NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2018: Full Bracket, Championship Predictions
The 2018 NCAA women's basketball tournament begins Friday, as first-round games take place on campus sites.
No. 1 seeds Louisville and Notre Dame headline the opening day of competition, while the two other top seeds UConn and Mississippi State play Saturday.
The quartet of top seeds all have a legitimate chance to win the event, but don't count out defending champion South Carolina, who is a No. 2 seed in UConn's region.
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The women's Final Four begins March 30 in Columbus, Ohio, with the championship game taking place April 1.
The full bracket for the women's tournament can be found here.
UConn, South Carolina On Collision Course For Elite 8
Everyone who follows women's basketball turned their eyes to the Albany region once the bracket was released.
Perennial championship favorite UConn is the No. 1 seed, while defending national champion South Carolina resides on the other half of the bracket as the No. 2 seed.
Although each team has three games to play before their potential Elite 8 meeting, the intrigue is already building up for the contest with a Final Four spot on the line.
UConn's remarkable streak of 10 consecutive Final Four appearances is at risk this season, since South Carolina is one of the premier programs in the country and possesses a top player in forward A'ja Wilson.
Dawn Staley's team has been to two of the last three Final Fours, with a Sweet 16 exit in between the appearances in 2016.
What the matchup between the Huskies and Gamecocks will do is put the women's game into the spotlight before the Final Four with a showdown that could rival any of the best men's tournament contests.
It also provides the other No. 1 seeds with one fewer foe to take on at the Final Four, as South Carolina is easily the most dangerous of the No. 2 seeds.
Mississippi State Looking For Strong Finish To Unbelievable Season
One of the best stories in women's basketball this season is the continued success of Vic Schaefer's Mississippi State Bulldogs.
After falling to South Carolina in the national championship a year ago, the Bulldogs won their first 32 games of the season to earn a No. 1 seed in the Kansas City region.
Their only defeat came at the hands of South Carolina in the SEC tournament final, a result that the Gamecocks used as a statement of intent.
Mississippi State received a favorable draw, but it could face a tricky matchup in the Elite 8 against No. 2 Texas, who pushed UConn for the majority of four quarters in a four-point loss January 15.
Victoria Vivians and Teaira McCowan are the two leading scorers on the Bulldogs roster, with McCowan averaging a double-double per game.
Point guard Morgan William is the driving force of the Mississippi State offense, and if she is able to work her way through opposing defenses and distribute to the team's top scorers, the Bulldogs could be unstoppable.
Predictions
Final Four
No. 1 UConn def. No. 1 Louisville
No. 1 Mississippi State def. No. 1 Notre Dame
National Championship
No. 1 Mississippi State def. No. 1 UConn
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from the official website of each team.
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