Lexington Regional Overview
The Lexington Regional is pretty tough at the top, as along with top seed Notre Dame, Big Ten champion Maryland could have also grabbed a No. 1 seed. Kentucky could possibly host four games in the regional if they get to the final, but the rest of the bracket is tough as well because every team but North Carolina A&T has 20 or more wins.
#1 Notre Dame, #2 Maryland, #3 Kentucky, #4 Stanford, #5 Miami (FL), #6 Oklahoma, #7 Washington, #8 Georgia, #9 Indiana, #10 Penn, #11 Purdue, #12 South Dakota State, #13 San Francisco, #14 UNC Asheville, #15 Iona, #16 North Carolina A&T
Who Can Win?
Notre Dame is the definition of a consistent program, having gone to four of the last five National Title games. The Irish rolled through the ACC and handed Louisville its lone league loss. But the Irish aren't the only powers in the bracket. Maryland comes in only having lost to UConn and Ohio State, twice. Notre Dame and Maryland have NCAA Tournament history, with the Irish knocking the Terps out of the tourney twice in the last four years. Kentucky might have an advantage having all potential home games and having lost only twice at home all year. If Stanford is shooting well, it might cause trouble for the other teams in Lexington.
Who Can Surprise?
South Dakota State comes in as a 12 seed, but the Jackrabbits shouldn't be overlooked by anybody. They played both Notre Dame and Maryland to tight contests and were able to defeat a ranked DePaul squad early in the year as well. Penn plays some great defense and limits its turnovers so if Washington isn't careful, it might be in for an upset in the first round.
Who’s Hot?
It'd be cliche to say Notre Dame and Maryland since they're the top two seeds, but it's true. Notre Dame has one loss this season and has won 24 straight, including eight ranked teams and all 16 ACC games in that span. The Terrapins have won 18 of their last 19 games and have only three losses on the year, two of which came to Ohio State.
Who’s Cold?
Miami (FL) has lost four of its last seven games, three of which were double-digit losses.
Upset Alert!
Two possible ones here: South Dakota State over Miami and Penn over Washington. The Jackrabbits come in hitting nearly eight three-pointers a game, which is good for 28th in the country. With Miami's recent struggles, if South Dakota State is shooting well, it might be a quick trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Hurricanes. Washington, on the other hand, has its hands full with an Ivy League team that gives up 51.5 points per game and doesn't turn the ball over a lot. If the Quakers slow the game down and put a suffocating defense on the Huskies, watch out for the Ivies.
What Possible Matchup is Interesting?
Will Maryland face Notre Dame for the third time in five years in the NCAA Tournament? The Irish have knocked the Terrapins out twice in four years and one would have to think the former ACC squad has that on its mind if it faces the new ACC squad. The Irish do everything well and it'll be hard for Maryland to handle Notre Dame's depth. That being said, Maryland has a great inside-outside combo that can give the Irish a hard time, especially if it scores at its season average of 85 points.
Which Player Will Dominate?
Notre Dame forward Brianna Turner is putting up stats most players dream about, 14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.2 bpg. She was the missing piece for the Irish when they played UConn, having sat out the game, and if Notre Dame is going to move on in the tournament, it is going to need its star post player to be at the top of her game.
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