Three Big Ten Teams Remain in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
Three Big Ten teams live to see another day in the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Maryland and Ohio State will both play Monday night for a spot in the Final Four while Iowa punched its ticket to Dallas, Texas Sunday evening.
Two SEC teams in 1-seed South Carolina and 3-seed LSU are still in the field while 1-seed Virginia Tech is the sole school representing the ACC.
Indiana head coach Teri Moren has said repeatedly in her press conferences that she feels the Big Ten is the best conference in the country this season. Although the 1-seeded Hoosiers dropped out of the Big Dance early thanks to Miami that finished in the Elite Eight, Moren's observation was correct.
In the Seattle 4 regional late Sunday night, the 2-seeded Hawkeyes won their first Elite Eight game since the 1993 season. Junior guard Caitlin Clark dropped a 41-point, 12 assist, 10-rebound triple-double to take down No. 5-seed Louisville 97-83.
Friday, March 31, the Hawkeyes will play the winner of the 1-seed South Carolina, 2-seed Maryland matchup of the Greenville 1 region. Based on final scores, South Carolina has appeared to have no trouble advancing through the tournament as it's beaten its opponents by 16 plus points in each round.
Maryland also looks solid as it's taken down its foes by 13 or more points in each tournament game. Last season, the Terrapins appeared in the Sweet 16 but haven't made a Final Four since the 2015 season. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks are the reigning national champions and are showing no signs of slowing down.
The final Big Ten team with an opportunity to make the Final Four is 3-seed Ohio State that will face 1-seed Virginia Tech in the Seattle 3 regional on Monday at 9 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes also made the Sweet 16 last season but haven't seen an Elite Eight or Final Four appearance since 1993, just like Iowa.
The winner of that matchup will play LSU of the Greenville 2 region in the Final Four on Friday, March 31. With already one Big team secured in the Final Four, two more teams have the opportunity to do the same, which would fully demonstrate the talent the Big Ten has oozed all season long and for seasons to come.
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