NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2022: Sunday Elite 8 Bracket Odds, Picks

It's no surprise that South Carolina and Stanford are both having strong showings in the 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament. The Gamecocks are the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, while the Cardinal are also a No. 1 seed and the defending national champions.

On Friday, South Carolina and Stanford each recorded victories to advance to the Elite Eight. The Gamecocks beat No. 5 seed North Carolina, and the Cardinal defeated No. 4 seed Maryland. Now, each of these programs is one win away from punching a ticket to the Final Four in Minneapolis, and they'll have an opportunity to do that Sunday.

South Carolina will be facing one of the surprise teams of the tournament in the Elite Eight. The Gamecocks are set to take on Creighton, which has made it this far despite being a No. 10 seed.

Meanwhile, Stanford will play No. 2 seed Texas. These two teams were thought to be the best in the Spokane Region, and each has lived up to expectations.

Here's everything else you need to know about Sunday's Elite Eight action in the women's tournament.

Sunday Schedule, Odds, Picks

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No. 1 South Carolina (-13.5) vs. No. 10 Creighton, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 1 Stanford (-6.5) vs. No. 2 Texas, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Picks in bold against the spread.

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Creighton

Sean Rayford/Associated Press

Creighton has had an impressive run to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Before this year, the Bluejays had never even reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Now, they're one win away from getting to the Final Four.

To make it here, Creighton had to take down No. 7 seed Colorado, No. 2 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed Iowa State. The Bluejays' closest game was their second-round win against the Hawkeyes in which they held on for a 64-62 victory.

As exciting as it's been to see a double-digit seed power through the bracket, this is likely where Creighton gets stopped. South Carolina is on a different level than the Bluejays' previous three opponents, and the Gamecocks are not going to be easy to keep up with.

South Carolina has unsurprisingly cruised through the first three rounds. In the Sweet 16, it never let No. 5 seed North Carolina get too close late, while junior forward Aliyah Boston scored 28 points to lead the Gamecocks to a 69-61 win.

With Creighton having never been this far before, it won't know what to expect. South Carolina is no stranger to deep tournament runs, having now made it to the Elite Eight five times since 2015 and to the Final Four three times over that span (potentially four, if it advances this year).

In the Sweet 16 round, the Gamecocks shot 33.3 percent from the field and still won handily. It's unlikely they shoot like that again, as they should knock down a higher percentage of their attempts against Creighton. And if Boston is at the top of her game, this matchup could turn one-sided in a hurry.

So even though the line is steep with South Carolina as 13.5-point favorites, expect the Gamecocks to cover that spread and easily push their way to a second straight Final Four appearance.

Prediction: South Carolina wins and covers the spread

No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Texas

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Stanford and Texas have each done what top seeds are expected to do in the NCAA tournament. Both teams won in dominant fashion in each of the first two rounds, and then they each beat a more difficult opponent in Sweet 16 action.

The Cardinal advanced with a 72-66 victory over No. 4 seed Maryland. The game was nowhere near as close as the final score may indicate, though, as Stanford led by as many as 26 points and never trailed. It was an impressive showing for the Cardinal, who are looking to repeat as national champions.

The Longhorns just faced No. 6 seed Ohio State, which was one of the few surprise teams to reach the Sweet 16. It was a competitive matchup between the two teams, but Texas made some big shots down the stretch and the Buckeyes missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game at the buzzer, allowing the Longhorns to come away with a 66-63 win.

The Stanford-Texas matchup should be an exciting one featuring a pair of teams that clearly deserve to have reached this point in the tourney. It could go either way, and the Longhorns are more than capable of knocking off the Cardinal and denying them of a second straight national title.

But that's not going to be what happens. Stanford has too many talented players in its lineup, and it's been getting a recent boost from senior guard Lexie Hull. She dropped 36 points in the Cardinal's second-round win over Kansas, then led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds in the Sweet 16 victory over Maryland.

Expect Hull to have another strong showing, while several other Stanford players will also be capable of getting hot hands. It'll be too much offense for Texas to overcome, as the Cardinal will not only win, but they'll also cover the 6.5-point spread for the matchup.

Prediction: Stanford wins and covers the spread

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