The Safe Betts Advance
UCLA gets the Big Ten into a third straight Final Four, while Maryland and USC went down swinging
And then there was one.
After a six-tournament drought from 2016-22, the Big Ten has now made it to the Final Four in three straight NCAA Tournaments. UCLA made sure of that on Sunday, handling LSU in an impressive victory that showcased the Bruins’ ability to win in more ways than one.
Even though UCLA is the only team still standing, this weekend felt like a real positive for the Big Ten, as all three teams still in the NCAA Tournament managed to impress in their own respective ways.
Last Week’s Hoopla:
A Sweet Sixteen Trio
What a weekend of basketball that was. My bracket is extremely mid, and some would say the same about both NCAA Tournaments due to the pure lack of true upsets that happened on either side.
It was a 3-2 weekend for the Big Ten overall, moving the conference to 15-11 in the NCAA Tournament.
As I did last week, I’ll start with the last team standing and then move on to what happened to our beloved Terrapins and Trojans.
UCLA
Sweet 16: WIN, 76-62 over Ole Miss
Elite Eight: WIN, 72-65 over LSU
This might sound silly to say about the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament, but this weekend really proved to me that the Bruins have what it takes to win a title this season.
Ole Miss has beaten LSU on the road. It has two wins over Vanderbilt, a pair of single-digit losses to Texas and a one-score loss to USC. This is a very hard unit to play against, but UCLA was mostly comfortable in this one, never trailing at any point on the way to a 14-point victory.
Yes, it was a one-point game at half, but that was the closest the game got at any point. Within two minutes of the third quarter, UCLA ballooned the lead to 9 and never really looked back.
Most of this was possible because of a certain player you may have heard of named Lauren Betts. This was the most dominant I think I have ever seen Betts play, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in 31 minutes. She shot the ball 16 times and made 15 of them. Ole Miss quite simply did not have an answer for her at any point, and it led to a statement victory.
Next was another SEC opponent that the Bruins are very familiar with: LSU, who knocked the Bruins out last year in the Sweet 16. This one was not as lopsided, but UCLA maintained control most of the game and ultimately got revenge, taking down the Tigers by 7.
Betts was great in this game, but did it more on the defensive end with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks. That said, the reason I feel more confidence about UCLA than ever was what they were able to without their superstar center. Betts earned her second foul before the first quarter was up. I’m fairly certain the ESPN broadcast said this was the first time Betts earned two fouls in the opening frame all season.
UCLA revolves around Betts when she’s on the floor. She is a consistent threat to score, but has improved her all-around game to the extent that it’s important to get her the ball as a way to find open players on the perimeter as well. That all changes with her sitting, and she ended up sitting the remainder of the first half after those two fouls.
This was LSU’s chance to strike, and the Tigers couldn’t do it. UCLA trailed 11-9 when Betts subbed out, but the Bruins outscored LSU 22-14 during that stretch to take a 31-25 lead into halftime. Betts did not pick up another foul the rest of the game, and while LSU got it back to a one-score game with less than four minutes to play, it never got closer than three on the way to a Bruins victory.
Gabriela Jaquez and Timea Gardiner were brilliant for UCLA in this one. Jaquez had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three. Gardiner hit 5 threes off the bench for 15 points in 22 minutes. To see players like that step up, especially after the level of weight Betts carried in the Sweet 16, was significant in showing me that UCLA has multiple ways to beat even the best teams in the country.
I also want to give credit to Cori Close for the LSU win. The Tigers shot 37.3 percent on the day and struggled to get good looks. She also adapted to having Betts in foul trouble early, something that has not happened much at all yet this year. To withstand that against one of the most tenacious rebounding teams in the country is extremely impressive in my eyes.
Next up is UConn, and oh my that matchup is going to be fun. Betts is going to have to contain Sarah Strong, who is perhaps the most well-rounded true freshman I have ever watched. I agree with the post below when watching her play.
There’s also, you know, Paige Bueckers, who has scored 30+ in three straight games and has continued to be as efficient as ever with an increased volume. These are scary problems, but if UCLA can shoot the three as it did against LSU, there’s a real chance to win it in my eyes.
Kiki Rice is my ultimate X-factor against the Huskies. At her best, Rice is an extremely impressive playmaker with real scoring ability at all levels. When the three is falling for her, she is such a dynamic weapon that helps the entire attack click. For the first three games of the tourney it was falling (7 of 11 from 3PT), but she went 0 for 3 against LSU. She’s still extremely valuable as a passer (29 assists, 7 turnovers in the tournament) and is 21 for 21 from the free throw line so far, but a big Rice game at all levels would make UCLA extremely difficult to contain offensively.
