LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama has a chance to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly 30 years when they face Louisville in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday.
The Crimson Tide haven't made it that far since 1998.
“We have a program that every sport is good,” senior Jessica Timmons said Sunday. “We want this time to be for women’s basketball, and I think this will be proven this year.”
Getting there means sixth-seeded
Alabama (24-10) must beat Louisville (28-7), a team that nearly took down South Carolina in December. The Cardinals have all 12 Sweet 16 berths under coach Jeff Walz as one of six programs to reach the regional semifinals at least 10 times since 2011.
Coach Kristy Curry said the Crimson Tide must “be Bama.” That means win the rebounding battle limiting second-chance looks and avoiding turnovers leading to fast breaks.
Alabama played against its tendencies in beating Rhode Island 68-55 in the first round. The Crimson Tide attempted a season-low 10 3-pointers but had their best overall shooting performance in a month at 53.2% (25-for-47).
Walz isn't changing his game plan against Alabama, which beat three AP Top 25 teams this season.
“You’ve just got to do the best you can to play one-on-one defense, try to keep them in front of you, and make them score over you,” Walz said. “Rhode Island was really trying to turn the heat up some, which was, I think, making Alabama drive more, and they did a great job of finishing.”
The relatively few 3-pointers weren’t the only difference for Alabama in its win. Junior Essence Cody scored 19 points in the first round making a trio of 3s.
Laura Ziegler said the third-seeded Cardinals will respect the 6-foot-4 post player’s perimeter abilities but not overthink things. Cody averages 11.7 points a game for second making more than 60% of her inside shots this season.
“I think whenever you go into a game like that, you also look at what would be the most dangerous, like, what are you expecting?” Ziegler said. “You see a little bit over more games than just that one.”
The 6-2 Ziegler has been a key leader for Louisville, transferring to the Cardinals after three seasons with St. Joseph’s. A three-time All-Atlantic Conference 10 honoree, she became Walz's floor leader earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors on a team with several talented sophomores.
Ziegler is one of three Cardinals averaging more than 11 points a game. Tajianna Roberts called her Danish teammate “a pressure release” on the court, helping get the ball up the court.
“But off the court she has taught me to be a leader in so many different ways,” said Roberts, the sophomore guard and Louisville's leading scorer with 11.4 points a game. "I don’t know if she knows it, but I’m going to take what she has taught me to next year.”
The Cardinals easily beat Vermont in the first round with sophomore Mackenly Randolph scored a career-high 20 to lead the third-seeded Cardinals and matched her career-high with 11 rebounds.
The 6-foot forward has four career double-doubles, all in the Cardinals’ last five games. Walz called her style of play as “bully ball,” with Curry describing the daughter of 17-year NBA star Zach Randolph as a “match-up nightmare,” especially on transition.
“She infuses them with the energy and just brings a lot of toughness and grit,” Curry said. “I think they’re really good around her. I mean, obviously, their versatility and depth as a team is what their size really impresses me… We’ve seen this type of size consistently. We need to draw from our experiences of competing in the SEC.”
The winner gets a trip to Fort Worth 3 Region for a game Saturday against second-seeded Michigan, a 92-63 winner over North Carolina State on Sunday.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
