Eight teams will reach the Sweet 16 on Tuesday, and all the No. 1 seeds will be in action.
Eight teams will reach the Sweet 16 on Tuesday, and all the No.1 seeds will be in action. Natalie Weiner Mark Emmert has made his way to San Antonio. After facing criticism from players and coaches over the disparities between the facilities, coronavirus testing and marketing of the men’s and women’s tournaments, the N.C.A.A. president is at the first game of the second round of the women’s tournament — which happens to be the first part of the competition that isn’t taking place concurrently with games on the men’s side. Gillian Brassil South Florida is holding on against No.1-seeded N.C. State, down a point after the first quarter thanks to a 3-point shot guard by Maria Alvarez with 11 seconds left. By Marisa Ingemi Caitlin Clark and Iowa will face Kentucky in the second round. The prize? The winner most likely will face top-seeded UConn next. “The Sweet 16 is something you dream of as a basketball player,” said Clark, who led the nation in scoring this season. “It’s a great opportunity. We have nothing to lose.” Iowa has won seven of nine, spurred by the well-documented success of Clark, their star freshman. Her scoring — 26.7 points a game this season — draws most of the attention, but her passing ability and 3-point shooting range have helped unlock defenses, too. Kentucky may offer a tougher challenge. The Wildcats and the Hawkeyes have one common opponent this season in Indiana; Kentucky beat the Hoosiers,72-68, while Iowa fell to them twice in Big Ten play. Kentucky used its rebounding advantage — it had 16 offensive rebounds — to hold off Idaho State in the first round, when the senior Chasity Patterson and the star junior Rhyne Howard each scored 14 points. But the Hawkeyes will enter their second-round matchup with something different: a chip on their shoulder. “At the beginning of the year, people said, ‘Oh, if they can only get to the N.C.A.A. tournament,’” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said of her team, adding: “Then it was, ‘Oh, if they can only win one game.
