Lexington Region Sweet Sixteen Game Breakdowns
#1 Notre Dame vs. #4 Stanford
Notre Dame eased past both North Carolina A&T and Indiana en route to its seventh straight Sweet 16 appearance and its 14th in 20 seasons. The win over Indiana in the second round was the Irish's 22nd consecutive win over an in-state opponent, a streak that extends all the way back to 2006. Brianna Turner has been huge for the Irish having scored 16 points against the Aggies and 18 against the Hoosiers. Madison Cable has combined to score 31 points in the two games.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, didn't have as easy of a time as the Irish did. Stanford needed a last-minute comeback to defeat South Dakota State by a point in the second round. The win advances the Cardinal to its ninth straight Sweet 16. Erica McCall and Lili Thompson have led the way for the Cardinal, with McCall scoring a combined 34 points and Thompson a combined 36. McCall has also had double-digit rebounds in both games. The two teams meet for the second straight year in the Sweet 16. Last season, Notre Dame defeated the Cardinal 81-60.
#3 Kentucky vs. #7 Washington
Kentucky won both of its games by double digits and cruised to its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons and fifth overall. Alexis Jennings had an NCAA Tournament school-record six blocks in the Wildcats' rout over Oklahoma. In that same game, Maci Morris set the Kentucky NCAA Tournament record for consecutive three-pointers with seven. She hit her first four against the Sooners and went a perfect 3-for-3 in the first round. Makayla Epps has scored 39 points in the two games, including 24 against UNC Asheville.
Washington pulled off arguably the upset of the tournament by defeating Maryland thanks to 32 points, six boards and seven assists from Kelsey Plum and Talia Walton's 20 points. The two have been scoring machines as Plum had 24 in the first round against Penn and Watson had 18. Washington is 1-0 all-time against Kentucky.
Bridgeport Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Dallas Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
Sioux Falls Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
