Women’s university basketball debate: who will win the final of the NCAA N ° 1 tournament?

AthleticsThe series of debates in the series presents two writers decomposing a specific subject. In this edition, Chantel Jennings and Sabreena Merchant debate that the teams should win the n ° 1 series in the NCAA tournament.

Sabreena Mercant: During the last nCAA tournaments (which I would consider as the current era after the four peats of Uconn), at least two heads of standard n ° 1 did the Final Four each year. Three of the best seeds made the national semi-finals in three seasons. It is enough to say that, in addition to validating the curriculum vitae of a regular team, there is a predictive value to win a seeded n ° 1 on Sunday of selection.

While we look at the revelation of the support, the most consecutive decision is undoubtedly the most consecutive decision is that the four seeds will exceed each region and which will fight for the last seeded n ° 1.

CHantel Jennings: It seems that the global seed n ° 1 and the fourth seeded n ° 1 are both to be discussed. But let’s start with the cream of the cream. Regarding the global seed n ° 1, last season, it was a questionable point. He went to the Undefeated SEC Champions in South Carolina, who – without surprise – won the national title.

This year? Not so fast. I think that the Southern Carolina has the curriculum vitae to be there, but it seems that – especially with its victory in the head in the title game of the Big Tournament – UCLA too.

Merchant: For me, it’s not really a conversation.

Jennings: Oh, well, it was shorter than expected at the time.

Merchant: The Bruins were the Global Searches in each of the Top 16 NCAA Top 16 Reveeces, and since then they have added a victory on USC Rival de Crosstown (which will be another seed n ° 1). This victory of the championship of the Big Ten tournament would apparently balance the previous defeat against the Trojan horses, leaving the UCLA in the same place as before. When you also consider that the Gamecocks were a seeded n ° 2 in this last revelation, there is too much ground for the South Carolina to catch up.

Jennings: Fair points. Now I remember why I don’t like to chat with you.

But, since the last revelation, the South Carolina has been 4-0 against the quad 1 opponents, and the Bruins went 4-1. This could be summed up how the 12 members’ committee sets up. Yes, the Bruins have this victory over Trojan horses, but they also have a loss in which they seemed … confused? Less than? Enough impressive to eliminate them from Place AP N ° 1? You were there in person, which adjective is best suited?

Merchant: Discouraging.

Jennings: Ah, yes, the exact word you think with the overall seed n ° 1.. Committee members can also take into account the eye test, so I do not think it is out of the question to come back to the most recent loss (for the UCLA: less than two weeks ago; for South Carolina: also discouraging / an impressive loss … but a month ago). So that may come back to how much the committee is influenced by recence?

Merchant: The gamecocks certainly hope that the rence will play an important role because their loss against Uconn has been more blatant than one or the other of the defeats of the UCLA, and it is before arriving in South Carolina to fall to Bruins in November, when the Gamecocks were essentially non -competitive after the first quarter.

Jennings: Yikes on a bicycle, like our Podcast Pal Zena Keita would say … I think it should be noted that the South Carolina, which had been a seeded n ° 1 during the first revelation of the committee, abandoned the two lines in the second revelation of the committee after this loss of Uconn (and they had only won victories on Arkansas, Vandy and Ole Miss). Thus, it seems that the recence had his say in this argument.

Since this second revelation, the South Carolina has won the 25 best teams such as Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas – which are all likely to accommodate in the opening rounds. So, did this recence appear in the same way for selecting the support? He could. And if this is the case, I wonder how it will have an impact on the last seed n ° 1, because it could be summed up in a UCONN debate against Texas.

Merchant: Okay, we both think that the Trojan horses will be the third seeded n ° 1, which leaves room for the Huskies or the Longhorns. Given my assertion that the entire work has more than one defeat during the last week of the regular season, I think that Texas will be apologized for its defeat for South Carolina during the final of the SEC, which will be classified as a neutral site but was essentially a road game. Longhorns have nine additional quad 1 victories than Uconn, which should give them the advantage here.

Jennings: The strength of the UCONN calendar (n ° 54 on a national scale) is certainly its fall in this argument, but even so, the Huskies are n ° 1 in the net. The teams have only one common opponent: South Carolina. As we have already said: Uconn has released the Gamecocks from their own gymnasium, while the Longhorns cried out on their home at home. I can understand that the committee is looking towards Texas on it given the massive gap in the Victories Quad 1. But, if the Committee goes with Uconn in this final position, this indicates that the way a team has finished the season has more weight than other factors, which could refer to the way in which the committee will examine the potential offers or the sowing positions which will be revealed later.

(In addition, isn’t it fun to try to guess what 12 different people think and value and how they weighed these factors? Sports!)

Merchant: The committee has already shown us what it values, at least in terms of this specific pairing. The second revelation of sowing occurred after Uconn and Texas defeated the South Carolina, and the Longhorns were then four places in front of the Huskies. Based on this previous one, UCONN’s game in the Big East tournament should not be enough to pass it as a seeder n ° 1.

Jennings: In the end, this might not have as much importance, because with the sowing committee on a curve s, Texas and Uconn would probably still be placed in the same region and could meet in the Elite Eight in the two directions (which, frankly, is a fairly favorable confrontation for Huskies if they revers 3s).

Merchant: In a sense, it’s true. But also, apart from LSU in 2023, it’s been 14 years for a non-no. 1 Seed won the title (Texas A&M in 2011), so there is something!

(Photo: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)