NCAA Women’s Tournament: Five Must-Watch First Round Games

โšพ๏ธ Our @beisboldecaribe ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™š๐™ซ๐™ž๐™š๐™ฌ:

๐Ÿ“บ All eyes on Venezuela
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๐ŸŒŽ All 8 teams analyzed
๐Ÿ‘€ Most exciting players to watch
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๐Ÿ“ @jesusalfredoSP

#SerieDelCaribe2023
https://thegeniusplaybook.com/serie-del-caribe-preview-leones-del-caracas-book-final-spot/

Sory Kaba currently has the 7th-highest xG (4.9) of any player in the #sldk so far this season, despite scoring just 2 goals for @fcmidtjylland. ๐Ÿ“Š

He has underperformed his xG (scored less than expected) more than any other player. ๐Ÿ“‰

#CCFC | #Midtjylland

BBC Sport Wales @BBCSportWales

Cardiff City are looking to bring in Guinea international Sory Kaba on loan from Danish club Midtjylland โšฝ๏ธ

Read more ๐Ÿ‘‡ #BBCFootball

๐Ÿ”ฅ 23-year-old #FCCincy forward Brenner’s 2022 stats (& rank among other #MLS players):

๐Ÿ”ธ 18 goals (98th percentile)
๐Ÿ”ธ 12.2 xG (97th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 35 shots on target (97th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 22.8% conversion rate (94th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 133 touches in opp. box (98th)

He’s highly sought after by #NFFC. โšก๏ธ

Tom Bogert @tombogert

Sources: Nottingham Forest have made a bid to sign FC Cincinnati forward Brenner. Offer was a loan with purchase obligation. Cincy countered. Two days left in transfer window.

Brenner sat out of training today as he hopes to make the move.

Forest are 13th in the Premier League.

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#6 Kentucky (19-11) vs #11 Princeton (24-4) โ€“ Bridgeport Regional

Ivy League champion Princeton must have looked at their #22 ranking in the NCAAโ€™s NET measurement and figured they might be wearing home jerseys in the first round. Instead, the Tigers ended up a #11 seed in Bloomington, Indiana facing surprise SEC Tournament champion Kentucky. The Wildcats pushed themselves off the bubble when they defeated the top three seeds in the SEC, including overall national #1 South Carolina to claim the automatic bid. While Kentuckyโ€™s confidence is sky high, they would be wise not to overlook Princeton, who locks down opponents to the tune of 50.9 points per game, which ranks third in the nation.

Kentucky have been underdogs in the SEC all season long, but now the eyes are on them, can they perform? (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
#7 UCF (25-3) vs #10 Florida (21-10) โ€“ Bridgeport Regional

If defense wins in the tournament, then UCF will be a popular pick. The Golden Knights lead the NCAA in scoring defense allowing just 47.5 points per game. UCF has won their last 13 games going into the NCAA Tournament and has held eight of the last nine opponents to less than 50 points. UCF will have to stop in-state rival Florida who boasts three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Kiara Smith at 14.6 points per game.

#6 Georgia (20-9) vs #11 Dayton (25-5) โ€“ Greensboro Regional

With the introduction of the womenโ€™s tournamentโ€™s inaugural First Four, thereโ€™s was a level of mystery to Georgiaโ€™s first opponent. That mystery was dropped somewhere in the third quarter of last night’s game, as Dayton took a 27-point lead on DePaul. The game ultimately finished 88-57, with Dayton cruising into the First Round and into this matchup with Georgia. Erin Whalen stood out, going 7/12 from three, picking up 28 points in the process.

In the regular season Dayton dropped the Atlantic 10a title games to UMass but benefits from one of basketballโ€™s top point guards in Araion Bradshaw, who ranks in the top 25 in the country with a 2.38 assist-to-turnover ratio.

#8 Washington State (19-10) vs #9 Kansas State (19-12) โ€“ Spokane Regional

On January 23, Kansas Stateโ€™s Ayoke Lee served notice that she had to be considered one of the top players in the country. Lee dropped 61 points on Oklahoma, with an incredibly efficient 23/30 shooting performance, breaking the 35-year old NCAA single game scoring record. Lee averages 22.4 points per game, good for seventh nationally. Washington State stumbled in the Pac 12 tournament and will look to 6-3 center Bella Murekatete to try to slow down Lee. Murekatete leads the Cougars with 50 blocked shots this season.

#2 Iowa (23-7) vs #15 Illinois State (19-13) โ€“ Greensboro Regional

When Iowaโ€™s Caitlin Clark takes the floor, everyone will be watching. Or at least, they’ll be waiting for the Steph Curry-range highlights to appear on the internet. As the nationโ€™s leading scorer at 27.4 points a game, also leads the country in assists with 7.9 per game. Clark has scored 40 points five different times this season, including a 41-point outburst against Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament semifinals. MVC tournament champion Illinois State is led by their own scoring star Juliunn Redmond who posts 17.6 points per game.

All eyes will be on Caitlin Clark as Iowa take on Illinois State. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
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โšพ๏ธ Our @beisboldecaribe ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™š๐™ซ๐™ž๐™š๐™ฌ:

๐Ÿ“บ All eyes on Venezuela
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ช #LeonesDelCaracas book final spot
๐ŸŒŽ All 8 teams analyzed
๐Ÿ‘€ Most exciting players to watch
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ด Can #TigresdelLicey make history?

๐Ÿ“ @jesusalfredoSP

#SerieDelCaribe2023
https://thegeniusplaybook.com/serie-del-caribe-preview-leones-del-caracas-book-final-spot/

Sory Kaba currently has the 7th-highest xG (4.9) of any player in the #sldk so far this season, despite scoring just 2 goals for @fcmidtjylland. ๐Ÿ“Š

He has underperformed his xG (scored less than expected) more than any other player. ๐Ÿ“‰

#CCFC | #Midtjylland

BBC Sport Wales @BBCSportWales

Cardiff City are looking to bring in Guinea international Sory Kaba on loan from Danish club Midtjylland โšฝ๏ธ

Read more ๐Ÿ‘‡ #BBCFootball

๐Ÿ”ฅ 23-year-old #FCCincy forward Brenner’s 2022 stats (& rank among other #MLS players):

๐Ÿ”ธ 18 goals (98th percentile)
๐Ÿ”ธ 12.2 xG (97th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 35 shots on target (97th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 22.8% conversion rate (94th)
๐Ÿ”ธ 133 touches in opp. box (98th)

He’s highly sought after by #NFFC. โšก๏ธ

Tom Bogert @tombogert

Sources: Nottingham Forest have made a bid to sign FC Cincinnati forward Brenner. Offer was a loan with purchase obligation. Cincy countered. Two days left in transfer window.

Brenner sat out of training today as he hopes to make the move.

Forest are 13th in the Premier League.

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