With no main upsets within the girls’s NCAA Event thus far, the Candy 16 is primed for compelling matchups amongst excessive seeds. Some groups have been overlooked whereas others are on upset watch when the match resumes Friday.
Listed here are three excessive seeds that would lose within the Candy 16.
Latest lines are from DraftKings.
No. 1 USC Trojans (-1.5) vs. No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats
After affirmation that USC star sophomore JuJu Watkins (23.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.4 APG) suffered a torn proper ACL in Monday’s Spherical-of-32 win over No. 9 seed Mississippi State, the trail for the Trojans (30-3) to their first nationwide title since 1984 grew to become way more tough.
Whereas a possible showdown with the No. 2 seed UConn within the Elite Eight may await — assuming the Huskies defeat No. 3 seed Oklahoma on Saturday — the fifth-seeded Kansas State (28-7) is not going to be a simple out. The groups will play Saturday.
Kansas State senior middle Ayoka Lee (15.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG), this system’s all-time main scorer and rebounder, has battled by way of a number of accidents, together with a foot fracture that saved her out of motion for practically a month. However she has performed in every of the Wildcats’ two NCAA Event video games, posting a double-double in opposition to No. 12 Fairfield (17 factors, 10 rebounds) .
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (-7.5) vs. No. 5 Tennessee Woman Volunteers
Saturday’s assembly between Texas and Tennessee would be the second for the groups this season. The Longhorns received 80-76 on Jan. 23, courtesy of sophomore Madison Booker’s 26 factors.
That was certainly one of 9 losses this season for the Woman Vols, however eight of these defeats have been by single digits, together with losses by a mixed 19 factors to every of the opposite 4 SEC groups nonetheless dancing. Tennessee (24-9) enters the Candy 16 because the highest-scoring team in Division I (87.5 PPG) and ranks fifth in bench manufacturing (30 PPG).
Texas (33-3) solely permits 55.8 factors per recreation and has not given up greater than 70 factors in a recreation since Tennessee scored 76 within the first assembly. The Woman Vols have familiarity with the Longhorns and practically took them down two months in the past. If Tennessee can get that type of offense generated as soon as once more, Texas may very well be in hassle.
No. 2 Duke Blue Devils (-5.5) vs. No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels
When the rivals play Friday, it will likely be their third assembly this season (every staff has received a recreation). In case you are a fan of offense, this recreation might not be for you, contemplating the successful staff failed to achieve 70 in both recreation this season.
Every program enters the Candy 16 permitting fewer than 60 factors per recreation. North Carolina (29-7) ranks twenty eighth within the nation with a mean of 12.9 turnovers per recreation, whereas Duke (28-7) is twentieth with 20.66 turnovers pressured per recreation.
Tar Heels senior Alyssa Ustby (10.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG) has 10 double-doubles this season, together with one within the Jan. 9 win over Duke. If North Carolina can restrict its giveaways, it is going to seemingly have a shot on the upset.
