Women's NCAA Tournament Des Moines Regional Overview
This should just be called the Baylor Region. The Bears are 34-0 and have dominated just about everybody thanks to Brittney Griner. That is bad news for teams like Tennessee and Delaware who could have had Final Four dreams if Griner and company were not standing in the way.
Who Can Win?
Of course Baylor is the favorite to come out of this region and reach the Final Four. And quite frankly there may not be anybody who can stop them. Brittney Griner is just too much of an interior threat on both ends of the floor and this is not a team that has to rely on any outside shooting. Even if they do struggle shooting, Griner can grind out a victory against any team as she has proven time and time again this season.
Tennessee’s expectations have been up and down this year, and understandably so. But the Lady Vol’s are playing quality basketball right now and are fresh off of their SEC tournament title. This team has the talent to win reach the Final Four, but it remains to be seen if they can keep it together and show up every game.
Delaware may not be considered a Final Four favorite by many, but on any given day this team can beat anybody. And that is all it takes to get to the Final Four. Elena Delle Donne can win games on her own and as long as she is hitting shots and using her size and athleticism to get to the basket, which she usually is, the Fightin’ Blue Hens have to be mentioned as a favorite to win four games and head to Denver.
Who Can Surprise?
After some late loses in the Big Ten season, Nebraska went from a squad expected to reach the Sweet Sixteen to a team with lower expectations. But do not overlook the body of work the Cornhuskers put together during the 2011-2012 campaign. They also got back on track during the Big Ten Conference Tournament, beating Northwestern, Iowa and Ohio State before their legs finally gave out in the final against Purdue in double overtime. Delaware will be a tough test in the second round though.
BYU was hanging around the top 25 for a while before bad losses to Pepperdine and San Francisco. But this is a team that has some decent wins out of conference and finished with a 12-4 mark during their first season in the West Coast Conference. And the WCC has been pretty good this year with Gonzaga being their usual dominate self and San Diego and Saint Mary’s sporting very good teams as well. The Cougars are a team that could sneak up on some people early in the tournament.
Who’s Hot?
Tennessee has dealt with a lot this season, but they pulled it together for three days during the SEC Tournament. The Lady Vols knocked off Vanderbilt, South Carolina and LSU in consecutive days and heading into the NCAA Tournament as team that can reach the Final Four.
Who’s Cold?
Ohio State has not won a road game since January 26th. Since that road win at lowly Indiana, the Buckeyes have gone 5-5. That is pretty rough for a team that had just one loss prior to that. The Buckeyes had a chance to pull it back together during the Big Ten Tournament on a neutral court, but after beating Michigan, OSU lost 62-77 to Nebraska.
DePaul has been the model of inconsistency this season. There are not many quality wins on the resume despite all of the opportunities they had in the Big East. The Blue Demons took care of business in the non-conference slate, but have lost three of their last five, including a bad home loss to Syracuse.
Upset Alert!
And because DePaul is cold, BYU could get the best of them. The Cougars have an extremely balanced offense and DePaul will have a tough time defending Haley Steed, Kim Parker and Lexi Eaton on the perimeter while keeping an eye on Dani Peterson, Kristen Riley and Jennifer Hamson in the paint. All six of those players are a threat to go off on any given day and score a ton of points. The Cougars are good, efficient shooters who share the ball extremely well. BYU will find the hot hand, or hands, and the Blue Demons lack of depth may become an issue down the stretch since they will have to work very hard on defense during every possession.
What Possible Matchup is Interesting?
Tennessee facing Tennessee-Martin is interesting because Coach Pat Summitt played for Tennessee-Martin the last time they beat the Volunteers. But that is not a possible matchup; that one is happening for sure. Looking ahead for Tennessee, they could run into #3 seed Delaware with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. Delaware went 30-1 this season with their lone loss coming at Maryland. The Blue Hens obviously rely on Elena Delle Donne and it will be very interesting to see how she fares against a big, talented and athletic frontcourt that Tennessee has this year.
Which Player Will Dominate?
Brittney Griner has led Baylor to another great season. More often than not the big center tallies at least 20 points, ten rebounds and five blocks. Nobody has found a way to stop her on either end of the floor and the Bears have played an extremely tough schedule. Griner is more than ready to take on anybody the NCAA Tournament can throw at her.
Elena Delle Donne is a big, dynamic wing who averaged over 28 points and 10 rebounds per game heading into the NCAA Tournament. She is a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches and Delaware has a great shot at making a nice run during the tournament thanks to Delle Donne. However, few teams rely on one player as much as the Fightin’ Blue Hens rely on Delle Donne and one off game for the superstar could send Delaware home.
Des Moines Region 1st Round Game Breakdowns
