NCAA Women's Tournament predictions 2023: Breaking down Seattle Regional 3 of Sweet 16, Virginia Tech, UConn, more

The Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament will conclude on Saturday, March 25 and will feature the Seattle Regional 3 semifinals. The first matchup will pit the No. 2 UConn Huskies against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes at 4 p.m. ET. The second matchup will feature the No. 1 Virginia Tech Hokies taking on the No. 4 Tennessee Lady Volunteers at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Both games will be held at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, and can be seen on ABC and ESPN2.

No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 UConn (ABC)

Point spread: UConn -10
Total: 145
Moneyline: UConn -500, Ohio State +400

Ohio State (27-7) managed to survive the first weekend of the tournament, first taking down No. 14 James Madison 80-66 in round one before edging No. 6 North Carolina 71-69 in round two. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 in HerHoops ratings and have been excellent forcing turnovers, ranking eighth in steals per game with 11.4. Taylor Mikesell has led the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game.

UConn (31-5) didn't have any problems in the first weekend, dominating No. 15 Vermont 95-52 in round one before blitzing No. 7 Baylor in a 77-58 round two win. The Huskies are No. 5 in HerHoops heading into this matchup and have contrasted the third-highest field goal percentage on offense with the seventh-lowest opponent field goal percentage on defense. Aaliyah Edwards is leading the way with 17 points and nine rebounds per game.

Pick: UConn -10

No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech (ESPN2)

Point spread: Virginia Tech -1
Total: 138
Moneyline: Virginia Tech -110, Tennessee -110

Tennessee (25-11) had a breeze during the first weekend of the tournament, thrashing No. 13 Saint Louis 95-50 in round one before doubling up No. 12 Toledo in a 94-47 beatdown in round two. The Lady Vols are ranked No. 8 in HerHoops ratings and leads the nation in average margin per 100 possessions at 10.8. Rickea Jackson has led the team with 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Virginia Tech (29-4) handled its business as the top seed of the region during the first weekend, beating down No. 16 Chattanooga 58-33 in round one before downing No. 9 South Dakota State 72-60 in round two. The Hokies are ranked No. 9 in HerHoops and are sixth in the nation in defensive rebound rate at 75.9%. Elizabeth Kitley is averaging a double-double with 18.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

This is a rematch of their regular season matchup from this past December, a 59-56 Virginia Tech victory in Knoxville, TN.

Pick: Tennessee ML

  
Read Full Article