Ladies’s March Insanity bracket predictions 2024: Picks, evaluation, area breakdowns

It’s the very best time of the yr — March Insanity!

Ladies’s faculty basketball has exploded over the previous 5 years, however this yr it appears larger than ever. With stars like Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink and extra headed into their ultimate NCAA match — the ladies’s bracket comes with extra stakes than ever this yr.

This yr’s match is ready to be a enjoyable mixture of predictability with some show-stopping moments sprinkled in. The enjoyable half concerning the girls’s faculty basketball panorama proper now could be that there’s SO a lot expertise. There are greater than just some colleges who’ve an actual shot, and upsets can occur at any time.

There are some favorites stepping into — in fact Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes might be a relentless in brackets. There’s additionally the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, seeking to put the cherry on high of a wildly profitable season with a nationwide title.

Whereas many vets are hoping to make one final mark, the freshman are already proving that they’re able to deal with enterprise. Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, and MiLaysia Fulwiley particularly have burst onto the scene and can certainly headline tales this March.

Plus, if convention tournaments had been any indication of what’s to come back in March Insanity, it’s going to be… effectively, Insanity! So let’s get into the areas.

Albany 1 Area

Generally it’s a must to prioritize your mind over your coronary heart when filling out a bracket. Fortunately, quite a lot of the time your mind and your coronary heart match up fairly effectively. That’s the case right here, with choosing South Carolina to make it out of the Albany 1 area.

Don’t be shocked when most brackets you see take Daybreak Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks to not solely win Albany 1, however all the match. It feels a little bit inevitable at this level, with their plain chemistry and excessive ranges of expertise. This workforce and their chief make it exhausting to not love them.

Going into the yr, the Gamecocks had been doubted as a result of their younger roster and the quantity of change that they had endured for the reason that earlier season. If an Aliyah Boston-led Gamecocks workforce couldn’t full the undefeated season, how may this fully new workforce do it? Nicely, seems they in all probability can!

Because the primary seed of their area, in addition they benefit from a reasonably simple bracket — particularly when you consider how good this workforce is. Their greatest problem will probably solely come within the Elite Eight, after they may presumably meet up with Notre Dame.

Now, don’t discredit Notre Dame — the ACC champions had a unbelievable yr and are led by the dynamic duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron. If South Carolina goes to wrestle, will probably be on this sport. Notre Dame completely has an opportunity to upset the nation’s finest workforce and make it to the Closing 4. We virtually noticed the Gamecocks fall to Tennessee on the SEC match, and one other state of affairs like that might occur once more, particularly with Hildalgo on her A-game.

Nebraska is one other college to maintain your eye on in Albany 1. The Huskers have given high seeded groups a run for his or her cash within the Huge Ten convention this yr, practically beating the Iowa Hawkeyes for the championship.

General, it would take a heroic efficiency from one in all these colleges to knock the Gamecocks out of competition for his or her second nationwide title in three years.

Albany 2 Area

Caitlin Clark, meet the Area of Loss of life. Even with the good thing about match ups that include being a one seed, Iowa goes to have to drag a couple of heroics to make it again to the championship sport. Albany 2 ended up being an extremely aggressive area, and the prospect for upsets is perhaps highest on this nook of the bracket.

The Hawkeyes have the expertise to simply get previous Princeton and Colorado, however their Elite Eight match up ought to be attention-grabbing. I’ve them dealing with UCLA, however that’s provided that the Bruins can beat defending nationwide champions LSU.

If there was one high seed that might get eradicated early, it could be LSU. Their makes an attempt to run it again this yr haven’t actually gone to plan. Whereas the Gamecocks ooze chemistry, from the skin trying in, the identical can’t be stated for LSU.

They certainly have quite a lot of expertise although, which has helped them to date this season. Whereas I nonetheless don’t agree that it was the correct place for Hailey Van Lith to spend her (doubtlessly) ultimate faculty season, she is undeniably a expertise that helps this Tigers workforce. She is historically an off-ball capturing guard, and given the duties of a major level guard this season has taken away from her capturing capability.

The Bracket Gods appear to like a very good snicker although, as a result of LSU and Van Lith’s earlier college, Louisville, will probably meet within the second spherical. Now, it’s probably LSU takes this sport, however Louisville additionally has the potential to do one thing extremely humorous — that’s win.

To go away a faculty for higher alternative, solely to lose to them the following yr is undeniably form of humorous. It occurred final yr when Dorka Juhasz and UConn misplaced to Ohio State (although it was two years after Juhasz transferred), and will surely present some good tv.

Nonetheless, I don’t suppose LSU makes it previous UCLA and Iowa. UCLA has some gifted publish gamers who may give Angel Reese a tough time within the paint. Iowa however is an offensive powerhouse, and I’m not completely positive LSU will have the ability to sustain in factors this time round.

So, we’re taking Iowa to make it out of Albany 2 ultimately.

Portland 3 Area

That is undeniably one other tough area, as expertise does probably not replicate seeding. First, you could have Virginia Tech at a four-seed. The Hokies had been a one-seed final season. There hasn’t been affirmation that the workforce’s star Elizabeth Kitley might be in adequate well being to play — that might be an enormous issue on this bracket.

