia Tech, she broke the program record with 37 consecutive double-digit scoring games, passing Angel McCoughtry.
This ‘W’ was for @Danaaakianaaa.#GoCards pic.twitter.com/nXrTVkX5dU
– Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) February 13, 2021
No. 2 seeds – Texas A&M, NC State, Maryland and Arizona
5. Texas A&M – Aggies are currently 8-0 against the classified opponent, which is the highest number of victories in the country. Texas A&M was only beaten by the unclassified LSU, who beat Aggies by 40-31 in a result of the 65-61 overtime on January 14. Texas A&M is currently 15-0 when it won the game on the glass.
If you love basketball, you must love this team ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WqsMFaU3B4
– Texas A&M Women’s Basketball (@AggieWBB) February 10, 2021
6. NC state – Wolfpack eliminated two No. 1 teams this season, upsetting South Carolina on December 3 and Louisville on February 1, becoming the third team to beat two top teams in the past 20 seasons. The latest effort could have elevated Wolfpack to number 1 in the country. However, NC State failed to close that week against North Carolina’s excellent 3-point shot, falling to Tar Heels on February 7.
7. Maryland – The Terps have a well-oiled attack, leading the Big Ten in points per game, percentage of pitches and free throws. Maryland has the highest scoring offensive in the country and four Terps with double-digit average points, led by guard Ashley Owusu with 19.3 points per game.
8. Arizona – The Wildcats’ offensive threat is the guard Aari McDonald. McDonald scored double digits in 81 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. She joined the 2,000-point club on January 22.
PREDICTIONS: The NCAA 2021 women’s basketball key, provided just after the half
Nº 3 seeds – UCLA, Baylor, Oregon and Georgia
9. UCLA – Michaela Onyenwere and Charisma Osborne are a dynamic duo for the Bruins. Both are the top four scorers in the Pac-12 conference, averaging 36 points combined. All-American striker Onyenwere also took second place in rebounds at the conference, with 8.3 bags per game.
10. Baylor – Baylor not only leads the top 12 in scoring, averaging 82.4 points per game in 18 games, but Bears’ defensive presence has been a problem for the opponent. Baylor’s defense keeps the teams with just 52.6 points per game, which is number 1 in the scoring of the country’s 12 major and 10 points.
11. Oregon – Ducks may be young, but their potential is infinite. The freshman TeHina PaoPao looks very comfortable as the Ducks’ main ball handler. PaoPao found ingenious ways to find his teammates, remaining in the top 10 in Pac-12, with a ratio of 2.3 assists / turnover. However, Oregon is still trying to find consistency in the attack.
12. Georgia – Bulldogs are very proud of themselves. Bulldogs are the SEC’s first defensive scoring team with 59.3 points per game. Georgia is also the 2nd in the SEC in blocks (6.2) and the 6th in the country. Credit goes to Jenna Staiti, who leads the conference with 61 blocks.
No. 4 seeds – Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky
13. Tennessee – Lady Vols’ incredible length gives Tennessee an advantage in attack, including the perimeter with 6-1 Rae Burrell and 6-2 Rennia Davis being able to work inside and out. The pair is Tennessee’s top scorer, averaging almost 32 points together. At the defensive end, the length of Burrell and Davis also makes it difficult for opponent guards to put the ball in the paint.
14. West Virginia – The Mountaineers are currently in second place in the big 12 game with the help of top scorer Kysre Gondrezick, who averages 21.2 points per game, which is fourth in scoring at the conference. In 19 West Virginia competitions, she led the Mountaineers on points in 13 games. She also leads her team in assists and robberies.
15. Indiana – The Hoosiers have an incredible duo in Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger. Holmes’ internal game puts her in the top 10 in scoring and rebounds in the Big Ten. Berger leads the country with three triple-doubles this season, averaging 15.3 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
16. Kentucky – The Wildcats had a tough schedule, dropping to unqualified Ole Miss and four top-15 opponents – DePaul, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Tennessee. Opposing teams know that in order to succeed, they need to find a way to take down Kentucky scorer Rhyne Howard (19 points per game). Howard has excelled at great times for his team with three performances of more than 30 points so far.