Here are six Minnesotans who figure to play key roles for their teams in the NCAA women's tournament:

Mia Loyd, North Dakota: The 5-11 sophomore out of DeLaSalle is her team's second-leading scorer (13.8 ppg) and leading rebounder (9.1 rpg). She's a major reason UND has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 44-32.6 per game.

Jessica January, DePaul: The freshman guard provides instant offense as the Blue Demons' top reserve, averaging 9.2 points and 2.5 assists in 23 minutes a game. The former Richfield star has helped DePaul to a 27-6 record that includes the Big East tournament title.

Seanna Johnson, Iowa State: The 5-10 forward out of DeLaSalle has started every game for Iowa State (20-10) as a freshman, averaging 10.5 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game. She's shooting 46.1 percent from the field.

Bethany Doolittle and Theairra Taylor, Iowa: The 6-4 Doolittle, a Hill-Murray alum, leads the Hawkeyes in scoring (14.2 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.556). Taylor (12.1 ppg) is a sophomore from St. Paul Central who, like Doolittle, has started every game.

Sydney Coffey, Marist: The daughter of ex-Gopher Richard Coffey is averaging 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, helping her team to a 27-6 record. She led Marist with 26 points in the Metro Atlantic title game against Quinnipiac.