NCAAW tournament: Sweet 16 format

SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — The Sweet 16 includes a new format and slightly of historical past when it starts later this week.

The NCAA modified its setup for the ladies’s match this season, trimming the standard four regional sites to two. Seattle and Greenville — a town of 71,000 in South Carolina about midway between Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina — will every host 8 groups prior to sending the winners directly to Dallas for the Final Four.

It could also be simply the second one time for the reason that match expanded to 64 groups in 1994 that two of the No. 1 seeds did not succeed in the regional semifinals after Mississippi and Miami knocked out Stanford and Indiana, respectively. It additionally took place in 1998.

The different most sensible seeds — South Carolina and Virginia Tech — complicated. The Gamecocks, led by way of megastar Aliyah Boston, are 4 wins from finishing their very own historical adventure and back-to-back nationwide championships. They are in the hunt for simply the tenth undefeated season ever in ladies’s basketball, and the following steps for trainer Dawn Staley’s workforce are only a 90-minute shuttle from campus.

There are numerous groups that experience ended lengthy Sweet 16 droughts, just like the Hokies, Hurricanes, Colorado and Villanova. UConn, alternatively, shall be enjoying in its 29th consecutive regional semifinal.

Despite the parity that took place during the regular season and the go out of the ones two No. 1 seeds, it’s the second one time previously six years that no double-digit seed reached the spherical of 16. It’s additionally the primary time for the reason that Big 12 used to be shaped in 1996 that no groups from the convention reached the second one weekend.

There’s quite a lot of megastar energy around the box with Angel Reese, Maddy Siegrist, Caitlin Clark and Elizabeth Kitley becoming a member of Boston within the regional semifinals.

The Gamecocks are the heavy favourite to return out of this area and, for that topic, to win some other name. The regional semifinal opponent is No. 4 seed UCLA. The Bruins gave the Gamecocks a aggressive sport again in November, main at halftime by way of 4 before losing by nine.

No. 2 seed Maryland will play No. 3 seed Notre Dame within the different semifinal. The Terrapins, led by way of Diamond Miller, used a powerful 2d part to get by way of Arizona in the second one spherical. The Fighting Irish overcame season-ending accidents to Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey to get to the Sweet 16. Notre Dame were given a powerful effort from post Lauren Ebo, who set a college NCAA tourney document with 18 rebounds in a win over Mississippi State.

With Indiana shedding, the bracket is extra open, with Villanova and Siegrist enjoying the Hurricanes in one of the vital semifinals. Siegrist, who leads the country in scoring, has the Wildcats back in the Sweet 16 for the primary time since 2003. Miami’s drought used to be even longer, now not making it this a ways since 1992.

The different semifinal within the area pits two of essentially the most proficient forwards within the nation in opposition to every different: LSU’s Angel Reese and Utah’s Alissa Pili. Reese helped the Tigers succeed in the Sweet 16 for the primary time since 2014. The “Bayou Barbie” had 25 issues, an eye-popping 24 rebounds and 6 blocks within the third-seeded Tigers’ rout of Michigan. Second-seeded Utah is again within the Sweet 16 for the primary time since 2006 after edging Princeton in the second one spherical.

Second-seeded UConn, which has handled accidents all season, will face third-seeded Ohio State in a single semifinal. The Buckeyes needed a shot in the final few seconds by way of Jacy Sheldon to advance this a ways for the fourth instantly season.

Top seed Virginia Tech is the newcomer right here, making its first look within the Sweet 16 since 1999 after two spectacular house wins within the first two rounds. Kitley and Co. head around the nation for a rematch in opposition to Tennessee. The two groups performed Dec. 4 and the Hokies got here away with a three-point win. The Lady Vols had been lacking Rickea Jackson for that sport and it used to be the overall person who Tamari Key performed in prior to being sidelined for the season with blood clots.

Tennessee has run through the first two rounds, changing into simply the fourth workforce to win every of its first two video games by way of 45 issues or extra. UConn did it the opposite thrice, in step with ESPN.

Ole Miss crashed the birthday celebration with its disillusioned of Stanford and is again within the Sweet 16 for the primary time since 2007. Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s defensive-minded squad will face a Louisville workforce that routed Texas at the Longhorns’ house courtroom. Cardinals megastar Hailey Van Lith grew up in Central Washington, a couple of hours from Seattle.

The different matchup will characteristic Clark and her logo-range taking pictures for Iowa in opposition to Colorado. Iowa edged Georgia in the second one spherical, erasing the reminiscence of remaining season’s spherical of 32 defeat to Creighton. The Hawkeyes will face a Colorado workforce within the Sweet 16 for the primary time since 2003.