Are there any more surprises in store for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament?

Four teams gave their tickets to the Elite Eight of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. And for the first time in March, a No. 1 seed was eliminated, while the state of NC is heading home. While the chalk held on to the River Walk Regional to establish a final showdown between first place UConn and second place Baylor, the twists dominated Mercado, where fourth place Indiana and 3rd Arizona will make their first appearance at Elite Eight.

With four more games to go on Sunday, which teams will join the Huskies, Lady Bears, Hoosiers and Wildcats? Is Oregon ripe for a turnaround on Louisville seed number 2? What’s next for Iowa and Caitlin Clark, who were kicked out by the Huskies and Christyn Williams’ career day? And we have an idea of ​​what to expect in the Baylor-UConn regional final on Monday (7:00 pm ET, ESPN / ESPN App).

Follow this link for Sunday NCAA tournament tip times and visit here to check out the Women’s Tournament Challenge key.

One game went into overtime. Two ended in trouble. Which team impressed you the most on Saturday?

Voepel: It is a boring answer, but I must say UConn. Juniors Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa really looked and played like veterans and leaders. Aaliyah Edwards was a dominant presence for the Huskies, with 9 of 11 pitches and 18 points. And fellow freshman Paige Bueckers played a very controlled game, understanding how everyone around him was also playing. She didn’t try to do much or force things, and she showed a lot of maturity as an owner, which has been happening throughout her first season in college.

Arizona also stood out. The Wildcats are known for their defense, and they finished what Troy and Iowa State came close to, but failed to do.

But, along with the defense that kept Texas A&M with 59 points, the Wildcats also did a decent job in attack. They took control with a third quarter of 24-14. Aari McDonald was brilliant with 31 points, but everyone around him also did his part.

Cream: Even with a 1-2 record on Saturday, the Big Ten remained impressive. Michigan took Baylor, who has been one of the most dominant teams in the NCAA tournament, into overtime. The Wolverines lost by 12 at the end of the second quarter, but did not wither. Baylor maintains the teams with 31.7% of pitches; Michigan gained 46%. The Wolverines continued to find open eyes against a typically blocked defense. One or two more stops in defense and the Wolverines could have pulled the stunner.

Indiana entered Sweet 16 with little fanfare. Now, the Hoosiers are the first team to take a No. 1 seed. The 73-70 victory over NC State exemplified everything they have been through the season – balanced, disciplined, smart, brave. All five starting players scored in double digits. They only turned the ball nine times (against NC State’s 17). Indiana collected more rebounds and had more points in the paint than a taller Wolfpack team.

In control of the game for almost the entire second half with an advantage of 13 in the fourth period, Indiana left NC State to return to the game late. The lead shrunk to two, but senior holders Nicole Hillary-Cardano and Ali Patberg made the necessary free throws in the final 21 seconds to place Indiana in the program’s first Elite Eight.

In November, Iowa was nowhere to be seen in the pre-season standings. With most of the list – including Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano – expected back, where will Iowa start in 2021-22?

Voepel: The Hawkeyes can definitely build on that; they put up with Saturday’s game against UConn a lot, but the Huskies had a lot of offensive weapons and a lot of defense.

Iowa native Caitlin Clark took a long time to decide on college. She could have gone to many places, but the chance to do something big for a show about two hours from her hometown was important to her.

“The reason I came to Iowa is because I wanted to do something special,” said Clark. “I think more and more people are starting to follow this path. I think this is important, especially because it’s my home state, that’s where I wanted to go. I know I’m in the right place. This season was really special.

“I think for this team it’s just going up from here. I know a lot of little girls who dream of going to all those blue bloods, but I think that playing for their home state is really something special. … There was a real belief that we were going reach the Final Four sometime. We didn’t say we were going to do that in my first year here. “

Cream: The beauty of watching a season evolve and take on a life of its own is a team like Iowa. Most people thought Clark would be an impact freshman, but Iowa didn’t qualify in the preseason largely because the exits of Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer looked like a hole too big to fill. Clark changed that. She gave the game a new star and the Hawkeyes an immediate base.

