Oklahoma City Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
#1 Baylor vs. #16 Texas Southern
Baylor should not have any issues with Texas Southern as the Bears should be able to overpower the Tigers. Kalani Brown and Nina Davis will take care of business down low and Alexis Prince and Alexis Jones will open things up from the outside and by penetrating to the basket effectively. Defensively, Baylor limits its opponents to just 56.1 points per game and just over 31 percent shooting from the field. Joyce Kennerson and Artavia Ford lead Texas Southern offensively and will have to play the best games of their careers in order to keep the game competitive on Saturday.
#8 LSU vs. #9 California
This should be an evenly matched game between two teams that have had up and down moments all season long. LSU is back in the NCAA Tournament as head Nikki Fargas needed to produce an NCAA Tournament appearance to get herself off the hot seat. Raigyne Moncreif is the 2017 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and she is going to have to have a big performance against the Golden Bears defensively in order for the Tigers to advance. Kristine Anigwe is a difference maker for California that can put a team on her back and win a big game by dominating at both ends of the court. The Golden Bears will need to value the basketball in order to beat LSU as they have a turnover margin of -2.5, which is not conducive to long term success in the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Vols, under head coach Holly Warlick, have been an enigma all season long. One night they can knock off South Carolina and then lose to an Alabama in the SEC Tournament. The talent is not quite what it used to be in Knoxville but it should still produce more consistent results. Dayton is a tournament tested team that won the Atlantic 10 Tournament and won’t be fazed by the opportunity to play Tennessee in an NCAA Tournament setting. Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell are going to have to step up and lead the Lady Vols like they are capable of in order for Tennessee to get the past the Flyers and earn a shot at Louisville.
#4 Louisville vs. #13 Chattanooga
Louisville is playing very well down the stretch and has the advantage of playing at home once again to start off the NCAA Tournament. Asia Durr has been outstanding all season long and is averaging 18.8 points per game and knocking down 40.4 percent of her shots from behind the three-point line. The Cardinals have already knocked off Chattanooga this season by a score of 63-47 back on November 21. It was their ability to limit the Mocs from really getting rolling shooting the basketball that was the difference in that game. Chattanooga was only able to shoot 29.8 percent from the floor. The Mocs are going to need another 20 plus effort from Queen Alford in this rematch with the Cardinals if they are going to stay close in this contest.
Oklahoma has lost three of its last four games heading into the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Sooners, when they are at their best, are consistent at both ends of the court and they can’t afford not to bring proper defensive intensity into this game with Gonzaga. Oklahoma will need a quality effort in controlling the glass as the Bulldogs outrebound their opponents by just over eight rebounds per game. Jill Barta leads the scoring attack for Gonzaga at 16.9 points per game and is shooting at just under 50 percent from the floor. Whoever gets off to a fast start in this matchup should be in great shape to advance and likely play Washington.
#3 Washington vs. #14 Montana State
Washington gets to stay home for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament as they begin their quest to get back to the Final Four. The Huskies are led by the duo of Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor who are two of the best in the nation at taking over a game whenever they need to offensively and, for Osahor, on the boards as well. It is going to be important for players like Aarion McDonald, Natalie Romeo, and Katie Collier to give quality production offensively to take some pressure off of Plum and Osahor in this NCAA Tournament. Montana State is the Big Sky champion and will need huge efforts out of Peyton Ferris and Riley Nordgaard in order to keep up with the explosive Washington offense.
#7 DePaul vs. #10 Northern Iowa
DePaul will look to push the pace against Northern Iowa as they are at their best when they can get the tempo of the game into the 80’s. The ability to knock down the three-point shot will also be a difference maker for the Blue Demons as they have attempted 934 shots from behind the arc and are averaging just under ten made three point shots per game. For the Panthers, it will be their first ever at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament thanks to a quality strength of schedule. Madison Weekly is the leading scorer for Northern Iowa at 15.3 points per game and will need to play very well if the Panthers are going to upset DePaul in this matchup.
#2 Mississippi State vs. #15 Troy
Mississippi State is led by Victoria Vivians in the backcourt and she is scoring over 16 points per game to lead the Bulldogs. Morgan William will also be key in this game and beyond for Mississippi State as teams are going to key on Vivians and force someone else to beat them. William is shooting just over 47 percent from the floor and will need to shoot at that level or higher in order for the Bulldogs to get to the Elite Eight and beyond. Troy is the Sun Belt Conference automatic bid winner and the Trojans will be making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Caitlyn Ramirez paces an offensive attack that won’t be afraid to get up and down the court with Mississippi State as Troy is averaging 82.9 points per game on the season.