You even have Ohio State, who beat UConn final yr within the Candy Sixteen and has the likelihood to knock the Huskies out early once more this yr. Cotie McMahon simply retains getting higher and can assist enhance the Buckeyes’ probabilities.

It additionally doesn’t assist that UConn’s roster is extremely depleted. The Huskies introduced this week that Amari DeBerry will miss all the match with a concussion. That’s on high of the truth that Edwards broke her nostril throughout the Huge East match. She ought to be again to start out the match, however it’s not sure.

With Edwards, UConn has an eight-woman roster. Certain, a type of eight girls is Paige Bueckers, who continues to be among the finest gamers within the nation — however that’s nonetheless poor luck for UConn.

Nonetheless, they’re being extremely underrated this yr, for my part. If Edwards can swimsuit up, I believe they’ve a very good an opportunity as any to make it far within the match. I’ve them making it out of the area, however that can solely come in the event that they carry out their finest towards USC.

UConn or USC are each glorious picks out of this area. UConn has the good thing about expertise — their workforce is led by seniors who’ve gone far on this match most of their faculty careers. USC could also be rising this yr, however in addition they have Juju Watkins, who’s making a case to be one the very best athletes in girls’s faculty basketball historical past as a freshman.

In the event that they do meet up within the Elite Eight, it’s going to be a battle. To get there, USC should get previous Virginia Tech and a robust Michigan workforce, whereas UConn should beat Ohio State, whereas staying wholesome.

If well being is on their aspect, I take UConn to make it out of Portland 3 area.

Portland 4 Area

The Portland 4 area will be the most upset-worthy area of all. Whereas I’ve Stanford making it out, they’ve additionally been a little bit up and down this season. They most just lately misplaced to USC within the Pac-12 championship sport — however in addition they have Cameron Brink on their aspect. Brink, who has already introduced she might be declaring for the WNBA draft after this season, is extremely environment friendly within the paint and may have a hearth underneath her in her ultimate NCAA match.

The primary seed on this area is Texas, who ended the yr ranked fourth within the nation with a 30-4 document. But, Stanford is correct behind them on the 5 spot. If these two groups meet within the Elite Eight, it’s seeking to be an epic sport.

Texas may have an intriguing Candy Sixteen matchup although, with the opportunity of dealing with Utah or Gonzaga. Utah definitely has the expertise to take them far — they had been amongst high ranked groups within the nation to start out the yr, however a couple of losses harm them because the season progressed.

Nonetheless, March is a clear slate. On Stanford’s aspect of the bracket, in addition they have the potential to see some powerful opponents in Maryland, NC State, and Tennessee. All three have the potential to knock the Cardinal out prematurely.

If Stanford holds robust, I’ve them making it out of Portland 4 area.

Closing 4

An epic rematch could also be upon us. One which, final yr, many thought ought to have been the championship sport. This yr, it could possibly be.

Now we have the Gamecocks dealing with Stanford within the Closing 4, and we’re taking South Carolina to seize the primary spot within the Nationwide Championship.

On the opposite aspect, we have now the Iowa Hawkeyes vs, the UConn Huskies. Rewind a couple of years in the past, when Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers received co-Freshman of the Yr collectively, and had been usually in comparison with each other. UConn beat Iowa within the match throughout that first season — and even again then it was clear these two had been going to vary the sport.

Sadly, Bueckers has skilled quite a lot of accidents in her 4 seasons at UConn. She is now a redshirt junior versus a fellow senior with Clark, after Bueckers missed her complete junior season recovering from ACL surgical procedure. Each had the choice to remain in faculty one other yr, utilizing their further yr of eligibility given to athletes who performed throughout the COVID pandemic. Clark determined she was able to declare for the WNBA, whereas Bueckers determined to take one other yr at UConn.

So, this would be the ultimate faculty match-up between the outdated associates — if they’ll make it there. It is going to be certainly be an entertaining sport, with each younger stars being able to place up monster factors and management the sport.

I picked Iowa to make it to the championship, principally due to depth. With simply eight gamers out there for the match, UConn will probably really feel the consequences of exhaustion sooner. Plus, Iowa has a couple of extra gamers who can again Clark up with large performances than UConn could have behind Bueckers.

Which leads us to the rematch. South Carolina vs Iowa for the championship.

When this match up occurred within the Closing 4 final yr, many lamented that this could have been the championship sport. Nicely, want granted — it very effectively could possibly be.

Whereas Iowa might be hungry to redeem themselves after shedding within the ultimate final yr, South Carolina by some means at all times has the potential to beat out their opponents. Whether or not the workforce excels offensively or defensively, South Carolina will take benefit.

Regardless, that is going to be a unbelievable sport, if we get it. Anticipate a battle, a capturing masterclass and all of the fanfare that the ladies’s sport deserves.

This yr’s Ladies’s March Insanity appears like the top of an period, but in addition the start of one thing extraordinarily thrilling for basketball and girls’s sports activities generally.