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The quarterfinals of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC conference tournaments will deliver a number of tasty regular-season rematches.
With apologies to No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 LSU (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 19 Minnesota (2:30 p.m. ET, BTN) and Illinois vs. No. 9 Iowa (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN), these three rematches, to be played with even higher stakes, are the most intriguing quarterfinal contests.
Clemson vs. No. 13 Duke (11 a.m. ET, ESPN)
The ACC quarterfinals kick off with a rematch of one of the most thrilling upsets of the season.
Can No. 9-seed Clemson do it again against No. 1-seed Duke?
The Tigers have the chance thanks to Mia Moore. The driver of Clemson’s upset of Duke, her 10-point fourth quarter helped the Tigers run away from Virginia, securing the 63-50 second-round win over the No. 8-seed Cavaliers. Moore, who was elected to the All-ACC Second Team, led Clemson with 19 total points, while the Tigers also made 50 percent of their 3s, going 10-for-20 from behind the arc.
For the Blue Devils, the tournament tilt against the Tigers is an opportunity for revenge—and particularly for Toby Fournier.
The All-ACC First Teamer and All-Defensive selection had a second half to forget against Clemson. After 14 first-half points, she scored just four in the second half before bumbling Duke’s opportunity for a last-chance shot.
Overall, Duke’s loss to Clemson’s was reminiscent of their early season struggles, when their offense tended to stall out due to shooting woes and turnovers. Surely, ACC Coach of the Year Kara Lawson will have her squad better prepared to attack the try-hard Tiger defense, and keep Duke on track for a second-straight ACC Tournament title.
No. 17 Kentucky vs. No. 3 South Carolina (12 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Wildcats and Gamecocks met in the regular-season finale, when a late rally by Kentucky resulted in South Carolina escaping with a four-point win.
Kentucky, the No. 9-seed in the SEC Tournament, should enter the rematch with the tournament’s No. 1 seed with soaring confidence.
Not only did last Sunday’s game show that they can compete with South Carolina, but Clara Strack, who had 24 points and nine rebounds in the loss to the Gamecocks, is coming off the best game of her career. Strack tied her career high with 33 points as Kentucky outpaced No. 6-seed Georgia, 70-63, in the second round. Her scoring was powered by a career-best five triples, as she shot 5-for-7 behind the arc.
Against South Carolina last Sunday, Strack shot just two triples, missing both. Empowering her to take more 3s on Friday could be a smart strategy for the Wildcats, as the Gamecocks are renowned from making things difficult in the paint for the opponents.
Madina Okot, however, can prove that she’s the best stretch big in the SEC. Okot’s 3-point shooting has been a revelation. Although she’s taken just 19 triples, she’s made nine of them, giving her a 47.4 3-point percentage.
And while Strack was named First Team All-SEC and to the All-Defensive Team, Okot ended up on the Second Team and was snubbed from the All-Defensive Team, even though South Carolina’s defensive rating during Okot’s minutes, a sterling 66.7, is the best in the SEC.
Okot did have a successful afternoon in Lexington last Sunday, leading South Carolina with a 21-point and 13-rebound double-double while adding two steals and two blocks—and she was 1-for-2 from 3. With similar performance from Okot, plus a more efficient afternoon from her frontcourt partner Joyce Edwards, who was 3-for-11 for nine points against Kentucky, South Carolina should enjoy another well-earned win over the Wildcats as the seek a fifth-straight SEC Tournament title.
No. 24 Ole Miss vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
This might be the day’s best matchup.
Vanderbilt, the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, has just three losses on their ledger. And one of them came to Ole Miss, their quarterfinal opponent in the SEC Tournament.
The Commodores, who collected conference honors with Mikayla Blakes winning SEC Player of the Year, Aubrey Galvan earning SEC Freshman of the Year and Shea Ralph voted as Coach of the Year, will take the court determined to right one of their few wrongs.
The loss to Ole Miss, an 83-75 defeat, also was Vandy’s lone home loss, held on a late-January Friday afternoon, a day later than scheduled, due to winter weather in Nashville.
While those logistics could be used as an excuse, the Commodores likely recognize that the bigger issue was their inability to slow Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala. The pair bullied Vandy with their brand of physical ball, with McMahon scoring 27 points and Iwuala adding an 18-point and 14-rebound double-double. Their might proved too much, despite 29 points from Blakes and 18 from Galvan. A poor 3-point shooting afternoon, with the Commodores making just four 3s, also did not help their cause.
Iwuala led the No. 7-seed Rebels in their second-round tournament rout of No. 15-seed Auburn, putting up 18 points and grabbing nine boards in just 18 minutes. The win snapped Ole Miss’ four-game late season slide. McMahon, however, did not quite escape her recent rut, as she finished with 13 points and two rebounds. To have chance of beating the Commodores again, the Rebels need the version of McMahon, named the SEC Newcomer of the Year while also making First Team All-SEC, who attacks her way to more than 25 points and gets after it on the glass, while also limiting her turnovers.
As Blakes just missed out on dropping 30 on the Rebels last time, it’s probably safe to bet that she’ll notch her fourth-straight game of 30 or more points. And that should all but guarantee a Commodore victory. Vandy is undefeated in Blakes’ 12 games with 30-plus points, including 10-0 in SEC play.
