The Athletic has dwell protection of Choice Sunday and the Girls’s NCAA Event bracket reveal
The ultimate full day of convention tournaments has come and gone, and wow, what a jam-packed slate. We finally got here away with none upsets that might put a possible at-large bid in query, however we witnessed some nice video games and competitors.
For the primary time since 2002, Kent State is headed to the NCAA Event. California Baptist, in 12 months 6 as a Division I program, earned its first ticket to the Huge Dance. Norfolk State matched final season’s win complete and tied its program DI document with 26 wins this season after punching its ticket to the match as properly, again for a second straight yr. Fairfield gained its thirty first sport of the season, outlasting Niagara in probably the most frenetic video games of the previous few weeks to safe its journey to March Insanity.
Get your ladies’s March Insanity printable bracket
In probably the most anticipated sport of the day, Princeton gained the Ivy League championship comfortably, doubtless denying the potential for the Ivy as a two-bid convention.
So on Choice Sunday, as we dive into our closing Bracket Watch, a fast thanks for following alongside. We have now a wealth of match protection coming because the brackets are revealed (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) on the choice present. You’ll be able to print out a clean bracket right here, however test again for an entire one after the match groups are unveiled in addition to for bracket evaluation, predictions and our match breakdowns on “The Athletic Girls’s Basketball Present” podcast.
Final 4 in | First 4 out | Subsequent 4 out | Final 4 byes |
---|---|---|---|
Marquette |
Mississippi State |
Saint Joseph’s |
UNLV |
Texas A&M |
Columbia |
Villanova |
Michigan |
Arizona |
Washington State |
VCU |
Vanderbilt |
Miami |
Penn State |
Washington |
Auburn |
Multi-bid conferences
Convention | Bids |
---|---|
ACC |
9 |
SEC |
8 |
Huge Ten |
7 |
Huge 12 |
7 |
Pac-12 |
7 |
Huge East |
3 |
WCC |
2 |
Can Princeton make a match bang once more?
I’ve Princeton slotted in as a No. 8 seed (which might tie 2015 for its highest seed in program historical past), however there’s sufficient wiggle room within the center that the committee may feasibly place the Tigers on the next or decrease seed line. Wins over Oklahoma and Center Tennessee, each tourney locks, ought to go a good distance on prime of discovering success within the Ivy schedule. How the committee weighs competitiveness towards Indiana and UCLA — shedding each by single digits — might be a difference-maker in seeding. No matter the place the Tigers find yourself, they need to be feared in any matchup.
Princeton earned a No. 10 seed final season and went on to take down seventh-seeded NC State within the first spherical earlier than going wire-to-wire towards Utah within the Spherical of 32. It’s value remembering that a lot of creating a run in March is luck, timing and probability. Nevertheless, I can’t assist fascinated about how Princeton could also be much more of a menace a yr eliminated.
The Tigers carry the identical defensive basis as final season, they usually’ve been a prime 25 group in adjusted defensive score final season and this season, per CBB Analytics. Their offensive consistency is the distinction, ending twenty ninth in adjusted offensive score this season in comparison with seventieth within the nation a season in the past.
Princeton dominates the paint, scoring the fourth highest proportion of factors within the paint in all of Division I. The Tigers are monstrous on the offensive glass, rebounding 39.2 p.c of their very own misses, the twelfth highest mark within the nation.
Ellie Mitchell, a multiyear winner of Ivy Defensive Participant of the 12 months, is essential to this, but it surely has been bolstered by the emergence of fellow senior Chet Nweke. Nweke has been stable as a rotation participant, however she jumped into the beginning lineup halfway by Ivy play. She’s averaging over three rebounds per sport in her 12 video games as a starter, whereas bringing switchability and measurement on protection and high quality decision-making.
Star guard Kaitlyn Chen has grown enormously as a facilitator this season, and freshman Skye Belker has introduced a incredible secondary scoring punch.
Sophomore Madison St. Rose is the rationale to really feel much more assured in Princeton.
Princeton 42, Penn 38 | 1:21 third
AND-1! @nat_strose fights by the contact and hits the bucket!
💻 – https://t.co/5cwp3wI4xy
📻 – https://t.co/VYUqubSAui
📊 – https://t.co/dWtQlClSBF#GetStops 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/fltBO2omvW— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) March 15, 2024
She set the tone as Ivy Rookie of the 12 months final season and got here up large defensively within the NCAA Event. She’s blossomed into an efficient three-level scorer and a star alongside Chen as she earned second-team All-Ivy honors.
Her deep shot is extra constant. She’s snug attending to her pull-up or taking part in out of the submit. Few can comprise her when she drives the lane, and her playmaking is rising as properly. She’s probably the most versatile gamers within the convention, has a possible professional ability set and continues to come back up huge. Don’t be stunned whenever you hear her title throughout the match’s first weekend.
Drake is the final domino
For bubble groups who have been holding their breath and able to set free a sigh of reduction after Princeton robotically certified, they might want to carry on barely longer.
Drake eked out a slender extra time win towards Northern Iowa within the Missouri Valley Convention semifinals. It’ll face Missouri State in Sunday’s convention championship. Although it didn’t lose to Missouri State within the lone matchup this season, the Girl Bears are fairly stable, beating a powerful Belmont squad by 15 to earn their solution to the MVC title sport. The Bulldogs have been down at halftime earlier than successful once they met three weeks in the past.
