It's the best time of the year. If you thought women's basketball was fun during the regular season, just wait until Wednesday for her NCAA Tournament tips. An undefeated team (South Carolina), tons of star power (Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Backers, etc.), and a perennial championship contender finally back on top after decades in the dark (Southern California) ) and many other teams. story line.
There's more parity than ever in women's basketball, and NCAA selection committee chair Lisa Peterson said that's at least partially thanks to the transfer portal. Portals and their instant qualifications allowed bad teams to improve rapidly and regular powers to reload even faster. Add to this the NIL and players who have been passionate about basketball since childhood, and an explosion of talent has spread across the country.
“I think it’s OK now to not go to the four schools that you heard so much about in the ’80s and ’90s,” Peterson said. “No matter which school you go to, you can win the national championship.”
With that in mind, don't be surprised if there are some upsets over the next three weeks. In fact, to ease your jitters when filling out the slots, USA TODAY Sports offers his 10 bold predictions. Please follow our advice and place your bets at your own risk.
1. Caitlin Clark and Iowa won't return to the Final Four.
Sorry, Hawkeyes, you should talk to the selection committee about that, not me. I watched No. 3 seed LSU upset No. 2 UCLA in the regional semifinals, then Angel Reese and the Tigers dominated in the paint in a rematch of the 2023 title game to reach the Final Four for the second year in a row. I expect it to move forward. One of Clark's advantages in the Big Ten is how much she intimidates other teams. That won't be a problem for Reese & Company.
That's bracket madness: Enter USA TODAY's NCAA Tournament Bracket Contest for a chance to win $1 million.
opinion:Caitlin Clark and Iowa didn't benefit from an NCAA Tournament berth despite being a No. 1 seed
2. Camila Cardoso will redeem herself and be named Most Valuable Player in the Final Four
After an ugly ending to the SEC Championship Game in which Cardoso was ejected with a fighting penalty after a shoving incident, the 6-foot-8 senior will be eager to change the storyline. She will miss the University of South Carolina's first game against either No. 16 seed Sacred Heart or Presbyterian, but when she returns, look to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor and lead the Siamcocks to their third title. . If Cardoso plays to his potential, everyone will want to talk about it.
3. Everyone in Cleveland will eat JuJu Watkins bread.
Southern California coach Lindsey Gottlieb likes to call her star, the nation's best freshman, “your favorite player's favorite player.” That's the kind of praise JuJu Watkins has earned from some of the game's greatest players, including LeBron James. And if she leads USC to the Final Four, the Trojans haven't been in this spot since 1986. Hundreds of people in the audience are expected to be rocking JuJu buns and geeking out over the next face of the women's game.
4. This will be the last March Madness go-round for at least one legendary coach.
Who will retire first, Stanford's Tara VanDerveer or UW's Geno Auriemma? Could they both resign at the same time? Will Lisa Bruder decide to bid her farewell at the same time as her talent of her generation? College basketball is a youth sport, with the NIL, transfer portal and conference realignment resulting in multiple flights across the border. Don't be surprised if one or several of the game's longest-tenured coaches decide to retire after this season. Other candidates include Texas coach Vic Schaefer and Iowa State's Bill Fennelly.
5. Virginia Tech will become the first Final Four team to lose in 2023, but that will happen via upset.
This is really no one's fault, but how far can the Hokies reasonably expect to go without three-time ACC Player of the Year Liz Kitley? Kitley returned this season during the pandemic, but did not play in the ACC Tournament, leaving his availability for the NCAA up in the air. We suspect she's done, and without her, No. 4 seed Virginia Tech will be upset by No. 5 seed Baylor in the second round on the Hokies' home floor.
6. It will be the women, not the men, who will last on the Gonzaga team.
Sorry guys, but it's a seeding issue. The Gonzaga women's team has been the top mid-major team in women's hoops all season and is No. 4 at home. They were in danger of missing the tournament entirely until recently, sitting atop a formidable 5-12 seed matchup and having to play in Salt Lake City. The women's team returns home for what will likely be an attractive second-round game against Utah, and although it could be a close game, the Zags' veteran squad will earn a spot in the Sweet 16.
7. The Ivy League will make a lot of noise.
Sunday is party time for the geeks, and it was revealed that both teams, Princeton (Automatic) and Columbia (At-Large), will be going dancing. This is the first time the Ivy League will send two teams to the tournament. This is my first trip to Colombia. This was a victory not just for some of the nation's most prestigious institutions, but for midsize universities as a whole. And I expect them to win the first game. I predict Columbia will beat Vanderbilt in the first four, and Princeton will beat West Virginia in the first round. This prediction also applies to players. Specifically, her three transfer players from Ivy are alumni of her league who help push the Southern California women's team to the Final Four.
8. Stanford will miss the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row.
The Cardinal have struggled in recent weeks, getting upset at home by Arizona (Arizona, for what it's worth, barely made it to the tournament) and then losing to Southern California in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. Ta. It was the second time this year that the Trojans beat them by the same number of tries, a sure sign that something was wrong. To add insult to injury, USC was given the No. 1 seed by a team from the West Coast, and Stanford fell to Texas to the No. 2 seed. It's easy to imagine the Cardinal getting depressed and playing the same way. It's obviously tough for Stanford to win at Maples Pavilion, but they've done it before, especially during tournaments. Iowa State won't be intimidated.
9. Hannah Hidalgo steals the ball and shows
Don't be surprised if the 5-foot-6 point guard from Notre Dame, who is still not well known to casual fans, becomes a breakout star in March Madness. The rookie, who plays with perhaps more passion than anyone you've ever seen, can do it all, from scoring to dishing to rebounding. She is best known as a defensive threat, and she always finds a way to steal the ball. And by the time you figure out how she did it, she's taking off for a layup on the other side.
10. The women's final four will outperform the men's.
You might think this is impossible, especially if Prediction 1 is true and Clark isn't playing for a national championship. But listen. Clark, who will soon be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is a generational talent who has done more than anyone else to improve his game. People tune into her show to see what crazy record she'll break next.
But the best part about her attracting so many new fans to the game is that they've found other young players to follow. There's more excitement and energy around the game than ever before, and while Clark certainly helped build the game, the game itself is bigger than just her one player, and this March of And her April will prove it. (It also helps that the women's title match is scheduled to be broadcast on ABC and the men's title match on TBS.)
Email Lindsay Schnell lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
