Sioux Falls Region Sweet Sixteen Game Breakdowns
#1 South Carolina vs. #4 Syracuse
South Carolina took care of business like a typical number one seed on Sunday, dominating Kansas State 73-47. Tiffany Mitchell stepped up big time with A'ja Wilson in early foul trouble. Mitchell led the Gamecocks with 20 points and added four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Alaina Coates registered her 19th double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to create her usual dominant presence in the post. The defense as a whole for South Carolina was outstanding as they limited the Wildcats to just 2-of-14 shooting from behind the three-point line. The matchup with the Orange will be the third one within the past two seasons. The Gamecocks won both meetings last year by scores of 67-63 and 97-68.
Syracuse punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history with a crisp and efficient win over Albany 76-59. The Orange were on point at both ends of the court. Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes combined for 46 points to pace the Syracuse attack offensively. Bria Day came up big on the glass for the Orange with 10 rebounds to complement the pressure defense that created 11 steals. It is going to be important for Syracuse to win the battle in the backcourt and create extra possessions for themselves in this battle with the Gamecocks. For South Carolina, they have to dominate inside and let Tiffany Mitchell lead the way in the backcourt. If both teams execute at a high level, this game should end up along the lines of a 67-63 type of game that gets decided in the final minutes.
#3 Ohio State vs. #7 Tennessee
Thanks to an epic 45-point performance by Kelsey Mitchell, the Ohio State Buckeyes are back in the Sweet 16. West Virginia gave Ohio State all they wanted, but the Buckeyes held off the Mountaineers 88-81. For Mitchell it was her fourth 40-point effort of the season and her third in the last five games. It was critical that Mitchell carried things offensively as Ameryst Alston was still limited to just 21 minutes of action. Shayla Cooper also stepped up in a big way for Ohio State and she chipped in 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Tennessee took it to Arizona State on the Sun Devils home court as the Lady Vols pulled out a 75-64 victory. The big key for Tennessee was their ability get in the heads of Arizona State defensively and they limited the Sun Devils to 39 percent shooting from the floor. Diamond DeShields scored 24 points while shooting 9-of-17 from the floor to lead the Lady Vols offensive attack that shot 52 percent against Arizona State. This performance should be a nice confidence booster for Tennessee heading into this showdown with Ohio State. Shots are going to available for the Lady Vols since the Buckeyes are not an elite defensive team. It is going to be important for players like Mercedes Russell, Jordan Reynolds, Basharra Graves and Jaime Nared to take advantage and be able to contribute around 10 to 14 points apiece as the pace of the game should end up in the 80’s.
If Tennessee can continue to stay consistent at the offensive end and shoot in the mid 40 percent range, they will take the Buckeyes to the wire. For Ohio State, this game will hinge upon another great performance from Mitchell, the health of Alston and getting another double figure scoring performance from Shayla Cooper or Cait Craft. If that happens, then the Buckeyes will punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.
Bridgeport Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Dallas Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Lexington Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
