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Region-by-region look at the NCAA women's basketball tournament

A quick look at the Greensboro Regional shows Player of the Year candidates in Aliyah Boston and Catlin Clark, and two high-seeded in-state Iowa rivals.

By Star Tribune staff

March 14, 2022 at 2:55AM

Caitlin Clark, the leading scorer in college basketball, will lead a surging Iowa Hawkeye team in the Greensboro Regional. (Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

GREENSBORO REGION

Must-watch player: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Sure, Clark is a prolific scorer, with an NCAA-best 27.4 points per game. But the sophomore is much, much more to a Hawkeyes team that revolves around her. Clark leads the nation in multiple statistical categories, including assists per game (7.9), triple-doubles (five) and 30-point games (11). The Big Ten player of the year, she is on track to become the first women's player to lead the nation in both scoring and assists.

Must-watch matchup: South Carolina vs. Iowa

Should No. 1 seed South Carolina and No. 2 seed Iowa meet in the Elite Eight, that game could decide the national player of the year. Iowa's Clark and the Gamecocks' Aliyah Boston are the top two candidates, and it's a close race between two supremely gifted players. A 6-5 junior forward, Boston has 24 consecutive double-doubles and is a force on offense (16.8 points per game) and defense (12 rebounds and 2.68 blocks per game).

Who could challenge South Carolina?

Iowa won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, marking the first time the Hawkeyes have completed the sweep, and they've won their past seven games. Iowa State, the No. 3 seed, set program records for total victories (26) and Big 12 wins (14); senior Ashley Joens is the top scorer in program history with 2,307 points.

SPOKANE REGION

Must-watch player: Cameron Brink, Stanford

Defending NCAA champion Stanford is known for its defense, led by this sophomore forward from Oregon. Brink was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year this season, averaging 2.9 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. She has increased her overall production, averaging 13.6 points and 8.0 rebounds for a Stanford squad eyeing a repeat national title.

Must-watch matchup: Stanford vs. Maryland

This could be a Sweet 16 matchup between two powerhouse programs and two powerhouse coaches, in Stanford's Tara VanDerveer and Maryland's Brenda Frese. Maryland won a national title as recently as 2006 and made the Sweet 16 last season. Stanford won it all last year for the first time since 1992. The teams played Nov. 27 in the Bahamas, with Stanford winning 86-68.

Who could challenge Stanford?

The Cardinal has a 20-game winning streak since its last loss on Dec. 21 against South Carolina. But Maryland is a threat and so is Texas, which was a No. 6 seed in last year's tournament and keeps getting better, especially on defense. No. 3 seed LSU is also dangerous in its first season under Kim Mulkey, who won three NCAA championships at Baylor.

— Joe Christensen

BRIDGEPORT REGION

Must-watch player: Paige Bueckers, Connecticut

The consensus national Player of the Year as a Connecticut freshman in 2020-21, the former Hopkins standout is the wild card for the Huskies in this tournament. She was averaging 21.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals before suffering a knee injury on Dec. 5 that cost her 19 games in which UConn went 15-4. Since returning on Feb. 25, Bueckers is averaging six points in 14.2 minutes.

Must-watch matchup

If chalk holds, as it often does in the women's tournament, a matchup of No. 1 seed North Carolina State vs. No. 2 UConn would provide plenty of story lines. The Huskies have won 11 NCAA championships, and Bueckers is the latest in the long line of UConn greats. The Wolfpack, led by 6-5 All-America center Elissa Cunane, has lost to only No. 1 South Carolina, No. 17 Georgia and No. 20 Notre Dame.

Who could challenge N.C. State?

Along with Connecticut, challenges to the Wolfpack could come in the Sweet 16 from either No. 4 seed Oklahoma, which owns wins over Texas and Baylor, or No. 5 Notre Dame, which beat N.C. State 69-66 on Feb. 3, when Maya Dodson had 20 points and 10 rebounds. And No. 6 seed Kentucky has won 10 in a row, including an upset of No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC tournament final.

— Randy Johnson

WICHITA REGION

Must-watch player: NaLyssa Smith, Baylor

The 2021 winner of the Wade Trophy as national player of the year, Smith is likely to be the first or second selection in the upcoming WNBA draft. The senior ranks fifth in the nation in points per game (22.5) and ninth in rebounds per game (11.5), and her 24 double-doubles are a program record. Smith scored a career-high 37 points in the Big 12 tournament semifinals, the sixth time this season she has surpassed 30 points.

Must-watch matchup: Baylor vs. Texas

Baylor had a No. 1 seed in its grasp until falling to Texas in the SEC title game Sunday. That loss allowed Louisville to grab a top seed and ended Baylor's 12-game win streak. No doubt the Bears would like to show selection committee members they got it wrong. The teams could meet in the Elite Eight.

Who could challenge Baylor?

Despite that loss to Texas, Baylor is having an outstanding season under first-year coach Nicki Collen, and the Bears can never be counted out. Nebraska, the No. 8 seed, beat Michigan — the No. 3 seed in this regional — twice this season. No. 4 seed Tennessee is hoping to get leading scorer Jordan Horston back for the tournament; its hopes hinge on her return from an elbow injury.

— Rachel Blount