If UCLA beats UConn, you’ll probably hear from me in an Emergency Hoopla about a national title matchup, so let’s just wait and see what happens before I go too far.
USC
Sweet 16: WIN, 67-61 over Kansas State
Elite Eight: LOSS, 78-64 to UConn
Getting to the Elite Eight and giving UConn a battle is truly all you could have asked for from USC after JuJu Watkins went down for the remainder of the tournament, and that’s exactly what we got.
This Kansas State victory was a war. The Wildcats outshot and out rebounded the Trojans, but USC limited its turnovers, committing just 9 to Kansas State’s 16, and got a huge boost from three out of true freshman Avery Howell (18 points, 4-of-8 3PT) to grind out a game that was within one score for most of the final minutes.
Howell was not the only true freshman to step up for USC. Kennedy Smith added a team-high 19 points as well, and the duo combined for seven steals for a mammoth performance to get the Trojans into the next round.
UConn may have finished this game with a comfortable margin, but USC battled the Huskies much of this contest. When UConn looked to be pulling away in the middle of the third quarter, the Trojans found an 11-0 run to bring the deficit within 5 entering the fourth. It was a Buckers and Azzi Fudd takeover from there to close it out, but USC managed to muck this game up for a long while without Watkins.
A significant amount of credit has to go to Rayah Marshall for that. Marshall, who averaged less than 8 PPG this season, finished this contest with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Her previous season high was 15 points, and the 15 boards also tied a season best. To do it against an elite Huskies defense when the team needed it most was remarkable to watch, even in a losing effort.
The only sour note I’m left on with this USC run, outside of the obvious “what-if” of JuJu not getting hurt, is Kiki Iriafen. She scored a monstrous 36 points againbst Mississippi State after Watkins went down, but was completely absent in both of the games this past weekend. She scored 17 total points on 6-of-28 shooting in her final two games, a real letdown for a likely top pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
Still, a great run and season for the Trojans overall, even with plenty of reason to wonder what could have been.
Maryland
Sweet 16: LOSS, 71-67 to South Carolina
After delivering us the best game of the tournament in the Round of 32, the Terps were far from done. They had the defending national champs truly and fully on the ropes here, holding a lead within the final 2:30 of the game before the Gamecocks just barely held on for dear life in the four-point victory.
Full transparency, I was unable to watch a lot of this game due to… unfortunate schedule conflicts. But Maryland held a 7-point lead in the third quarter and was ahead for large portions of this game. The Terps contained a large portion of the extremely deep Gamecock roster, but could not contain MiLaysia Fulwiley, who finished with a game-high 23 points. Chloe Kitts also had 15 points and 11 boards.
Kaylene Smikle led Maryland with 17 points, but fouled out for the second straight contest. Shyanne Sellers had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Allie Kubek added 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
I loved this Maryland team. They had so many unique pieces, and were a really fun unit Frankensteined together through the portal by Brenda Frese. Sarah Te-Biasu quickly became one of my favorite players to watch in the conference, and it was incredible to watch Shyanne Sellers get to end her Maryland career with a historically thrilling double OT win on their home floor. A WNBA team is going to be very happy with her on the roster.
Minnesota!
WIN, 65-53 over Toledo
WIN, 78-71 over Missouri State
WIN, 82-77 (OT) over Gonzaga
WIN, 66-52 over Florida
Championship Game: April 2nd vs. Belmont, 5 p.m., ESPN2
Shoutout the Gophers!
Minnesota has advanced to the WBIT championship game to face Belmont after four victories against solid competition. Grace Grocholski has been the most consistent performer for the Gophers, scoring 15+ in each game, including back-to-back 20-point games against Gonzaga and Florida.
But Minnesota got past the Bulldogs thanks to heroics by Amaya Battle, who finished with 35 points and 10 assists in the OT victory. Tori McKinney has also stepped it up after a slow start in the first two games, scoring 19 against Gonzaga and 14 against the Gators.
Mallory Heyer is averaging more than 10 rebounds per contest through the WBIT, while also having her best scoring game in the tourney against Florida with 13 points. None of this run may have happened either without Annika Stewart, who had 18 massive points off the bench against Missouri State.
A run like this could be so important for Minnesota, a team that was oh so close to dancing. This entire main core can come back for another season still, and center Sophie Hart has already announced she will be returning with her final year of eligibility. The transfer portal always looms, but I am so absolutely desperate to see a full season of this group together alongside Mara Braun. I’m hoping a run like this in a tournament setting can instill enough confidence in this group to stay together for one more year.
I’ll see you back here Monday, or perhaps earlier if UCLA can get to the title game.
Photo Credit: Ross Turteltaub, UCLA Athletics
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