Junior Lacy Stokes has excelled in her first season in Springfield, however one in every of her quieter video games (2-of-6 capturing for 9 factors with seven turnovers in a late February loss) got here towards Drake. After her sturdy efficiency within the MVC match, I’m desirous to see how she competes towards Drake this time (and the way the Bulldogs counter).
That brings the query: What occurs if Drake loses within the MVC championship sport? What if it’s a detailed sport, say shedding on a buzzer-beater?
Survived. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱.#BeBlue | #DSMHometownTeam pic.twitter.com/sUYprZVo0H
— Drake Girls’s Hoops (@DrakeWBB) March 16, 2024
Particularly with Columbia dropping Saturday’s Ivy title sport, which doubtless took the Lions out of at-large rivalry, Drake would have a shot to sneak into the sphere over some bubble groups. The Bulldogs don’t have a nasty loss. They performed a stable nonconference schedule, ending 57th and picked up a marquee victory over Iowa State — one which solely seemed higher because the season progressed.
After all, it is a lengthy shot. However given how vulnerable some bubble groups (Mississippi State, Penn State) look with their resume questions, I ponder if the committee will give one of many nation’s finest and most constant mid-majors a chance after it examined itself all season and by no means slipped.
Nevertheless, one thing tells me Drake’s trio of Katie Dinnebier, Grace Berg and Anna Miller gained’t present the committee a cause to doubt it.
Welcome to the Huge Dance
• For the primary time since 1995, UC Irvine has earned its solution to the NCAA Event, securing a visit after taking out UC Davis within the Huge West finale.
• It doesn’t matter what occurs within the Northeast Convention championship, Sacred Coronary heart booked its journey to the NCAA Event.
• Regardless of splitting the season sequence with Sacred Coronary heart and a 14-2 document within the NEC, Le Moyne is in its first season of DI play and gained’t be eligible for the postseason, one thing that after equally impacted Cal Baptist (because it transitioned from DI in 2019).
• In a rematch of final season’s championship sport, Holy Cross and Boston College tackle each other within the Patriot championship at midday (ET) on CBS Sports activities. Holy Cross gained final season, incomes Maureen Magarity’s first journey to the NCAA Event in Worcester, Mass. The groups break up the season sequence, with the Terriers successful the newest matchup on March 2. A win for Boston would guarantee Melissa Graves’ first match look as a head coach and Boston’s first March Insanity expertise since 2003.
Seed record
Seeds | Groups | Computerized Qualifer | Lock |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
South Carolina |
AQ |
Sure |
2 |
USC |
AQ |
Sure |
3 |
Iowa |
AQ |
Sure |
4 |
Stanford |
||
5 |
Texas |
AQ |
Sure |
6 |
UCLA |
||
7 |
Ohio State |
||
8 |
LSU |
||
9 |
Notre Dame |
AQ |
Sure |
10 |
NC State |
||
11 |
UConn |
AQ |
Sure |
12 |
Oregon State |
||
13 |
Virginia Tech |
||
14 |
Indiana |
||
15 |
Colorado |
||
16 |
Kansas State |
||
17 |
Gonzaga |
||
18 |
Oklahoma |
||
19 |
Utah |
||
20 |
Syracuse |
||
21 |
Baylor |
||
22 |
Ole Miss |
||
23 |
Louisville |
||
24 |
West Virginia |
||
25 |
Duke |
||
26 |
Creighton |
||
27 |
Florida State |
||
28 |
Iowa State |
||
29 |
Nebraska |
||
30 |
Tennessee |
||
31 |
Michigan State |
||
32 |
Princeton |
AQ |
Sure |
33 |
North Carolina |
||
34 |
Alabama |
||
35 |
Kansas |
||
36 |
Maryland |
||
37 |
UNLV |
AQ |
Sure |
38 |
Michigan |
||
39 |
Vanderbilt |
||
40 |
Auburn |
||
41 |
Marquette |
||
42 |
Texas A&M |
||
43 |
Arizona |
||
44 |
Miami |
||
45 |
Inexperienced Bay |
AQ |
Sure |
46 |
Center Tennessee |
AQ |
Sure |
47 |
Drake |
AQ |
|
48 |
Richmond |
AQ |
Sure |
49 |
FGCU |
AQ |
Sure |
50 |
Fairfield |
AQ |
Sure |
51 |
South Dakota State |
AQ |
Sure |
52 |
Marshall |
Sure |
|
53 |
Jap Washington |
AQ |
Sure |
54 |
Jackson State |
AQ |
Sure |
55 |
Chattanooga |
AQ |
Sure |
56 |
Stony Brook |
AQ |
|
57 |
Maine |
AQ |
Sure |
58 |
Rice |
AQ |
Sure |
59 |
Kent State |
AQ |
Sure |
60 |
Norfolk State |
AQ |
Sure |
61 |
Cal Baptist |
AQ |
Sure |
62 |
Portland |
AQ |
Sure |
63 |
UC Irvine |
AQ |
Sure |
64 |
Texas A&M-CC |
AQ |
Sure |
65 |
Holy Cross |
AQ |
|
66 |
Presbyterian |
AQ |
Sure |
67 |
Sacred Coronary heart |
AQ |
|
68 |
Tennessee Martin |
AQ |
Sure |
(Picture of Drake: Matthew Holst / Getty Photos)