Things get more exciting on the third day of the NCAA Tournament, as we’re now down to 32 teams.
Three of the No. 4-vs.-No. 5 matchups will take place on Sunday, and I’ve got my eye on two of them in particular. Plus, I’m curious to see just how far Olivia Miles can take No. 3-seed TCU.
Here’s what to watch for. Join the conversation in the comments below.
Can Maryland prove they deserved to host by winning at UNC?
Both No. 5-seed Maryland and No. 4-seed UNC won by at least 30 points in the first round, indicating that both were ready for the moment and that both could
be dangerous beyond the Round of 32 … if UConn wasn’t standing in the way. (I’m still hoping my Terps use their nuggets of inspiration to take down the Huskies!)
Both deserved to be seeded in the No. 4 to No. 5 range. When the teams face each other on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN), we will find out if Maryland, who was controversially snubbed as a host team to the benefit of the Tar Heels, deserved to play the first two rounds in College Park.
The Terps were led in the Round of 64 by Mir McLean’s 19 points and 14 rebounds. She averages just 4.7 points, 3.8 boards and 14 minutes on the season and her previous season-highs in points and rebounds were 11 and eight, respectively. Kyndal Walker, who averages just 6.7 points, posted a team-high 20. Leading scorer Oluchi Okananwa, who had been the team’s only consistently reliable player of late, was held to seven points in 14 minutes, including sitting out the entire fourth quarter after picking up her fourth foul at the buzzer of the third.
This outcome for Maryland, where they relied heavily on atypical sources of offense, was quite stunning to say the least. Their third-leading scorer on the season, Addi Mack, dropped 18 points, which was a little more expected, but still stood out because she is a freshman who was making her NCAA Tournament debut. Walker was debuting as well, as she is a redshirt freshman; add in Rainey Welson’s seven points and the Terp freshmen accounted for 45 points.
That stands as a program record for freshmen in an NCAA Tournament game, which is quite impressive considering how critical the freshman duo of Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman was to the 2006 national championship run.
UNC’s key contributions in an 82-51 victory over No. 13-seed Western Illinois were more predictable. Top three leading scorers Nyla Harris, Lanie Grant and Indya Nivar were joined in double figures by sixth-leading scorer Nyla Brooks. The Heels led by just seven with 3:18 remaining in the first half before pulling away in blowout fashion, proving they will be a formidable opponent in the next round.
The Terps, too, had moments when No. 12-seed Murray State was within striking distance, including after an improbable three-point play by the Racers capped a 8-2 run that cut it to 14 entering the fourth. I was delighted to see how Maryland closed out the game, though, winning the final frame by 18 without Okananwa.
Assuming they get more production from Okananwa and their other top players against the Heels, I think Maryland has a great shot of advancing to the Sweet 16.
Back before the Top 16 reveal came out, who did you think should have been giving hosting privileges of the teams on the bubble? Has your attitude changed at all after viewing the first-round games? Do you think Okananwa will have a big bounce-back game and lead the Terps to victory? Or will the home crowd in Chapel Hill be too overwhelming?
Can Michigan State bounce back from a scare against Oklahoma?
No. 5-seed Michigan State had the closest call of any team that won on Friday, only defeating No. 12-seed Colorado State by three after a missed 3 at the buzzer.
The much-needed win that Maryland secured over the Spartans on Feb. 4 turned the Terps’ season around. It has had mostly the opposite effect on MSU. Aside from a 36-point win over Northwestern and a 14-point win over a very good Minnesota team, the Spartans’ have had less-than-inspiring results in all of their contests since that 16-point defeat at the hands of the Terrapins.
They had to survive a scare against lowly Penn State, got blown out by UCLA, Michigan and Ohio State, and suffered a loss to Illinois in their lone Big Ten Tournament game before the result against the Rams on Friday. Before the Maryland game, they were No. 12 in the nation; they’ve fallen all the way to No. 20 and missed out on hosting.
Thing is, the game before the Maryland game was MSU’s overtime loss to the mighty Wolverines. Though it didn’t result in a win, that was the Spartans’ most impressive performance this season—a high point of sorts, before a period of struggles. They showed their potential in that game, with walk-on sensation Kennedy Blair going for 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Blair’s fearlessness has set the tone for MSU, and she needs to be at her best if they are to take down No. 4-seed Oklahoma on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Though I’m wary, I decided to make a statement pick by taking the Sooners to defeat No. 1-seed South Carolina in the Sweet 16. That’s how high I am on Aaliyah Chavez, Raegan Beers and company. It’s going to take a special effort from the Spartans to get back on track and defeat Oklahoma.
But MSU was once a feared team for a reason.
Blair, Grace VanSlooten and Jayln Brown all scored in double figures, with VanSlooten notching a double-double, against Colorado State. But another key contributor in Rashunda Jones was held to one point on 0-for-5 shooting. The Spartans’ best sharpshooter, Emma Shumate, attempted just two 3s (she averages 4.5), missing both.
Who do you think needs to step up for Michigan State in order for them to take down the Sooners?
What will Olivia Miles do for an encore?
While I have Oklahoma defeating South Carolina, I think an even better team will come along and eliminate them after that.
That team is No. 3-seed TCU.
As I said in the explanation of my bracket, I sent the Horned Frogs to my Final Four because of the brilliance of Olivia Miles.
So far, she has backed up my confidence in her by becoming the first player to ever record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament with two different teams, dropping 12 points, collecting 16 boards and dishing 14 dimes in TCU’s first-round win over No. 14-seed UC San Diego.
This performance left me asking something I had already been wondering when I picked TCU to the Final Four: Is this Olivia Miles’ NCAA Tournament?
As I mentioned in my February article about her, Miles has never been to the Elite Eight, but she has always had the talent to lead a team there. There are a lot of other great players in this year’s Big Dance, including five First Team All-Americans in Sarah Strong, Mikayla Blakes, Azzi Fudd, Madison Booker and Lauren Betts, who you could predict will have a bigger impact on the outcome of the tournament than Second Teamer Miles. But nobody can combine elite scoring with elite, out-of-this-world passing the way Miles can. And she’s a great rebounder to boot.
Do you think she will go off for another triple-double when the Horned Frogs meet No. 6-seed Washington on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)? Do you agree with me that she can lead TCU out of Regional 4?
