11 of 12 ESPN writers have IOWA Women advancing to the Final 4. One writer says IOWA could win it all

[Franisdaman]

The big road block if Iowa reached the Final 4? Iowa would then likely face heavily favored & undefeated South Carolina, 32-0, and on a 38 game winning streak. ESPN analytics give the Gamecocks a 46.4% chance to win the title.

Good Story by ESPN.

Some excerpts:

Q: If No. 1 seed Stanford doesn't reach the Final Four, this team will:

Voepel: Understandably, some folks point to Iowa's 28-point loss at Maryland on Feb. 21 as reason enough for the Hawkeyes not to be a No. 1 seed. But that game was a total outlier: In a revenge matchup for Maryland after an earlier loss at Iowa, the Hawkeyes got down big early and the Terps ran away from them. It might have been a great spark for the Hawkeyes, who haven't lost since. Their starting five has been together forever, and there would be something serendipitous about Iowa returning on 30-year anniversary of the program's only previous Final Four.

Creme: This is finally the year for Iowa. One of the most anticipated games of the season would be a Cardinal-Hawkeyes Elite Eight matchup. In a game for the ages I'm picking Iowa to make its first Final Four in 30 years. The star power in the game would be at a high level, and Caitlin Clark is the biggest star in the game. She prevails over Cameron Brink and Haley Jones, stopping Stanford's Final Four streak at two.

Philippou: Iowa. Maybe this is too much recency bias, but it's hard to pick against a team that has really seemed to figure it out the past few weeks, while Stanford struggled toward the end of the regular season and bowed out early in the Pac-12 tournament. The Cardinal are going to need to figure out their offensive issues fast if they want to get as far as the Elite Eight.

Q: Outside of the No. 1 seeds (South Carolina, Stanford, Indiana, Virginia Tech), what other team has the best shot of winning it all?​

Voepel: A program (UConn) that has 11 NCAA titles and has been to the Final Four every year since 2008 will continue to be a threat to win it all unless something drastically changes. But...let's look at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes can be an offensive powerhouse like few teams we will ever see in the tournament. And while they are a better defensive team this season in terms of getting stops when they really need them, it's still about scoring for them. Can their offense carry them all the way to a title? That will be tough; UConn still seems the most likely of the No. 2 seeds to prevail. But if the Hawkeyes do it, it will be with a really exciting brand of basketball.

Final Four picks (11 of 12 have Iowa in the Final 4)​

Andrea Adelson: South Carolina (champion), LSU, UConn, Iowa

Charlie Creme: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Iowa

Aja Ellison: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa

Kelly Gramlich: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa

Doug Kezirian: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa

Kevin Pelton: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Iowa

Alexa Philippou: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Iowa

Roy Philpott: South Carolina (champion), Utah, Virginia Tech, Iowa

Steffi Sorensen: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Iowa

Christy Thomaskutty: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Stanford

M.A. Voepel: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, UConn, Iowa

Stephanie White: South Carolina (champion), Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa


The Full Story:

Women's March Madness predictions and Final Four picks

If South Carolina doesn't win, which team will? What might stop the Gamecocks? Which non-No. 1 seed could win the title? We have the answers, and predict the Final Four.

www.espn.com

 

[Rifler]

Kiss of death...

 

[TampaHawkfan]

At first I saw this thread and thought this was with regard to the men's team... Didn't read close enough.

 

[moondog24]

If Iowa and Stanford meet in the regional finals, Clark will have to have a monster game for Iowa to pull it off. Stanford will control the inside with Brink and company. Tara can brink two or three players off the bench that would start for most elite teams. They may have struggled a bit down the stretch but the PAC-12 a meat grinder.

 

[Quintana]

Kiss of death...

no ish... don't show this to the team for the sake of pete.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Fingers crossed. I put some cash on our gals hoping that someone would have the game of a lifetime against Racist Staley and the Cocks and knock them off. If that happens, we’ve got as good a shot as anyone.

 

[Franisdaman]

Kiss of death...

or embrace the challenge and kiss the National Championship trophy as the black & gold confetti flies

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Kiss of death...

Basically, what it amounts to.

Their road isn't all that easy. Florida State or Georgia aren't easy 2nd Rd matchups, because they're athletic and physical enough to affect the pace.

Duke throttled Iowa last year in a clear case of displaying that teams like them are still on another tier than the talent Iowa has outside of Clark. And while Duke is not quite as good as last year's team, there wasn't exactly a significant drop-off.

Then more than likely they'll have to beat Women's basketball darling Stanford in Seattle (or f***ing Gonzaga in essentially a road game).

All that just to get a shot at South Carolina in the Final Four...........

 

[Franisdaman]

At first I saw this thread and thought this was with regard to the men's team... Didn't read close enough.

please pay attention!

