With one week until Selection Sunday, women’s basketball is at a boiling point. After losing to USC twice in the regular season, UCLA got revenge and a Big Ten title. South Carolina defeated Texas after the two split in the regular-season for its ninth SEC tournament title in the last 11 seasons. And 5-foot-9 senior guard Hailey Van Lith claimed her first conference tournament title in five seasons, three teams and three conferences. The Big East still has to play its championship game and several mid-major conferences are just beginning tournament play, but we are starting to get a clearer picture of what the March Madness bracket will look like next week.
Here’s how I voted in this week’s AP Poll with last week’s rankings in parentheses. Oh, and ready or not, the next time I see you we will have a bracket in our hands!
3. Texas (1)
NOTES ON THE VOTES:
- UCLA: The Bruins needed to beat USC in the Big Ten title game. Conference championship and likely-No.1 overall seed aside, the victory was massive for confidence. UCLA hasn’t been playing its best basketball lately and the two losses to USC clearly weighed on the team. Now, with the revenge win, UCLA has officially defeated every team it has played this season. That has to feel good heading into March Madness. Junior center Lauren Betts was a force in the second half, scoring 14 of her 17 points after the break. She also held down the paint with four blocks and four steals, playing a crucial role in holding USC to just 22 second-half points. UCLA also got its shooters going – another key to a big postseason run – making 8 of 15 attempts from long range.
- South Carolina: This is the point in the season where South Carolina’s depth really comes in handy. It’s exhausting to play three games in three days and the grind of the NCAA Tournament will be similar. But the Gamecocks don’t get tired. Coach Dawn Staley consistently plays eight players in starter-like minutes. That means two things: Anyone can step up in any given game and no one is overworked. Against Texas, all eight players logged 19 minutes or more, while only two players saw over 27 minutes of action. The Gamecocks won their third consecutive SEC Championship with a 64-45 win over Texas, while also locking up a No. 1 seed.
- TCU: The Horned Frogs had to grind through three competitive games to win the Big 12 tournament, defeating Colorado 69-62, West Virginia 71-65 and Baylor 64-59. TCU closed the season on a 10-game winning streak, putting a bow on an already-impressive NCAA Tournament resume that included wins over eight ranked teams. Van Lith has been incredible all season long, continuing the prolific scoring she was known for at Louisville, while honing her passing and becoming a legitimate point guard. She had 20 points against Baylor and went a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line.
- Duke: Kara Lawson has her team primed and ready for a March Madness run. During the regular season, the Blue Devils lost to Louisville, Notre Dame and NC State, but they avenged each defeat on the way to an ACC title. Senior guard Ashlon Jackson, who has been Duke’s most consistent player throughout the season, had a big performance in the title game against NC State, scoring 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting. In both the semifinal win over Notre Dame and the championship win over NC State, Duke was powered by a second-half surge. Defensively, the Blue Devils lock up their opponents and force them into difficult, contested shots. Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa has played an important defensive role for the Blue Devils all season and her offense is starting to catch up as well. She had 14 points against Notre Dame and 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists against NC State.
- Notre Dame: It’s been a tough few weeks for the Fighting Irish, but I think the week off before Selection Sunday will serve them well. Notre Dame is at its best when Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo use their skills to set up each other and their teammates, while the rest of the Irish need to play off the guard duo. But lately the team has relied too much on hero ball instead of focusing on what has made the Irish great this season. With three losses in its last six games, it’s definitely time for Notre Dame to look inward, or it could be a season of wasted talent and potential.
- LSU: The Tigers also struggled to end the season, losing their last two regular-season games to Alabama and Ole Miss before falling to Texas in the SEC tournament. It was a tough stretch, but I’m not putting too much stock in the losses. Junior guard Flau’jae Johnson didn’t play against Ole Miss or in the conference tournament in order to rest a shin injury and be better prepared for March Madness. That, plus a death in the family for Kim Mulkey put LSU in a difficult spot over the last few games. I expect the Tigers to bounce back and be well prepared for the NCAA Tournament.
- Baylor: Despite losing to TCU in the Big 12 championship game, I’ve been impressed with the way Baylor has been playing in the second half of the season. They’ve managed to play at a high level – defeating teams like Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas State – despite being without leading scorer Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. The 6-1 junior guard has been out with a knee injury since her team’s win over Texas Tech on February 15. In her absence, 6-3 senior center Aaronette Vonleh has stepped up, scoring 37 points in a Big 12 semifinals win over Oklahoma State and 20 points in the loss to TCU. Senior guards Jada Walker, Yaya Felder and Sarah Andrews have also shown consistency, each averaging around 10 points per game.
- South Dakota State: I’ve featured mid-major teams in my top 25 throughout the season, but South Dakota State is the only one that has had any staying power. That’s because the Jackrabbits were perfect in conference play, going 16-0 and then winning their third Summit League championship in a row. South Dakota State punched its NCAA Tournament ticket for the 13th time since becoming a Division I team in 2004. Coach Aaron Johnson has absolutely built a mid-major powerhouse that will be a hard out in March Madness.
- Michigan: The Wolverines are ahead of schedule when it comes to development. They have three talented freshmen in Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year Olivia Olson, who have helped Michigan compete with some of the country’s top teams. I expect them to be a force next season, but after defeating Maryland in the Big Ten tournament and then playing with USC for most of a semifinals matchup, the Wolverines might be ready to make a little noise right now. I could see them getting hot and winning a couple of games in March Madness. So far this season they’ve played fearlessly, no matter the opponent, and I expect that to stay the same in the NCAA Tournament.