With so much of the cast coming back and Clark about to be a mainstay of the All-American, there is little chance that the Hawkeyes will be left out of any pre-season ratings next season. In fact, they are prepared to be one of the top four next year and will start there in our first off-season Bracketology.

Our panel was divided into which team would win Sunday’s Oregon-Louisville game (7:00 pm ET, ESPN / ESPN App). What is the key to the confrontation?

Cream: I think many of us chose Oregon based on Louisville’s slow matches so far in the NCAA tournament. Eventually it has to reach the Cardinals, right? Louisville fell 15-12 for Marist and 25-10 for Northwestern after the first quarter. Oregon was able to build a small lead early against Georgia in their second round clash, but kept South Dakota with eight points in the first quarter in the opening round.

Therefore, the first 10 minutes are the key to this confrontation. There is no doubt that Louisville coach Jeff Walz addressed the weak game at the start with his team. Now we’ll see if the message resonates. Oregon may be too good for the Cardinals to climb out of another big hole.

Two transfers will also be the key to the Ducks. Sedona Prince, a six-foot transfer from Texas, appears to have picked up the pace in the tournament and handled Georgia’s size well with 22 points. Louisville offers a similar challenge with 6-5 Elizabeth Dixon and 6-3 Olivia Cochran.

Taylor Mikesell, who arrived in Eugene from Maryland, will also play an important role. A great shooter, Mikesell had to deal with the ball much more towards the end of the season, with first-year point guard Te-Hina Paopao out with a foot injury. Against Lady Bulldogs, she scored 11 points, knocked out 2 of 4 attempts at 3 points and had just three turns in 34 minutes.

Louisville All-American Dana Evans did not play well this postseason, but she is still a skilled defender. If Mikesell can provide a similar game against Evans, Oregon’s chances of advancing look even better.

Michigan’s No. 6 took Baylor into overtime. What did the Lady Bears learn from the phone call that will help them reach the Elite Eight against UConn, a game that has been eagerly awaited since the Monday of the National Team?

Cream: I was surprised that, despite needing the extra period, it never seemed like the Lady Bears were not playing well. They shot 50% of the field. In addition to a free throw, NaLyssa Smith did not miss his 44 minutes of action. Baylor obtained a more excellent production from Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington. This is a tribute to how well Michigan did.

The Wolverines were well prepared and executed their game plan almost perfectly. Leigha Brown (23 points, 7 rebounds) – who was forced out for more than 30 days because of the COVID-19 protocols this season – seemed to be at her peak, and it’s a shame she doesn’t have any more games to play this season. Wolverines deserve much more credit than Baylor deserves to be criticized.

But as the Lady Bears clash with UConn, it is important to note that Baylor was among the top five nationals in all rebound categories and led the country on the rebound margin. The domain was not there against Michigan. While Lady Bears overtook the Wolverines, it was only 37-32. Most importantly, Baylor had only 15 points for a second chance. This is usually a staple of the Lady Bears offense. They couldn’t be trusted and that kept Michigan close.

Meanwhile, UConn completely dominated the cup against Iowa, 42-27, allowing only seven offensive rebounds by the Hawkeyes. Each game is different and takes on its own personality, but the Huskies have the staff, especially with Edwards playing a more substantial role (she had her third consecutive 18-point game against Iowa), to do even more than Michigan did on the boards, potentially taking what would be perceived as a major Baylor advantage.

When the Lady Bears beat UConn 74-58 a year ago, they dominated the rebound numbers by 44-26. If Baylor wants to become only the fourth team to win the Huskies three times in a row in the last 20 years (North Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee are the others), recovering the arrogance in the glass may be a key.

Voepel: As Charlie said, there really wasn’t much Baylor could do wrong – the Michigan-Baylor game was the best game played by both teams on Saturday. It was really fun, and Baylor’s technique, Kim Mulkey, gave his Michigan counterpart, Kim Barnes Arico, much praise for how hard and well the Wolverines played, pushing Baylor into the overtime buzzer.

Baylor and UConn are so elitist in many categories, including the percentage of field goal defense and rebounds. Both teams play in high-level defense, which is why second chance opportunities can be great, because there will not be many of them.