After the first two rounds of the March Madness tournament, there’s been a lot to happen and still a lot left to go. Teams have been fighting tooth and nail to stay in the tournament and to get into the elite eight, they must face off against their sweet sixteen matchup this weekend. Before we get into our sweet sixteen games this weekend, let’s take a look at some of the top performers in the Women’s bracket.
Van Lithe is an offensive weapon for TCU in this year’s tournament, shooting above 46% on average from the field in the first two rounds of the tournament with 8 average assists. Hailey has been one of the best players in terms of ball distribution and controlling the game tempo. In her second matchup in the tournament, she faced off against her old team, Louisville, where she recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points and 10 assists. Van Lith has proven to be an integral part of TCU’s team and a top performer so far in March.
Aneesah Morrow is our next top performer playing out of LSU. Morrow is a 6’1 Senior averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds a game. With a double-double average, she was bound to be a huge asset to the Tigers in the tournament. LSU first took down 14-seed San Diego State and went on to play Florida State where Morrow had an impressive performance with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Morrow continues to be a walking double-double for the Tigers and her mid-range jump shot can be very lethal if not accounted for. Morrow and the LSU Tigers will face off against NC State on Friday, March 28th In the Sweet Sixteen.
Looking to join LSU or NC State in the elite eight is UCLA with 6’7 center Lauren Betts. Betts averages 19 points per game and had an incredible game against the 8-seeded Richmond in the 2nd round. Betts led the team with 30 points, shooting an impressive over 80% from the field. Betts has proved to be a dominant presence in the paint recording 2 blocks and 14 rebounds to contribute to her double-double. The Bruins look to head to the elite eight after matching up against Ole Miss on Friday.
The Uconn Huskies play Oklahoma in their sweet sixteen matchups after an incredible offensive performance by Paige Bueckers against South Dakota State. Bueckers offensive and defensive capabilities were put on display with 34 points and 4 steals throughout the matchup. On top of that, she shot an impressive 60% from three, going 3-5. Paige was able to tie her career high for points in a game as a send-off in her last home game at Uconn. Bueckers plans to carry that momentum into the sweet sixteen facing off against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.
