NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2015: Monday's Elite 8 Schedule, Predictions
Just a day after two No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four in the women's NCAA tournament, can two more join them?
With two programs that have 10 national championships between them, the odds look great for all No. 1 seeds in the semifinals. Given the fact that it's only happened twice since the tournament's inception in 1989 and 2012, it also seems like a rarity that's bound to be broken up on Monday.
So which top seed will fall if either topples? UConn doesn't seem likely after looking like Godzilla tearing down everything in its path thus far. Maryland has a 27-game winning streak heading into the matchup after dominating the Big Ten.
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Leading up to the tip of the final Elite Eight matchups, here's a look at the full schedule and predictions for the next half of the Final Four.
| No. 1 UConn vs. No. 7 Dayton | 7 p.m. | ESPN | UConn |
| No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 2 Tennessee | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Tennessee |
Predictions Breakdown
Everyone loves an underdog. However, Dayton is not facing just any Goliath on Monday. UConn is playing like one of the most unstoppable forces the game has ever seen since, well, maybe last year's undefeated Huskies squad.
That collection of stars was headed by Breanna Stewart and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. This year's version is led by the exact same forwards with guards like Moriah Jefferson and Kia Nurse stepping up.
With all of those offensive weapons, every game has been a blowout win, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Stewart tallied 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the 51-point win over Texas. Dayton won't have an answer for the Huskies' bigs. Expect the clock to abruptly strike midnight on Cinderella on Monday evening.
In the other quarterfinal, yet another historic program will face off with a juggernaut. Tennessee has eight national titles in its history, but Maryland comes in as the hotter team this season.
Even riding that aforementioned winning streak, Maryland is going up against a team that recently fought back from a massive deficit to advance. The Sweet 16 victory over Gonzaga was more than just a comeback win; it was a testament to how hard Tennessee has played recently.
Cierra Burdick summed it up perfectly by telling Nicholas K. Geranios of The Associated Press (via The State), "No matter how many punches you throw at us, we continue to get up." The senior backed that statement up with 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Zags.
Patrick MacCoon of The Daily Beacon offers his take on the surging senior:
Burdick is one of just four players who average over 10 points per game this season. Thanks to that balanced scoring, look for Tennessee to pull off the upset and reach the Final Four.
What would lie ahead for the Vols is a date with UConn, which would truly test the composure of the program. That balanced attack will need to thrive in order to get to the Final Four and be nearly perfect to advance again.
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