NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2023: Sunday Elite 8 Bracket Odds, Picks
The first two spots in the NCAA women's Final Four will be handed out on Sunday.
The two regional finals on deck feature one terrific individual matchup and the other pits a No. 9 seed that has defied odds through three rounds.
The Miami Hurricanes pulled off three straight upsets to reach their Elite Eight battle with the LSU Tigers.
LSU's Angel Reese has been difficult to stop in the NCAA women's basketball tournament, and her success in the paint could be the difference between Miami's surprise run continuing for another few days or ending in Greenville, South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes face Hailey Van Lith and the Louisville Cardinals in Sunday's second regional final in Seattle.
Clark and Van Lith combined for 147 points over the first three rounds, and they are expected to go back and forth for the entirety of the contest.
The Iowa-Louisville clash is projected to be the closer of the two matchups based on the point spread, but given Miami's success, it is hard to imagine the Canes will not be in the contest against LSU for the majority of the game.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Miami may not win the Greenville 2 regional final, but the Hurricanes can hang with Reese and Co.
The Hurricanes produced 70 points in each of their last two wins against the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers and No. 4 seed Villanova Wildcats.
The ACC side was up by more than 20 at one point against Villanova, and during that run, it contained Maddy Siegrist's scoring threat.
Miami needs to do the same against Reese, and it must also limit her impact on the boards. Reese has 51 rebounds across her three NCAA tournament double-doubles.
The 10-point underdog on Sunday outrebounded Indiana and Villanova by margins of nine and 11.
The rebounding margin could sway in the favor of LSU, but if Miami wins a handful of battles against Reese on the glass, it can either lead, or remain behind by single digits.
The scoring versatility of the Hurricanes should help them as well. They have had three different leading scorers in the NCAA tournament. Jasmyne Roberts took over the Villanova game, Haley Cavinder produced 16 points in the opening round and Lola Pendande led the team with 19 points against Indiana.
LSU has three players, led by Reese, that average over 11 points per game, and if they are at their best, the Tigers will win, but Miami has proven it has the offensive firepower to challenge the best teams in the sport.
At some point, Reese, Alexis Morris and Flau'jae Johnson can take over, but the Tigers will not be able to shake themselves of the Hurricanes and that will lead to a single-digit victory.
The Seattle 4 regional final will be billed as a clash of stars between Clark and Van Lith.
Clark, who is the third-best scorer in Division I, eclipsed the 20-point mark in her last seven appearances. She produced 31 points in the Sweet 16 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
Van Lith, who is playing in her home state of Washington, had a 26-point night and two 21-point performances to start the NCAA tournament.
Clark and Iowa have been the better overall team this season. The Hawkeyes come into Sunday at 29-6 and on a seven-game winning streak. They have one loss since February 12.
Louisville went 23-11 in the regular season and posted a 3-6 mark against Top 25 teams before the NCAA tournament.
The Cardinals have been defensively sound in the last two rounds, as they held the Texas Longhorns to 51 points and the Ole Miss Rebels to 62 points.
However, Louisville did allow 81 points to the Drake Bulldogs in the first round. Drake ranks 12th in the nation in points per game, a category topped by Iowa.
Louisville could have trouble defending Clark and the rest of the Iowa offense that averages 87.5 points per game.
Van Lith can put up a high total and Louisville could still lose by six or more points because of how dynamic the Iowa offense is. The Hawkeyes hit the 80-point mark in five of their last seven games. Their offense may end up being too powerful for Louisville.
An Iowa win would set up a fantastic Final Four battle with the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks, as long as the reigning champion gets past the Maryland Terrapins on Monday.
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