March is finally here, which only means one thing: March Madness.
This season of women’s college basketball has been exciting to watch. Between Iowa’s Caitlin Clark breaking various records and the impressive freshman class, the growth of the sport has been tremendous.
With the regular season over, the stakes are even higher. Teams will find out on March 17 during Selection Sunday where their fate lies. For the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, it’ll be in Portland this year.
The 12-member NCAA selection committee uses 14 different categories to determine and seed the 68-team bracket. The criteria includes bad losses, common opponents, competitive in losses, conference record, early performance vs. late performance, head-to-head, NET ranking — a sorting tool that measures a team quality based on a set of characteristics — non-conference record, observable component, overall record, regional rankings, significant wins and strength of schedule.
From there, the committee creates a seed list of No. 1 through 68 to ensure competitive balance of the top teams across the bracket.
Now, my only credential for this prediction is how much women’s basketball I consume. Over the course of the season, I have made my own top-25 rankings each week so it only makes sense to do so for the tournament as well. As someone who bought tickets for the Portland regional two months before the tournament started, this is something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
With that being said, here are my predictions for the Portland Regional.
Who’s coming to Portland?
Stanford University
The top Pac-12 ranked team, Stanford, has the conference’s fourth-leading scorer, second-leading rebounder and the nation’s leader in blocks-per-game in Cameron Brink. Brink is arguably the best two-way big in the country and according to Her Hoop Stats, she’s the most efficient player in the nation, regardless of her position. She’s Stanford’s most valuable player and leader, which makes her the best player on the best team in the best conference in college women’s basketball.
Kansas State University
After missing last season with a knee injury and seven games this season with ankle issues, Ayoka Lee for Kansas State has been a big contributor for a team that missed the tournament last season. Recent struggles for the Wildcats have pushed them lower in the AP Rankings, but I believe they’ll be the team to sneak into Portland if Lee stays healthy.
North Carolina State University
Despite losses against UNC and Duke, NC State still holds impressive wins against then-No. 2 UConn and then-No. 3 Colorado, showing that they can compete deep into the tournament. As long as the Wolfpack’s defense stays the same in the postseason, a defense that can stop superstar scorers, they’ll make it to the Moda Center.
University of Iowa
Speaking of superstar scorers, does Clark need an introduction? The new NCAA all-time scoring leader for Iowa will be the focus of all team’s gameplans, but she’s not the only one who can score for the Hawkeyes. Hannah Stuelke scored a career-high of 47 and anyone in that lineup can have the hot hand alongside Clark, as they’ve shown over the regular season.
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA’s center Lauren Betts makes her presence known in games even if she has a quiet scoring night. Whether it’s rebounding, interior defense or steals, teams have struggled to get around Betts. Paired with Kiki Rice, Saniya Rivers and Londynn Jones, the combination of size and shooting will give teams problems.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame has been dialed in all season. The growth that the Fighting Irish have had has been so fun to watch. The team has meshed beautifully. When freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo, who leads the nation in steals per game and third in scoring, slows down, others like Sonia Citron step up without interrupting the flow. Don’t let the Irish get into a groove, or good luck stopping them.
Oregon State University
Oregon State, technically the host of the Portland Regional, has surged through the AP poll. The Beavers had an easy non-conference schedule with only one Power Five opponent in Texas Tech, but still defeated every opponent in non-conference. Oregon State has one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the Pac-12 and a solid defense with Raegan Beers leading the show.
University of Texas
Texas lost its point guard Rori Harmon to a season-ending knee injury, which put more weight on the shoulders of freshman Madison Booker, and she responded well. Out of an impressive freshman class, Booker has been at the top of that list.
Who’s leaving Portland to head to Cleveland for the Final Four?
Stanford and Iowa
Between Brink’s defense and efficiency and the hot hand of Clark, teams need to be close to perfection to beat them.
