[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament heads to the Sweet 16, starting Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. Only 491 entries in USA TODAY’s NCAA Women’s Tournament Survivor Pool contest remain out of the 3,754 who signed up.
We’ll bid adieu to 8 more teams the next 2 days, too, as we head into the Elite 8. While things haven’t quite been as topsy-turvy as the men’s bracket, we’ve had our moments, especially with 7th-seeded Duke dumping No. 2 seed Ohio State.
After getting through the 1st round with 3 correct picks for 12 points, I stumbled in the 2nd round and was eliminated. No. 4 seed Indiana helped me out, but 4th-seeded Kansas State lost to 5th-seed Colorado, bumping me out of the pool.
As an employee, I wasn’t eligible to win anyway, but there’s no rule against me helping you win $2.5K.
Here is my strategy of which team to pick for the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool in the Sweet 16 round.
A rules reminder: Remaining entries are required to pick 1 team in the Sweet 16, 1 in the Elite 8, 1 in the Final Four and then the National Championship Game winner — if you still have an eligible team to select.
Points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Sweet 16 pick
PICK 1: LSU TIGERS (30-5)
Who they play: UCLA Bruins (27-6)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (ABC)
Where: MVP Arena, Albany, N.Y.
The 3rd-seeded and defending champion Tigers have had a bit of a rocky road to get to the Sweet 16. Coach Kim Mulkey is battling the media, F Angel Reese continues to get into hot water with on-court antics, and the Tigers just haven’t played great in the 2 games.
LSU was very sluggish against 14th-seeded Rice in the 1st round, winning just 70-60. While the Tigers pulled away to win 83-56 against No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee in the 2nd round, LSU found itself down 36-32 at halftime before the alarm clock went off.
Still, LSU, No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, faces No. 8 UCLA in a clash of titans. The Tigers were seemingly unseeded on the 3 line, but the way they have played, perhaps not. The Bruins roughed up No. 15 seed Cal Baptist in the 1st round by an 84-55 score, while easing by 7th-seeded Creighton 67-63 in a game too close for comfort.
UCLA shot just 43.9% (25 of 57) from the field, while going a dismal 26.3% (5 of 19) from behind the 3-point line and turning it over 13 times against Creighton. If UCLA plays like that against LSU, it’s going to be lights out for the Bruins against a team with championship mettle like the Tigers.
Despite all of the distractions for LSU, I feel the best is yet to come for this team. It’s too talented to go home at this juncture.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
College Sports Wire: Men’s hoops / Women’s hoops / High School
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]