 

[seam]

Fingers crossed. I put some cash on our gals hoping that someone would have the game of a lifetime against Racist Staley and the Cocks and knock them off. If that happens, we’ve got as good a shot as anyone.

Racist Staley? You are a real piece of work. Seems like you are doing a bit of self-projection!

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Racist Staley? You are a real piece of work. Seems like you are doing a bit of self-projection!

Nope. I’ve seen enough of her commentary and actions to make a pretty safe analogy. Heck, just check out how she handled the BYU volleyball accusations—without ever apologizing for being very wrong—and you’ll get an idea.

 

[Rifler]

There's still a chance,.. at least we aren't on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

 

[seam]

Nope. I’ve seen enough of her commentary and actions to make a pretty safe analogy. Heck, just check out how she handled the BYU volleyball accusations—without ever apologizing for being very wrong—and you’ll get an idea.

I did check out the stories regarding the racial slur incident between a Black Duke VB player and at least one BYU fan. This is the same BYU/Mormon church that banned Blacks from their lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in a Mormon temple until 1978. That ban was rooted in the Mormon belief that Black skin was a curse. The Duke VB players stand beside their accusations that the fan used racial slurs. BYU said it understands some will criticize its review as being selective. That's an interesting statement to make.
So, you are saying that the 18 Duke VB players, and their coaches are wrong regarding the racial slur they contend they heard? If they, indeed, are correct, Dawn Staley has every right to protect her own Black BB players from being subjected to similar slurs if they were to compete against BYU. But from your vantage point, Staley is very wrong!
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you are a white male? Perhaps you even have a "Black friend" who doesn't disagree with your position on Staley?
BTW, what other commentaries and actions convince you of your accusation that Staley is racist? Can't wait!

 

[IllQChawk]

Two words says it all, "South Carolina" Iowa is not winning it all....

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

I did check out the stories regarding the racial slur incident between a Black Duke VB player and at least one BYU fan. This is the same BYU/Mormon church that banned Blacks from their lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in a Mormon temple until 1978. That ban was rooted in the Mormon belief that Black skin was a curse. The Duke VB players stand beside their accusations that the fan used racial slurs. BYU said it understands some will criticize its review as being selective. That's an interesting statement to make.
So, you are saying that the 18 Duke VB players, and their coaches are wrong regarding the racial slur they contend they heard? If they, indeed, are correct, Dawn Staley has every right to protect her own Black BB players from being subjected to similar slurs if they were to compete against BYU. But from your vantage point, Staley is very wrong!
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you are a white male? Perhaps you even have a "Black friend" who doesn't disagree with your position on Staley?
BTW, what other commentaries and actions convince you of your accusation that Staley is racist? Can't wait!

The “student” in question didn’t attend BYU and after a lengthy investigation they found nothing to support the claims of a few players (the rest of the team and coaches understandably stood by the accusers but didn’t actually hear the alleged slur). Nobody else heard anything despite numerous folks hearing this person yelling things but no slurs.
Staley has made other accusations in the past that have been shown to be unfounded and always had a racial element. This isn’t the only one. And what my being white, or my wife being black or my various friends backgrounds are is completely irrelevant but go ahead and play the almightier than thou card if you need to.

 

[Franisdaman]

Caitlin is not afraid of expectations

 

[seam]

The “student” in question didn’t attend BYU and after a lengthy investigation they found nothing to support the claims of a few players (the rest of the team and coaches understandably stood by the accusers but didn’t actually hear the alleged slur). Nobody else heard anything despite numerous folks hearing this person yelling things but no slurs.
Staley has made other accusations in the past that have been shown to be unfounded and always had a racial element. This isn’t the only one. And what my being white, or my wife being black or my various friends backgrounds are is completely irrelevant but go ahead and play the almightier than thou card if you need to.

It's not surprising that you want to make this about me, instead of your statements which match up with multiple right wing conspiracy theories regarding this issue. Perhaps you missed that in your in-depth searches?
My searches about the accusations you make regarding Staley having a history of unfounded accusations has shown nothing. However, imagine a Black woman being criticized because she calls out racist behavior?! Why would she ever have cause to do that? Given the behaviors you present in this thread, I can certainly understand why your wife would be hesitant or afraid to call you out on your racial positions.
Are you as quick to call out white supremacists? I don't read every thread on this site, so I might have missed those times you chastised Trump's/other white supremacists' racist comments.

 

[Franisdaman]

Kiss of death...

6 of the Top 25 players in the Sweet 16 are in the Seattle 4 Region.

3 of the 6 are Hawkeyes.

Why not us?

