Albany Region Round of 32 Game Breakdowns
#1 Connecticut vs. #9 Quinnipiac
Connecticut scored an NCAA Tournament record 140 points in their victory over St. Francis. Five players scored in double figures, including 26 from Azura Stevens and 25 from Napheesa Collier. Quinnipiac was involved in a much more competitive game, but pulled away from Miami in the fourth quarter and won 86-72.
The Bobcats too have a balanced offense, but they will need a very special performance to knock Connecticut out of the NCAA Tournament. This is a group that can shoot the ball very effectively from three-point land. If they can hit more three-pointers than they miss, Quinnipiac can hang around in this game for a while. But sooner or later the size and athleticism of Connecticut will be the end of Quinnipiac.
Georgia often grinds out victories and that is exactly what they did against Mercer. In the end the frontcourt duo of Mackenzie Engram and Caliya Robinson made shots and helped keep the Bears offense at bay. Duke managed to pull away from Belmont in the second half and beat Belmont 72-58. Like Georgia, it was the frontcourt that had the best showing against the smaller competition.
This should be a very competitive game with a trip to Albany on the line. Georgia should have a slight edge in the frontcourt, while Duke has more explosive scorers on the perimeter, most notably Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell. If those two are hitting their three-pointers, the Blue Devils become a much more difficult team to defend. Against the Bruins, Duke went 4-of-14 from beyond the arc. They will need to do better against Georgia. The Bulldogs are not an outside shooting team and will need their advantage in the paint to carry them to the Sweet Sixteen.
#3 Florida State vs. #11 Buffalo
Florida State dominated Arkansas-Little Rock and cruised to a 91-49 victory behind 26 points from Shakayla Thomas. Buffalo upset South Florida, but it was how they won that surprised many. The Bulls dropped 102 points on their Bull counterparts from Florida. Junior guard Cierra Dillard scored 36 points and went 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. The team as a whole hit 14 three-pointers and that was too much for USF to overcome.
In order for Buffalo to continue their March run, they will have to shoot efficiently from three-point territory once again. The bigger concern for the Bulls will be containing Thomas in the paint. Buffalo has some size and is a good team on the glass, but not at the level of Thomas and company. Florida State should be able to work their offense and get some easy buckets in the paint. Buffalo will need to make a lot of long balls if they cannot stop Thomas.
#2 South Carolina vs. #10 Virginia
South Carolina got off to a good start against #15 North Carolina A&T. They outscored the Aggies 26-11 in the first quarter, but failed to pull away, winning by a score of 63-52. A’ja Wilson had a decent game, but this was a real eye opener for the Gamecocks. Virginia pulled off a minor upset over California. The Cavaliers were able to contain Cal’s offense that was without leading scorer Kristine Anigwe.
South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley will face her old program. She led Virginia to three Final Fours back in her playing days. On the court, Coach Staley has to get her team playing better basketball. The North Carolina A&T game was most likely a small hiccup on the way to another deep NCAA Tournament run, but the Gamecocks cannot afford to play poorly against Virginia. The Cavaliers can play decent defense and if they can contain the South Carolina offense, this could be a surprisingly close contest.
