03/23/25 08:54:00
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03/23 08:52 CDT Chalk talk: Women's March Madness goes mostly according to seed
as top teams advance to second round
Chalk talk: Women's March Madness goes mostly according to seed as top teams
advance to second round
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
March Madness has mostly been March Predictable in the women's NCAA Tournament
so far.
For the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, no team
seeded 11 or worse advanced to the second round.
The only two double-digit seeds still standing in the round of 32 were a pair
of 10s --- Oregon and South Dakota State. The Ducks needed overtime to beat
Vanderbilt and the Jackrabbits topped Oklahoma State by six points, rallying
from a double-digit second-half deficit.
That sets up some solid second-round games, with No. 5 Kansas State facing No.
4 Kentucky and No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 4 Ohio State. The Wildcats had the
biggest scare of any team hosting the first two rounds as they held off Liberty
79-78.
No. 6 Florida State plays No. 3 LSU and No. 6 West Virginia takes on No. 3
North Carolina on Monday.
There also is intrigue with second-seeded TCU and Hailey Van Lith facing her
former Louisville team, a No. 7 seed, on Sunday.
Even with the lack of upsets, it doesn't mean that there weren't eye-popping
performances in the first 32 games. The top teams all looked dominant in their
first-round victories. The four 1-seeds --- South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and
Southern California --- won by an average of 47 points.
Offense was on full display with the Gamecocks, Longhorns, UConn, Notre Dame,
LSU and Tennessee all putting up more than 100 points. That was the second time
in NCAA history that six teams went over the century mark.
Defense also took center stage at times. Duke held Lehigh to 10 points in the
first half while USC gave up only 11 to Lehigh. UConn led Arkansas State 66-16
at the half.
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