What we learned: Notre Dame 'one of the hottest teams in the country'
No. 7 seed Duke and 5-seeds Colorado and Baylor all won on their opponents’ home court Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.
Will Monday’s second-round games — every contest is on ESPN Networks and the ESPN App — bring more upsets?
Come back all day for game-by-game analysis as the Sweet 16 continues to take shape, and check out everything we learned from Sunday and how we reseeded every team in the second round.
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Are the Irish one of the hottest teams in the country? They are, having won 10 games in a row, which includes the ACC tournament title. The Irish controlled Monday’s victory over Ole Miss from an offensive and defensive standpoint. They shot 50% from the field and forced the Rebels into 22 turnovers. Ole Miss at its best typically wins the turnover battle, but that wasn’t the case against Notre Dame.
The Irish’s big three of Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld combined for 56 points, and Citron had her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
What it means for Notre Dame: The Irish are relying very heavily on their starters; Westbeld and Citron played 40 minutes and Hidalgo 38. But they are pretty used to the heavy workload, so this isn’t new and the Irish have handled it well so far. They will go against a good defensive team in Oregon State that is holding teams to 59.2 PPG.
What it means for Ole Miss: The Rebels finished 24-9 overall and third in the SEC (12-4) for their highest finish since 1991-92 and most conference wins in program history. It was another step forward for the program under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. — Michael Voepel
Will NC State be able to keep Stanford’s inside game in check? This will be a big X factor in the Sweet 16 game between the Wolfpack and Cardinal. Stanford survived an overtime battle with Iowa State in the second round, with Kiki Iriafen scoring 41 points. The Wolfpack are an overall stronger defensive team than Iowa State, but if both Cameron Brink (who fouled out against the Cyclones) and Iriafen are playing well, that makes the Cardinal’s offense all the more difficult to deal with.
That said, NC State’s physicality and quickness are both strengths. And even though the Wolfpack allowed a combined 43 points to the Tennessee post duo of Rickea Jackson and Tamari Key in Monday’s second round, they still won that game.
What it means for NC State: Guards Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks showed they can be one of the best guard trios in the tournament. They combined for 58 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Wolfpack as a team had just four turnovers. If NC State protects the ball that well and defends at a high level, it is a match for Stanford.
What it means for Tennessee: The Lady Vols were 12-7 in late January and at that point were out of NCAA tournament contention, which would have been a first in program history. But they were able to compile enough wins and some “good” losses — including the near miss against undefeated South Carolina in the SEC tournament semifinals — to make the NCAA field. Tennessee finished 20-13 overall. Monday was the final college game for Jackson, who is expected to be a WNBA lottery pick in April. — Michael Voepel
