Lexington Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
#1 Louisville vs. #4 Stanford
Louisville cruised to the Sweet 16 with their 90-72 victory over Marquette. Myisha Hines-Allen and Asia Durr started to pick up their game in the second round. The Cardinals will face Stanford in the Sweet 16 after the Cardinal beat Florida Gulf Coast 90-70. Alanna Smith had another big game, leading Stanford with 28 points and adding a dozen rebounds.
Louisville has the benefit of playing in Lexington, but this is a Stanford team that has proven that they can beat anybody, especially with the duo of Smith and Brittany McPhee. Louisville has their own dynamic duo with Hines-Allen and Durr. Both teams play solid defense, but it will be more important for Stanford to keep Louisville’s offense under control or the Cardinals could quickly pull away from the Cardinal.
#2 Baylor vs. #6 Oregon State
Baylor eventually pulled away from Michigan in their 80-58 second round victory. The Lady Bears had five players score in double figures and dominated the Wolverines on the glass. Oregon State was able to grind out an impressive 66-59 win over third seeded Tennessee. The Beavers held the Lady Vols to just 33.8 percent shooting from the floor, including 22.7 percent from beyond the arc.
It will take another defensive effort like that for OSU to advance to the Elite Eight. Baylor is also working with virtually no depth and foul trouble could become a big problem. If Marie Gulich and Taya Corosdale can get the Baylor frontcourt into foul trouble, the Bears could be in trouble. This is where their lack of depth is going to start being a problem and Oregon State has the ability to take advantage of the situation. Their defense will keep them in this game regardless.
