When the bracket for the women's basketball NCAA Tournament was released on Monday, there were few surprises in the 64-team pool. Heading the list is national No. 1 Connecticut, the odds-on favorite to win the championship running away. Deadspin.com called it a "63-team play-in tournament." Everyone else is an underdog; it's as simple as that.
But three other teams have to make it to the semifinals, and the tournament still has to be played. In preparation for Saturday's opening-round matchups, the Daily is taking a look at the overall prospects in the four regions, as well as some of the best matchups, top sleepers and favorites to make it to San Antonio to the Final Four.
Dayton: The Dayton region starts and ends with Connecticut, the No. 1 overall seed. Winners of 72 in a row, the juggernaut Huskies are aiming to become the first team to complete back-to-back undefeated seasons. And, really, who would even dream of betting against them? UConn is second in the nation with 81.5 points per game, first with a 51.6 field-goal percentage and first in scoring defense, allowing a measly 46.8 points per contest.
What's more, Connecticut has the pedigree. The Huskies won the tournament last year, and the squad is 108-2 since junior Maya Moore joined the squad. This year, UConn has been downright dominant, winning every game by double digits and trailing at halftime in only two games.
So can anyone in the Dayton bracket possibly end the Huskies' stranglehold on women's college basketball? Not likely, but No. 2 seed Ohio State might at least mount a challenge. The Buckeyes lead the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at a blistering 39.6-percent clip, and if Jantel Lavender steps up in the Elite Eight — provided her team gets there — Ohio State could very well make it a close game and take it down to the wire.
Third-seeded Florida State, on the heels of a close 67-60 loss late in the season to Boston College, had won eight consecutive contests before that and currently sits at 26-5 overall. Like all opponents of Connecticut this year, however, the Seminoles fell to the Huskies on Dec. 28 in a 78-59 game, though Florida State was only down six at halftime.
Memphis: In what most experts have pegged as the toughest region, Tennessee figures to have home-court advantage up until the Final Four. The top-seeded Volunteers will play the opening rounds in Knoxville before traveling just across the state for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.
Last year's first-round loss to Ball State marked the first time coach Pat Summitt's squad had failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen. But this year, with vengeance on their minds, the deep Lady Vols are poised to make a run and breeze through this regional. Tennessee is the only one of the No. 1 seeds to not have a player averaging at least 15 points per game, but it has five averaging double figures.
This region, however, might be the toughest not because of Tennessee, but because of No. 4 seed Baylor. With electrifying freshman Brittney Griner fresh off a two-game suspension for her now-infamous punch, the high-flying first year could very well lift her team to a big upset.
The Bears' youth is reminiscent of the Kentucky men. When Baylor beat then-national No. 15 Texas A&M on Feb. 22, underclassmen Shanay Washington, Kimetria Hayden and Terran Condrey played a combined 75 minutes, giving them experience against top-notch opponents necessary to make a run in March.
Despite a middle-of-the-pack offense, second-seeded Duke is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, as is No. 3 seed West Virginia. Look for both the Blue Devils and the Mountaineers to slug it out in a crucial Sweet Sixteen matchup, with the victor likely earning the right to take its hacks against the heavy-hitting Vols.
Kansas City: Probably the weakest of the four top seeds, No. 1 Nebraska recently saw its campaign for an undefeated season end in the Big 12 Tournament with a loss to Texas A&M. But double-double machine Kelsey Griffin could help prove that to be an aberration. Before that happens, though, the Cornhuskers will likely have to go through No. 8 UCLA, a team that is far better than its seed would suggest, and No. 2 Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.
The Fighting Irish are an extremely versatile and deep squad and have a legitimate shot at reaching San Antonio. Notre Dame has been tested — having played Connecticut three times this year — and has proven itself, with five wins over teams that were ranked in the top 25 at the time.
Sacramento: Out West, top-seeded Stanford is about as big a lock to make the Final Four as Connecticut is. With dominating players Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Jayne Appel, in addition to a bevy of playmaking guards, Stanford should make its third straight trip to the national semifinals. But aside from the Cardinals, Sacramento features a litany of potential Cinderella squads, headed by Xavier.
The 27-3 Musketeers might be better than the No. 3 seeding they received, and although ranked as one of the country's best teams, they should still be considered a sleeper given that Stanford is in their bracket. Playing in the relatively weak A-10, Xavier compensated with a tough out-of-conference schedule, which featured wins over Kansas, Arizona State and Michigan State. The Musketeers also went undefeated in conference play.
This region also offers a fantastic first-round game between No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 10 UNC, as well as up-and-down No. 2 seed Texas A&M, which earned its seed thanks to the upset of Nebraska but has a résumé that includes a combined three losses to TCU and Baylor.
Unlike the men's bracket, the women's tournament historically has featured few upsets, as the talent gap between the top and bottom seeds is simply too great. Only once has a team lower than a No. 8 seed reached the Final Four, and that happened in 1998. Even fifth-seeded teams, which in the men's bracket tend to get upset by 12th seeds, have won 81 percent of games in history. And this year should be no exception. While it would be no surprise if No. 2 seeds like Texas A&M or Duke reached the Final Four, expect all four No. 1 seeds to reach San Antonio for the first time since 1989.
