UConn in Albany. While there was plenty of discussion revolving around who would get the other three #1 seeds and where they would play, the one things we knew all along was where the Huskies would play. While UConn’s trip to the Elite Eight seems to be academic, there are several games within their bracket with some intrigue.
Perhaps it was just coincidence to have a rematch of Miami (FL) and Quinnipiac from last season, a game the Bobcats won to go to their first ever Sweet Sixteen, but it’s hard not to think that the committee was trying to be cute there. Throw in a rematch of Georgia and Mercer, plus an under the radar Florida State team, and you’ll find that things could go a million different ways in this region.
Can’t miss players
Have you ever heard of A’ja Wilson or Gabby Williams or Katie Lou… okay okay, besides them. The Huskies will get to play against Jessica Kovatch of St. Francis (PA) who was the NEC player of the year and a kid who can fill it up (second leading scorer in the nation at 24.9 ppg). Steph Reid of Buffalo, Kristine Anigwe of Cal and Kahlia Lawernce of Mercer are all players you need to tune in and watch for a bit too.
Best first round matchup
I really like the USF-Buffalo matchup. Both are teams that aren’t as well known nationwide as they should be and both have something to prove because of it. Not only that, but the winner is going to give the FSU-Little Rock winner all they can handle. USF is fundamentally sound, they take care of the ball pretty well and they don’t get rattled. Buffalo employs a very unique, amoeba-like zone that can prove to be difficult to handle, they steal the ball a ton and they are tough as… well, as bulls.
Biggest potential upset
Lots of people are picking Mercer over Georgia but I can’t ignore the fact that I saw Georgia beat Mercer by 18 points already this season. Give me #12 Belmont over #5 Duke. This isn’t a knock on Duke as much as it is in respect to the Bruins. Only two teams made more 3 pt baskets than them this season and they were 27th in the nation percentage wise. Duke’s length in their zone will give Belmont issues, as will their athleticism, but one of the prime ingredients in an upset is good shooting and belief. Remember: Belmont was just a shot away from heading to overtime with #4 Kentucky a year ago.
What the Elite Eight looks like
There are one or two upsets I could see happening in route to the Elite Eight but I’m not going to be that bold here. UConn and South Carolina will meet with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The pick
If the Gamecocks were healthy and had their full roster available to them, I would be willing to call the upset. They have the best player in the country in A’ja Wilson (yes, the best), plus a steady point guard in Ty Harris and a good surrounding cast, but the Huskies just have a bit more available to them. I’ve seen too much of SC in person to ever count them out, but UConn’s top 6 are just too good for me to not put them through.