Lexington Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
#1 Notre Dame vs. #16 North Carolina A&T
Outside of UConn, Notre Dame is the hottest team in the country. The Irish have won 24 straight games and are looking unstoppable. Notre Dame has four players that score in double figures and are so good that two of them, Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, come off the bench. Notre Dame does everything well, scoring nearly 80 points per game, while handing out 18 assists. Brianna Turner and her 14,3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.2 bpg and Madison Cable's 13.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg form a nice ins-de-outside combo. North Carolina A&T is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009. The Aggies are led by Dana Brown's 11.5 ppg, April McRae's 13.3 ppg and 6.4 rpg and Kala Green's 9.7 ppg. If North Carolina A&T is going to pull off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history, it's going to need career nights from everyone involved.
While Georgia comes into the NCAA Tournament winning seven of its last 10, the Bulldogs dropped three of their last five games. Like many of the other teams in the regional, the Bulldogs are great on defense, giving up only 53.8 points per game and allowing their opponents to make 34.8% of their shots. Tiara Griffin leads the way with 14.6 points per game, while Shacobia Barbee averages 12.7 ppg and 9.1 rpg. Like its opponent, the Hoosiers have won seven of their last 10 and are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. Tyra Buss became the first Hoosier since 2006 to be named to the All-Big Ten First Team after averaging 19 ppg, 4.3 apg, 5.1 rpg and 2.1 spg. Two other players scored in double digits, Alexis Gassion (11.4 ppg) and Amanda Cahill (14.8 ppg), and both coincidentally grabbed 8.6 rebounds a game.
#5 Miami (FL) vs. #12 South Dakota State
The Hurricanes are making their fifth NCAA Tournament trip in six years, but have been struggling of late, having lost four of their last seven, including three by double digits. Miami will have to rely on its upperclassmen to help lead the way, as junior guards Adrienne Motley and Jessica Thomas average 15.6 ppg and 11.9 ppg, respectively. The Jackrabbits come in hitting nearly eight three-pointers a game, which is good for 28th in the country. Macy Miller leads four South Dakota State double-digit scorers with 15.3 ppg. With Miami's recent struggles, if South Dakota St. is shooting well and not turning the ball over (13.1 turnovers a game, 21st nationally), it might be a quick trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Hurricanes.
#4 Stanford vs. #13 San Francisco
Stanford comes into the NCAA Tournament having won nine of its last 11 games, including a blowout of Oregon State. Lili Thompson scores 14.4 points a game and adds 3.4 assists while Erica McCall scores 14.3 points per game and grabs 9.3 rebounds a contest. The Dons are making their trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years after winning the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Dons, who won seven of their last eight, are led by three players who score in double figures: Zhane Dikes (14.2 ppg, 2.5 apg, 7.1 rpg), Rachel Howard (11.6 pg) and Taylor Proctor (18.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.3 apg).
The Sooners come into the NCAA's having won three of their last five, all of which were double-digit wins. The key players for this year's Oklahoma squad are mainly upperclassmen who have never missed an NCAA Tournament so the experience will help them against Purdue. Senior forward Kaylon Williams' 12.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg lead the way, while Peyton Little adds 10.6 ppg. After losing five straight, the Boilermakers recovered nicely by winning five of their last six games coming into the NCAA Tourney. Like many other teams in this regional it seems, Purdue has three players who score in double digits: April Wilson (14.6 ppg, 5.6 apg), Ashley Morrissette (13.1 ppg) and Bridget Perry (10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Those three are going to have to play a great game for the Boilermakers to have a shot.
#3 Kentucky vs. #14 UNC Asheville
Kentucky is making its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament and comes in on a bit of a hot streak, winning eight of its last nine games, including four wins over ranked foes. The Wildcats have a nice blend of upperclassmen and underclassmen but will look to Makayla Evans (16.5 ppg 4.5 apg, 4.8 rpg), Janae Thompson (12.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) and Evelyn Akhator (11.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg), all upperclassmen, if they want to make some noise in the tournament. The Bulldogs won 13 of their last 15 games, including their last five to make the school's first NCAA Tournament since 2007 and only second in school history. UNC-Asheville will need big games from junior guards Chatori Major (13.9 ppg) and Tianna Knuckles (12.3 ppg) if they expect to win.
#7 Washington vs. #10 Penn
The Huskies come into their second NCAA Tournament in a row after winning four of their last five games, including a win over Stanford. Washington is led by the nation's third-leading scorer, junior guard Kelsey Plum, who scores 26.2 points per game. Talia Walton adds in 15.7 points a game and 6.8 boards, while Chantel Osahor adds 9.7 points and 10.7 rebounds a game. The Quakers have won 12 of their last 13 games and are playing in the second NCAA Tournament in school history. Penn is stout defensively, ranking in the top 10 nationally in three categories: scoring defense (51.5 ppg, 9th), field-goal defense (34.3%, 7th) and turnovers per game (10.9, third). The team is led by Sydney Stipanovich, who averages 12.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg and Michelle Nwokedi, who scores 14.2 ppg and pulls down 9.6 rpg.
The Terrapins will be looking to make their third consecutive Final Four after winning this year's Big Ten title and winning 18 of their last 19 games. The Terps like to score, and score a lot, finishing fourth in the country, scoring over 85 ppg and leading the country in rebounding margin with 15.8 more rebounds per game than their opponents. Maryland is led by the inside-outside duo of Brionna Jones, who scores 15.7 ppg and pulls down 9.8 rpg and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who scores 19.5 ppg, dishes out 3.3 apg and gets 2.0 spg. Iona is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history thanks to winning the MAAC and 13 of its last 15 games. Joy Adams leads the Gaels with 14.6 ppg and 12.1 rpg and Marina Lizarazu scores 12.5 ppg and dishes out 4.9 apg.
