NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2022: Top Storylines, Updated Bracket Picks

The South Carolina Gamecocks extended their dominance of the 2021-22 women's basketball season with two double-digit victories to open the 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament.

Dawn Staley's squad only has two defeats all season. One of those losses came in overtime, and the other was a two-point defeat in the SEC tournament final.

South Carolina started the NCAA tournament with a difficult draw, but it got a bit easier when Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes were knocked out by the Creighton Bluejays in the second round. The No. 1 overall seed still has to take the North Carolina Tar Heels and its Elite Eight foe seriously, but the path to the Final Four in Minneapolis is much easier than it was a week ago.

The toughest of the four regions resumes play in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Saturday. The NC State Wolfpack, Connecticut Huskies, Indiana Hoosiers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish could all win that region. UConn has the advantage of playing in its home state, but it has a tough draw against third-seeded Indiana.

                      

Top Storylines

South Carolina Trying to Continue Dominance

South Carolina earned 24 of its 31 victories by double figures.

The only time the Gamecocks were seriously threatened over the past six weeks was by the Kentucky Wildcats on two occasions.

Kentucky beat South Carolina in the SEC tournament final and played the Gamecocks within nine points February 10. South Carolina handled the rest of its competition, and that leaves few flaws for opponents to pick apart.

Staley's team produced 79 points in a first-round win over the Howard Bison and then won a defensive struggle against the Miami Hurricanes in which it scored 49 points.

South Carolina is comfortable winning in different fashions, and that should help it deal with North Carolina and the Iowa State-Creighton winner.

North Carolina went 2-5 against Top 25 opposition in ACC play. However, one of those victories was against the Louisville Cardinals, who earned one of the four No. 1 seeds. The Tar Heels' overall numbers against ranked foes are not great, but they should come into Greensboro, North Carolina, with confidence after earning back-to-back double-digit wins.

The Tar Heels may be the tougher of the two foes South Carolina faces because of their recent form and the potential 50-50 split in crowd given the game is being played in Greensboro.

A potential Elite Eight showdown with Iowa State presents a challenge in defending Ashley Joens, who averages 20.6 points per game.

Iowa State could match South Carolina's guard play, but it may not be able to deal with South Carolina's height. The Gamecocks have five forwards who stand 6'2" or taller, which presents a distinct rebounding advantage in favor of the No. 1 seed.

                   

Which Team Emerges from Tough Bridgeport Region? 

NC State did not get a favorable draw from the selection committee.

The top-seeded Wolfpack sit on the top half of a bracket that holds UConn, who will have the home-court edge in Bridgeport.

UConn needs all the crowd help it can get to gain an extra edge in a pair of tough matchups.

The Huskies have a tough Sweet 16 clash against the Indiana Hoosiers, who have five players who average more than 10 points per game. The Grace Berger-led offense can push UConn—and even NC State—to its limits. The Hoosiers could advance to the Final Four if they play two perfect games.

NC State's spot in the Elite Eight is far from guaranteed since it is set to play a Notre Dame squad it fell to during the regular season.

Like Indiana, Notre Dame has five players who average more than 10 points per game. The Irish will be tough to contain, even though NC State has experience playing against them.

A case could be made any one of the four squads to emerge from Bridgeport with a Final Four berth. The quality of the four programs should make it the most competitive regional.

              

Bracket Picks

Greensboro Region

No. 1 South Carolina def. No. 5 North Carolina

No. 3 Iowa State def. No. 10 Creighton

No. 1 South Carolina def. No. 3 Iowa State

         

Wichita Region

No. 1 Louisville def. No. 4 Tennessee

No. 3 Michigan def. No. 10 South Dakota

No. 1 Louisville def. No. 3 Michigan

          

Spokane Region

No. 1 Stanford def. No. 4 Maryland

No. 2 Texas def. No. 6 Ohio State

No. 1 Stanford def. No. 2 Texas

          

Bridgeport Region

No. 1 NC State def. No. 5 Notre Dame

No. 3 Indiana def. No. 2 UConn

No. 3 Indiana def. No. 1 NC State