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The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament moves to the 2nd round, paring down from 64 teams to just 32. The madness has been a little less crazy than the men’s tournament, but we’ve had some craziness. In fact, out of 3,750 entries, only 2,371 remain alive heading into the Round of 32.
We had just one major upset, as No. 6 seed Louisville was dismissed by No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee. That was the only lower seed to win outright in the 1st round, however.
My 1st-round column picks, Virginia Tech, Colorado and NC State each advanced. In Friday’s action, the Hokies pounded Marshall 92-49, while Colorado got the job done in a high-scoring affair, winning 86-72 over Drake. Then on Saturday, the Wolfpack rolled 14-seed Chattanooga, 64-45.
As an employee, I’m not eligible to win, but there’s no rule against me helping you win $2.5K.
Here is my strategy of how to win the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool.
A rules reminder: Remaining entries are required to pick 2 teams to win outright in the 2nd round — no spread involved. Once you pick a team, it can’t be used again, similar to an NFL survivor pool.
After the 2nd round, the rules require 1 pick per round — 1 in the Sweet 16, 1 in the Elite 8, 1 in the Final Four and then picking the winner of the National Championship Game — if you still have an eligible team to select.
Along with not being able to choose the same team twice, the other tricky rule is that points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds. At this point, there are still a lot of points available in the 2nd round and beyond.
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Second-round picks
PICK 1: KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (26-7)
Who they play: Colorado Buffaloes (23-9)
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.
The 4th-seeded Wildcats are looking to protect their home court against the 5th-seeded Buffaloes.
Kansas State, No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, went 16-1 at home this season. The only setback came against fellow NCAA Tournament team Iowa State in a Big 12 tilt Feb. 28. K-State advance to the 2nd round by powering past 13th-seeded Portland 78-65 Friday.
Colorado is No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, right behind K-State. It polished off 12th-seeded Drake 86-72 in the 1st round Friday at Bramlage. The Buffaloes were a rather ordinary 7-4 in 11 road games this season.
The Wildcats lean upon C Ayoka Lee to get the job done on offense. She went for 21 points against Portland, while G Gabby Gregory scored a game-high 22 points. K-State is very efficient from the field, especially inside the paint, and they were very good in the assist-to-turnover ratio department this season. Plus, K-State relies upon a suffocating defense, using a tenacious style to get into the face of opposing shooters on a constant basis.
The Buffaloes made instant headlines upsetting defending champion LSU to open the season. Colorado scores the basketball frequently, with C Aaronette Vonleh leading the charge at 14.2 points per game. Like K-State, Colorado is strong in the assist-to-turnover department. As you would expect in a 4 vs. 5 game, this will be a tight one with the Wildcats expected to protect its home floor.
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PICK 2: INDIANA HOOSIERS (25-5)
Who they play: Oklahoma Sooners (23-9)
When: Monday, 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
The 4th-seed Hoosiers had to face the 13th-seeded Fairfield Stags in the opening round. Fairfield entered 31-1, with its single loss coming in November at Vanderbilt by just 3 points. The Stags entered on a 29-game win streak. The Hoosiers weren’t impressed.
Indiana routed Fairfield 89-56 Saturday, shooting an impressive 50.8% (31-for-61) from the field, while going 77.3% (17-for-22) from the free-throw line. IU was dominant in rebounding, too, racking up 45 boards, to just 29 for the smallish Stags of the MAAC.
The 5th-seeded Sooners escaped No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast with a 73-70 win. F Skylar Vann led the way for Oklahoma, tallying a game-high 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting, while adding 3 boards, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot in 34 minutes.
OU was able to hit 44.6% (25-for-56) from the field, while struggling from behind the 3-point line at 33.3% (6-for-18). Oklahoma was also outrebounded 35-34, while turning it over 13 times. It will need to clean things up if it wants to continue its season. Indiana looked awfully tough against Fairfield, and it’s the play on its home court.
All right. Let’s get these 2 wins, rack up a few points and then make sure to check back before Round 3 for our next winning picks.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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