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NCAA Bracket breakdown: Albany Region

By Blake DuDonis

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 08: Louisville Cardinals guard Asia Durr (25) shoots a three during the ACC Women's basketball tournament between the Louisville Cardinals and the Clemson Tigers on March 8, 2019, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 08: Louisville Cardinals guard Asia Durr (25) shoots a three during the ACC Women's basketball tournament between the Louisville Cardinals and the Clemson Tigers on March 8, 2019, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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An intriguing Elite Eight matchup awaits, but surprises could be in store.

It was going to happen to someone. With UConn falling to a two seed, someone was going to have to likely beat them in Albany to get to the Final Four. A familiar foe, Louisville, was the one to draw the short straw, though the Cardinals were the victorious squad when the two played in late January. While lots has to happen between then and now, it would certainly appear at first glance that the two are destined to square off again.

Beyond just the top two seeds, there is plenty of intrigue here. How will Tennessee respond after being on the bubble for the first time ever? Can Maryland bounce back from dropping the Big 10 title? Will UCLA continue its strong play and cause some chaos?  We’ll find out soon enough.

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Best first-round matchup: UCLA vs. Tenneesse

Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. UCLA comes in as one of the hottest teams in the country and probably feels a bit unlucky it didn’t get to play in the Pac-12 championship after a tough OT loss to Oregon in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Tennessee just  got into the tournament, and while young and wild, is super talented. The two are pretty contrasting pace-wise, but both rebound the ball at high levels and score around the same mark as well. The winner likely will get Maryland, a high-level team that has shown itself to be vulnerable at times. The winner here has a shot to make some noise.

Non-one seed positioned to make a run

I mean… Okay, good talk. So besides UConn, don’t lose sight of those pesky Beavers from Oregon State. A loss to Washington in the Pac-12 tournament took a little shine off, but this was the same team that looked like it could beat anyone when they took down Oregon on February 15. They do almost everything at a really high level, especially shooting, rebounding, and not turning the ball over, which are all pretty important. It won’t be easy, but I could absolutely see a world in which Oregon State is playing for a trip to the Final Four.

Predicted winner

I simply don’t see how UConn doesn’t get to the Elite Eight, and I think they will play the winner of Louisville and Oregon State. As I mentioned before, the Cards have already taken down UConn this season, but that was on their home court. A matchup in Albany is a completely different story, and tournament Huskies are usually a completely different team. All that said, I believe when you have the best player, you have the best chance to win. Louisville has that in Asia Durr, so give me the Cards and a Husky-less Final Four for the first time in 12 seasons.

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