March Madness: Birmingham 2 region bracket Cinderella, players to watch, schedule, odds and more
[More region breakdowns: Spokane 1 | Birmingham 3 | Spokane 4]
The NCAA women's tournament is just days away. Here's everything you need to know about the Birmingham 2 region.
No. 1: South Carolina (+260 to win the national title at BetMGM)
No. 2: Duke (+6,600)
No. 3: North Carolina (+20,000)
South Carolina is the betting favorite for the entire tournament, with just slightly better odds than UConn (+290). The Gamecocks are the overwhelming pick to win the region, too. Duke, the No. 2 seed in Birmingham 2, is the next-closest to them at (+6,600).
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South Carolina has a very clear path to the Final Four. The defending national champions came just shy of earning the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament after they rolled through the SEC once again. They won seven straight to end the year, all by double digits, and their bad losses seem to be well behind them.
The Gamecocks have been to four straight Final Fours under coach Dawn Staley, which produced a pair of national titles. While there's not a clear star like the last two championship teams had, this team is just as dominant. It's going to take a stunning effort, and a bit of help, to stop the Gamecocks from making the Final Four once again.
If the Gamecocks are going to lose, it's very likely going to be in Tampa.
Let's give this title to Green Bay, which won the Horizon League and is entering the tournament on a massive 22-game win streak. Guard Natalie McNeal leads the team with 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and Alabama has struggled lately. The Crimson Tide lost three of their last five, including a second-round stunner to Florida in the SEC tournament, and are absolutely on upset watch after their skid.
Look for either Columbia or Washington to stun West Virginia in the first round after their play-in battle. Columbia just barely lost the Ivy League title to Harvard, and is led by Riley Weiss' 17.8 points per game. The Huskies, despite a rough stretch to their season, ended the year winning five of six to make the tournament. West Virginia overlooking a play-in team after making it to the Big 12 title game wouldn't be all that surprising.
South Carolina F Chloe Kitts
Kitts may not lead the Gamecocks in scoring, but she's a very reliable piece inside that makes the team work. She averaged 10.1 points and 7.9 rebounds all year, and she had eight double-doubles and a triple-double on the season.
Vanderbilt G Mikayla Blakes
Blakes averaged 23.2 points per game this season with the Commodores, which was the second-best output in the SEC. She put up 55 in a win over Auburn last month, which was her second 50-point game of the year. Blakes can flat-out score, and could absolutely lead Vanderbilt to a deep run.
Oregon State G Catarina Ferreira
Ferreira doesn't lead the Beavers in scoring, but she's been on a heater lately. She led the team in scoring in all three of their West Coast Conference tournament games, which is why they're in the tournament in the first place, and came just shy of averaging a double-double over that span. If Oregon State keeps its run going, it's because of Ferreira.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech (Columbia, Friday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana (Columbia, Friday, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay (College Park, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2)No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State (College Park, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Columbia/No. 11 Washington (Chapel Hill, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS)No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State (Chapel Hill, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon (Durham, Friday, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS)No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh (Durham, Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
South Carolina. It doesn't really matter whether it's Duke or North Carolina — or a third option — that makes it out of the bottom half of this region to challenge the Gamecocks in the Elite Eight.
This region is South Carolina's to lose. What happens after that remains to be seen.
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