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.
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.
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:
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.
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