​

ESPN.com: Ranking the Top 25 players in the Women's Sweet 16​

1. Caitlin Clark, Iowa​

G | 6-foot | junior | Previous: 1
2022-23 stats: 26.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.6 APG

Clark's passing (24 assists) has been as much of a key to Iowa's two NCAA tournament victories as her scoring (48 points). After cruising against SE Louisiana in the first round, the Hawkeyes were tested by Georgia's defense. Clark was able to keep her cool against the Lady Bulldogs even when things got tense, scoring the last six points in a 74-66 victory. This will be her second Sweet 16 appearance; the other was in her freshman season. -- Voepel

12. Hailey Van Lith, Louisville​

G | 5-foot-7 | junior | Previous: NR
2022-23 stats: 19.5 PPG, 3.2 APG

Van Lith's stellar start to the NCAA tournament has Louisville eyeing a fifth-consecutive Elite Eight berth. She is averaging 23.5 points on 51.4% shooting, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals over the first two games, and her clutch shot-making was critical for the Cardinals to outlast a tough Drake squad. Louisville needs more contributors around her and must play outstanding on the defensive end should it wish to return to the Final Four for the second consecutive year. But there's no doubt Van Lith is the head of the snake; when she gets going, she and Louisville can be difficult to stop. -- Philippou

14. Monika Czinano, Iowa​

F/C | 6-foot-3 | senior | Previous: 19
2022-23 stats:17.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 67.5% FG

We first think of Czinano's ultra-reliable offense in the paint, and it's been excellent: She made 19 of 28 shots in the early rounds for a combined 42 points. But against the size of Georgia inside during the Hawkeyes' second-round win, Czinano also had to come up big defensively. She had nine rebounds and two steals, with both of those coming in the final three minutes. -- Voepel

19. Gabbie Marshall, Iowa​

G | 5-foot-9 | senior | Previous: NR
2022-23 stats: 6.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 38.2% 3FG

Marshall's season-long averages don't stand out, but her performance in March does. In Iowa's five games this month, in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, Marshall is averaging 11.8 points and has made 20 of 39 shots from behind the arc (51.3%). Marshall, also Iowa's best perimeter defender, picked the best time to get hot offensively. -- Voepel

23. Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado Buffaloes​

G | 5-foot-7 | senior | Previous: NR
2022-23 stats: 11.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.4 SPG

No player in the tournament, perhaps no player in college basketball, is as fast with the ball in her hand than Sherrod. Her explosiveness from baseline to baseline creates a one-player fast break. Even a defense as good as Duke had trouble containing that speed. Sherrod was vital in Colorado's quick start against the Blue Devils, and then her composure was key in the overtime as the Buffs held on in Durham for their first Sweet 16 in 21 years. -- Creme

24. Angel Baker, Ole Miss Rebels​

G | 5-foot-8 | senior | Previous: NR
2022-23 stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG

Very few brackets had No. 8 seed Ole Miss upsetting three-time NCAA champion and No. 1 seed Stanford 54-49 in the second round, but Baker helped make it happen. She has had a big March Madness moment before, though. Baker spent her first three seasons at Wright State, and had 26 points and 12 rebounds in the Raiders' 2021 NCAA first-round upset of then-No. 4 seed Arkansas. Her 13 points Sunday led the offense in the Rebels' defensive stranglehold on Stanford. She will be a big key for Ole Miss to now try to beat another 2022 Final Four team, Louisville. -- Voepel


The Full Story/List:

Women's Sweet 16's top 25 players: Reese up, Boston down and Clark still No. 1

The season is over for some of the country's top players, while other stars have stepped up in March Madness. This means a lot of new faces and movement in our updated rankings.

www.espn.com

 

[gable2brands]

They don’t play defense at a level that will allow them to make the final four

I bet you've never been happier to be wrong

 

[Franisdaman]

I bet you've never been happier to be wrong

crazy how the ESPN writers got it so right

 

[Sett1997]

Fingers crossed. I put some cash on our gals hoping that someone would have the game of a lifetime against Racist Staley and the Cocks and knock them off. If that happens, we’ve got as good a shot as anyone.

Give me mega million numbers please @LarryMullenJr.

 

[Franisdaman]

Two words says it all, "South Carolina" Iowa is not winning it all....

Perhaps, but South Carolina definitely is not winning at all

 

[onionman1]

I did check out the stories regarding the racial slur incident between a Black Duke VB player and at least one BYU fan. This is the same BYU/Mormon church that banned Blacks from their lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in a Mormon temple until 1978. That ban was rooted in the Mormon belief that Black skin was a curse. The Duke VB players stand beside their accusations that the fan used racial slurs. BYU said it understands some will criticize its review as being selective. That's an interesting statement to make.
So, you are saying that the 18 Duke VB players, and their coaches are wrong regarding the racial slur they contend they heard? If they, indeed, are correct, Dawn Staley has every right to protect her own Black BB players from being subjected to similar slurs if they were to compete against BYU. But from your vantage point, Staley is very wrong!
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you are a white male? Perhaps you even have a "Black friend" who doesn't disagree with your position on Staley?
BTW, what other commentaries and actions convince you of your accusation that Staley is racist? Can't wait!

Nobody needs to explain s***t to you. She's a racist.