Ignatius L Hoops
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Top women's players to watch and bracket busters, region by region
Which teams will advance from Alamo, Hemisfair, River Walk and Mercado? Which teams could destroy your bracket? We're here to help.
www.espn.com
Kicks off tomorrow with one of the most intriguing games of the day: Iowa versus Central Michigan. Heather Oesterle is in her second year as Chippewa head coach and has Gail Goestenkors as an assistant.
Here's an ESPN (Creme and Voepel) article on teams and players to watch by region. And they include potential bracket busters:
Team that could ruin your bracket: Missouri State. The fifth-seeded Lady Bears haven't lost since the week before Christmas and completely dominated the Missouri Valley Conference. Brice Calip, Jasmine Franklin and Abby Hipp are talented and experienced enough to scare any bigger-name program. Missouri State took down Maryland earlier this season, knocked off 23rd-ranked Minnesota two years ago upset DePaul and Iowa State on their way to the Sweet 16 in the 2019 NCAA tournament. If Missouri State makes it that far again, Stanford, the team that ended the Lady Bears' run two years ago, could be waiting.
Team that could ruin your bracket: Alabama. The Crimson Tide might just be happy to get out of the SEC, where they played some of the best teams close, but couldn't quite get over the hump against South Carolina, Texas A&M and Georgia. Now they get a fresh start. With a coach (Kristy Curry) who has been to the NCAA tournament before, potent offense and three seniors (Jordan Lewis, Jasmine Walker, and Ariyah Copeland) looking to make one last run together, Alabama might have the ingredients to whip up an upset or two.
Team that could ruin your bracket: Florida Gulf Coast. The No. 11 seed is 26-2 overall and on a 25-game winning streak, led by Atlantic Sun player of the year Kierstan Bell (24.3 PPG, 10.8 RPG). The Eagles were 16-0 in ASUN conference play, and then won the conference tournament. This is FGCU's seventh tournament appearance, and the Eagles are still looking for their first Sweet 16. They would have to get past Michigan and then probably Tennessee to get there this year.
Team that could ruin your bracket: Rutgers. The No. 6 seed didn't look like itself, especially defensively, in a 73-62 Big Ten quarterfinal loss to Iowa. But the Scarlet Knights won nine games in a row before that. If Rutgers recaptures that mojo, it could be dangerous.