NCAAW: No favorites have fallen as the Sweet Sixteen takes shape

On the third day of NCAA Tournament action, we saw all teams seeded No. 3 or better win, but all No. 4 seed’s fall.

No. 1-seed South Carolina had a slow first half but then got things together and defeated No. 9-seed Indiana, 64-53. Top-seeded UCLA prevailed over No. 8-seed Richmond, 84-67, behind a 30-point and 14-rebound double-double from Lauren Betts. In the Hailey Van Lith Bowl, No. 2-seed TCU defeated No. 7-seed Louisville, 85-70, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history, while No. 3-seed Notre Dame bested No. 6-seed Michigan, 76-55.

So far, the best women’s college basketball players have gotten the job done. That doesn’t give us the excitement of some unsung programs rising to national prominence, but it does mean our Sweet 16 will provide us with some tantalizing matchups. Right now, UCLA, South Carolina, Duke, TCU, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Kansas State and Tennessee all advanced to the next round. On Monday, we will find out the eight teams that will join them.

And even if Sunday was short on shocking upsets, we still got a trio of fantastic No. 4-vs.-No. 5 games, all of which ended with the lower seed advancing. Here is a rundown of those games:

Wildcats beat Wildcats

All three of the games between No. 4 seeds and No. 5 seeds were exciting, but the matchup of the day has to go to Kansas State against Kentucky. The battle of the Wildcats went to Kansas State, who won 80-79 in overtime thanks to a Temira Poindexter 3-pointer during the final minute of extra time.

Poindexter was clutch all night long for the Wildcats. She finished with 24 points, and every single one came from a 3-pointer.

For Kentucky, Clara Strack led the team in scoring with 22 points, and Teonni Key dominated the boards with 15 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as they failed to score down the stretch to either extend the game to double overtime or earn the win.

Rebels charge past Bears late

Ole Miss upset Baylor, 69-63. The game was even at 61 when KK Deans decided the Rebels must win. She scored six of her team’s final eight points as Baylor went cold, scoring just one more field goal in the contest.

Deans scored 13 points from off the bench, but Sira Thienou was the engine that kept the Rebels running. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and shot 80 percent from the field, scoring a team-high 16 points.

For Baylor, Aaronette Vonleh led the charge with 16 points of her own, and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 10 points off the bench to keep the Bears in the game, but it wasn’t enough to keep them dancing.

Tennessee dominates Ohio State

While the other two No. 4-vs.-No. 5 games were thrillers, Tennessee-Ohio State gave us no such suspense. The Lady Vols took over during the second quarter and never looked back. They beat Ohio State 82-67 and got it done with their reserves. Zee Spearman and Talaysia Cooper combined for 36 of Tennessee’s 38 bench points.

With this duo dominating and starters Ruby Whitehorn and Samara Spencer scoring in double figures, the Buckeyes couldn’t produce enough offense to keep up with the Lady Vols, ending their tournament early.

Monday will provide us with the other eight teams we need to complete our Sweet 16 set.

Will we get upsets in those games? Will No. 1-seeded teams Texas and USC fall? Can Paige Bueckers and UConn keep on dancing? Be sure to come back to Swish Appeal after Monday’s action for a recap of the games and the rest of our coverage of the NCAA Tournament.