![]() NCAA 1st Round Preview: #15 Hampton | ![]() Durham Pod: LSU and Hartford Capsules |
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Here's a quick rundown on the ACC teams other than Duke in the 2010 NCAA tournament, including
seeding, region, and overall chances.
Florida StateSeeding: #3 DaytonFirst Round Matchup: Hosting Louisiana Tech in Tallahassee Overall Chances: That will come down to the health of Jacinta Monroe. Assuming she's close to full strength, the Seminoles have a chance at a deep NCAA tourney run. Their combination of strong post defense, offensive versatility, three point shooting and experienced point guard play makes them a team that can adjust to a number of different styles. Their depth helps proof them against foul trouble and fatigue. FSU on occasion can get a little shaky mentally, especially when teams press them heavily. I don't expect them to have much trouble in the first two rounds, given that
they're hosting. Louisiana Tech is a good team that just barely won their
conference tournament. Neither St John's nor Princeton has enough firepower or
balance to beat FSU at home. After that, FSU will be hard-pressed to beat Ohio
State in Dayton. Monroe and point guard Courtney Ward would have to be at the
absolute top of their games to make that happen. If they can clear that
hurdle, then UConn will likely await them. FSU gave them a bit of a challenge
earlier in the year, but I don't see them knocking off the Huskies now. Georgia TechSeeding: #6 Kansas CityFirst Round Matchup: vs. Arkansas Little-Rock in Norman, OK
Tech will be up against a fine ALR team that came within 2 points of winning
their conference tournament after going 17-1 in the regular season and 26-6
overall. The Jackets will be looking to shut down 6-1 forward Chastity Reed,
who averaged 25 ppg on the season. Still, ALR doesn't have a lot of size nor a
ton of scoring punch other than their top three, so Tech is in great shape
against them. As long as they can contain Reed, I expect Ardossi and center
Sasha Goodlett to clean up inside. If the Jackets can somehow beat Oklahoma on
their home floor (very doubtful), they actually have a chance to go pretty far.
Notre Dame is a solid team, but not one that necessarily matches up well with
Georgia Tech. If Alex Montgomery is playing at her full potential and they get
a little support from the other guards, then Georgia Tech has a shot at being a
tournament dark horse. VirginiaSeeding: #5 DaytonFirst Round Matchup: vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay in Ames, IA
The Phoenix of Wisconsin Green-Bay will be an enormously challenging first round
opponent. They began the year at 16-0 (knocking off the likes of DePaul,
Wisconsin, Marquette and Northern Iowa) and finished at 27-4 before losing in
their conference tournament. The Phoenix have tremendous balance on offense
and discipline on defense, and will likely make Wright work for everything. If
the Hoos make it past that hurdle, they will likely face Iowa State on its home
court. Having defeated Baylor and Oklahoma on this floor, they will certainly
be ready for Virginia. If Wright scores 40+ points and gets her team past that
challenge, Virginia will be rewarded with a game against UConn. That will
certainly be where their season ends. Simply getting to the Sweet Sixteen
would be a great achievement for this team. NC StateSeeding: #9 Kansas CityFirst Round Matchup: vs. UCLA in Minneapolis
UNC
First Round Matchup: vs. Gonzaga in Seattle Overall Chances: When the Heels are motivated and on the same page, they are a formidable opponent. They could be a nightmarish second round opponent for a high seed--that is, if they can get by the first round. UNC's team speed will be a shock to the system for many teams, as will their size and depth. A smart opponent will exploit their lack of cohesion at both ends as well as their parade of turnovers, but that will take a great deal of focus and will. Gonzaga is a disciplined team that loves to run and play in the open floor as much as the Heels. The Zags average 80 ppg and have four double-digit scorers. UNC will need to rely on its size to cut off Gonzaga's penetration and keep them off the foul line. Given that this game is in Seattle, the Heels will also be going up against a hostile crowd. The Zags have won 18 games in a row after a close loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies would likely be UNC's second-round foe if they beat Gonzaga, and they are a physical group that would try to manhandle the young Heels. If the talented but flaky Heels won that game, they'd likely face either Xavier and its twin towers or a disciplined Vandy club. UNC has the talent to go as far as they want, but they have to be able to put together 40 good minutes if they want to beat anyone. |
![]() NCAA 1st Round Preview: #15 Hampton | ![]() Durham Pod: LSU and Hartford Capsules |