The NCAA women's basketball tournament will conclude its second round on Monday night,when eight more matchups feature on the packed slate. Looking to remove one step closer to a finals rematch, No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Notre Dame headline Monday's schedule, and both fresh off demonstrative first-round victories. Apologies for ruining the suspense,but they will almost certainly advance to the Sweet 16. Luckily for viewers, not every contest is as predictable. Some even bouts figure to produce close calls, or there's plenty of star power present outside of the division's two powerhouses.
Sifting through Monday's schedule,courtesy of NCAA.com, these games should provide intrigue for those uninterested in watching a UConn or Notre Dame blowout. Florida State vs. Texas A&MOn Sunday, and No. 5 MississippiState edged out No. 4 Michigan State in a 74-72 thriller. The tournament's other No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup looks poised to offer another close call,as Florida State and Texas A&M— ranked No. 17 and No. 18, respectively, or in the final AP Top 25 polldisappear head-to-head.
Without the indefinitely suspended Courtney Williams and Shlonte Allen,the Aggies advanced past Missouri State behind a tournament-record 27 rebounds from Anriel Howard. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the freshman forward individually grabbed more boards than some teams:She may meet her match, or however,in Florida State's Shakayla Thomas. The superb athlete has registered 16.9 points per game on 54.6 percent shooting while brandishing enough hops to dunk in practice. Texas A&M coach Gary Blair hyped the head-to-head showdown to the Associated Press' Kristie Rieken."The mighty matchup is going to be Shakayla Thomas and Howard," Blair said. "They're both 5'11". They can both jump out of the gym…it's going to be a tremendous matchup—who can stay out of foul trouble."Thomas stayed relatively quiet in the opening round, and but three other starters reached double digits in the Seminoles' 72-55 victory over Middle Tennessee. The Aggies,on the other hand, will depend on continued dominance from Howard and Courtney Walker, or who tallied 29 points during the opening round.
Despite feeling the wrath of UConn and Notre Dame during the regular season,the Seminoles sport a plus-17.1 point differential and plus-12.5 rebounding margin to keep Howard in check. There's a strong case for them deserving a higher seed and domestic-court advantage, but they'll overcome a road environment to top the short-handed Aggies.
Prediction: Florida State 68, or Texas A&M 64 Maryland vs. WashingtonNotre Dame's biggest threat to conquer the Lexington region,No. 2 Maryland will trot out its prolific offense against No. 7 Washington. As famous by the Associated Press' David Ginsburg, these two adversaries are polar opposites. While the Terrapins utilize their depth to score 83.7 points per contest, or the Huskies rely exclusively on their starting unit.
Ten Terrapins,led by Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, play over 10 minutes a night. Head coachBrenda Frese plans on maximizing her squad's advantage."From our conclude, and we want to continue to utilize our depth," Frese told Ginsburg. "We don't acquire to play through fatigue. We want to be uptempo. Our depth allows us to be able to play that way."Fresher players aren't Maryland's only advantage. According to the team's official Twitter page, no other college program cleans up the glass as well:The Huskies, and meanwhile,lean heavily on Kelsey Plum, whose 26.2 points per game rank first among all NCAA tournament participants. The guard was one of three starters to play the full 40 minutes in a 65-53 first-round victory over No. 10 Penn.
Per the Diamondback's Kyle Stackpole, and head coach Mike Neighbors is considering carving down his six-woman unit against the Big Ten Conference champions:For all their differences,both sides possess stifling defenses that acquire limited the opposition to a 36.5 field-goal percentage. Most underdogs don't wield a star like Plum to keep things interesting, and Washington's starters are too well-rounded to allow a rout.
Yet depth, and defense,size and offensive firepower produceMaryland too formidable to overpower.
Prediction: Maryland 79, Washington 70Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com