Elite Eight starts today with top seeds in control: March Madness
The Elite Eight starts today.
There are eight teams left in a very competitive NCAA women’s March Madness tourney, and all four of the one seeds are still playing for a Division I National Championship.
Though the top seeds have clearly performed well in this tournament, there is only one two seed left standing after a field of 64.
Vanderbilt’s loss in the Sweet Sixteen was a shock to most fans as they were expected to be one of the Final Four teams or the Elite Eight at the very least. The Commodores were one of the most impressive teams throughout the season, and they were one of the last teams to survive undefeated.
Duke took out LSU in a final second buzzer beater to move onto the Elite Eight, an impressive feat against one of the most physical teams this year in LSU. Two of the Blue Devils' starters got 22 points each, and Toby Fournier, starting forward, added nine rebounds to her 22 points.
South Carolina beat fellow SEC competitor Oklahoma by 26 points Saturday afternoon. Ta’Niya Latson put up 28 points and five assists for the Gamecocks, and with the help of Raven Johnson, they have propelled themselves to an Elite Eight appearance.
The UCLA Bruins are headed to the Sweet Sixteen after a strong 24-point win over conference competitor Minnesota. Star freshman, Kiki Rice, who has been impressive all season, scored 21 points adding three assists and three steals for the Bruins.
Though Rice had a strong performance, the biggest strength for UCLA is their well-rounded team with plenty of depth to weather possible injuries or exhaustion. Three starters and one bench player for the Bruins scored in double digits against Minnesota, with the two starters who didn’t adding on 13 assists.
The Elite Eight will be happening throughout Sunday and Monday, and it will feature some impressive matchups with UConn facing Notre Dame and UCLA taking on Duke.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Clara Romae Slowinski is a student-intern at Penn State University.