Picks for all 63 women’s NCAA Tournament games
The women’s NCAA Tournament field is set and now the fun begins with 64 teams descending on the San Antonio region for the event that was canceled in 2020.
This will be a tournament like no other, with every game played on neutral courts and teams that make the Final Four having to basically live out of a hotel room for three weeks. Here’s a look at what could happen over the next few weeks in tournament brackets.
There are a couple of rules to live by:
Chalk rules
A No. 1 seed has won the national championship the past eight tournaments and 12 of 13. The only time that didn’t happen was 2011 when Gary Blair led Texas A&M to the title as a two seed. Also since 2005, at least two of the No. 1s have made the Final Four every year except for 2016.
Lack of major upsets
Looking to pick a 14, 15 or 16 seed for an upset? Might want to look elsewhere as there has been only one victory by any of those seeds in the 38-year history of the tournament.
That was when 16th-seeded Harvard knocked off No. 1 Stanford in 1998. The No. 14, 15 and 16 seeds are winless since.
Watch out for those 12s
Just like in the men’s bracket, the 12 seeds have some success in recent years upending the 5s. At least one 12 has made it out of the first round in three of
the last four tournaments. And some advice too: WAIT: Don’t rush to fill out your bracket this year because there is that chance a key player or coach could test positive for COVID-19, which could really change the dynamic of the tournament.
And now the picks:
Alamo region
• Analysis: Stanford is definitely the top overall seed for many reasons. The Cardinal are deep, led by Haley Jones and Kiana Williams, talented, and have already spent two months on the road, so three weeks in a hotel room shouldn’t faze them too much. It won’t be easy with a high-scoring Arkansas team as a potential Sweet 16 matchup. Dana Evans and Louisville potentially await the Cardinal in the regional final.
• Other players to watch: Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas; Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State; Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota.
• Upset watch: UC Davis will continue the trend of 12s knocking off 5s as the Aggies have a good shot to upset Missouri State, which opted out of the Missouri Valley Conference tourney before the semifinals because of COVID-19 concerns for its opponent.
• First-round winners: Stanford, Oklahoma State, UC Davis, Arkansas, South Dakota, Georgia, Northwestern, Louisville.
• Second-round winners: Stanford, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisville.
• Regional semifinal winners: Stanford, Louisville.
• Regional champion: Stanford.
Hemisfair region
• Analysis: South Carolina has a lot of young talent, but unfortunately not much tournament experience. The Gamecocks could go a long way led by Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke. Getting to the Final Four, Dawn Staley’s squad will have to get through an Oregon State team that has figured itself out after a long coronavirus pause, and then potentially UCLA or Maryland.
• Other players to watch: Janelle Bailey, North Carolina; Kysre Gondrezick, West Virginia; Ashley Owusu, Maryland.
• Upset Watch: Stephen F. Austin has won 19 straight and has a good shot to pull off the victory as a 12 seed over Georgia Tech.
• First-round winners: South Carolina, Oregon State, Stephen F. Austin, West Virginia, Texas, UCLA, North Carolina, Maryland.
• Second-round winners: South Carolina, West Virginia, UCLA, Maryland.
• Regional semifinal winners: South Carolina, Maryland.
• Regional champion: Maryland.