NCAA Women's Tournament 2016: Schedule, Bracket Ahead of Final Four
This year's women's NCAA tournament has been filled with tons of surprises and drama, as well as one constant throughout all the mess.
Connecticut entered March Madness as the No. 1 overall seed with an undefeated record and a streak of simply dominating opponents all year. The Huskies have had no problem getting through the four rounds to reach Indianapolis.
On the other hand, upsets have filled the rest of the field, as none of the other No. 1 seeds were able to reach the Final Four. Raphielle Johnson of NBC Sports provided an interesting note on the upcoming semifinals:
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The balance between dominance and underdogs could make this Final Four an exciting set of games to watch.
| April 3 | No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 2 Oregon State | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| April 3 | No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 7 Washington | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| April 5 | Championship Game | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
A full bracket is available courtesy of NCAA.com.
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 2 Oregon State
UConn has been the best team in women's basketball for a long time, but the past few years have just been insane. SportsCenter provided a look at the streaks on the line:
The Huskies beat No. 2 Texas in the Elite Eight by 21 points, a margin you could consider a real scare after what they have done to their other opponents in this tournament. Even after the latest win, Connecticut has won its four rounds by an average of 44.8 points per game.
At the heart of this is Breanna Stewart, who is making her mark as one of the best in the history of this sport. Head coach Geno Auriemma described her as "just a kid having fun" in a recent ESPN The Magazine feature by Elizabeth Merrill, but to opponents, she is borderline impossible to stop. Her play has helped create a juggernaut of a program in recent years where even keeping the score close is an accomplishment.
This creates a tough task for Oregon State, which has had a great season on its own. The Beavers have just four losses this season and have won 22 of their last 23 games, showing they are truly peaking at the right time.
Jamie Weisner showed what she was capable of in the Sweet 16 win over DePaul when she tallied 38 points on just 20 shots, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. There was much more balance in the upset win over Baylor with four players in double figures.
However, it will take a great effort from every single player on the roster to be able to come close to matching the undefeated Huskies.
No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 7 Washington
Washington certainly had talent, but few thought it was capable of getting this far in the postseason.
Of course, that few includes top scorer Kelsey Plum, who provided her thoughts after the latest win, per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press:
"I definitely thought it was possible. I think with the right pieces and the right circumstance, anything is possible. We say that today, but credit our team for really believing it. I don't think anyone else outside our locker room believed that this could happen. And that's OK, because inside the locker room, that's what counts.
"
Plum ranks third in the country this season with 26.2 points per game and continues to put up big numbers in the NCAA tournament, although a big difference in the team's success has been the recent play of Chantel Osahor. The forward had 24 points and 18 rebounds in the win over Stanford and will try to keep it up against Syracuse.
As for the Orange, their run has been almost just as surprising, but they haven't had much trouble. They beat Tennessee in the Elite Eight by 22 points behind a strong game from Alexis Peterson. The only game that was decided by single digits was the upset over No. 1 South Carolina in the Sweet 16. In that game, Syracuse showed off its impressive defense to force 18 turnovers and hold the Gamecocks to just 8-of-32 shooting from three-point range.
If Syracuse can keep up its defensive effort to limit Washington's dynamic duo, it could be playing for a national championship.
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