Print off your brackets and pull out your lucky charm because it’s March Madness time. Conversations in Cobo will be dominated by talk of, “Who do you have winning?” and, “My bracket is busted.”
The first round of the Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament begins March 15.
The South Region is made up of the Gulf South Conference (GSC), Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The tournament winners of these conferences automatically get a bid for the region tournament, and five at-large selections complete the eight-team field. The winner of the South Region moves onto the Elite Eight.
The Union Lady Bulldogs will make their fourth NCAA tournament appearance as the 2-seed in the South Region despite not making the GSC Championship game.
Here’s a rundown of the remaining seven teams:
Florida Southern (28-3, 18-2 SSC)
The Mocs earned the 1-seed and therefore get the chance to host the tournament. As the 1-seed, current regular season and tournament SSC champions, Florida Southern is the team to beat. They are coming off of an eight-game win streak and look to continue it against Lane on Friday. They are led by SSC Coach of the Year, Betsy Harris, and Player of the Year, guard Camille Giardina. Giardina averages 19.5 PPG and shoots 78.5 percent from the line. The facts speak for themselves, but anything can happen during the postseason.
Lane (13-17, 12-9 SIAC)
Union’s cross-town rivals gained the 8-seed spot, performing well throughout the conference tournament. They currently have a four-game win streak, and all four games came during the tournament. Lane handed Benedict their first conference loss of the season in the semifinals to advance to the championship game, where they defeated Kentucky State for the third time this season. Guard Antrice McCoy gave the Dragons a lead with less than a minute on the clock and the shot clock winding down. McCoy leads the team in scoring, 19.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG. The Dragons may not have had the prettiest season, but could the hype after the SIAC championship propel them to upset Florida Southern?
Lee (25-6, 16-4 GSC)
Lee became the GSC tournament champions this past weekend. They gained the 4-seed for the region. Like Lane, the Flames have a four-game win streak, and they have high hopes of advancing in the tournament with a win over Tampa this weekend. Guards Haley Schubert, GSC Freshman of the Year, and Abby Bertram earned spots on the all-GSC team this season. Schubert scored her season-high of 23 points in the semifinals of the GSC tournament against West Georgia. In the same game, Bertram tied her season best of nine rebounds. Lee was considered the sleeper team before the postseason, and it’s evident they have the momentum to keep things going.
Tampa (21-8, 15-5 SSC)
The Spartans are coming off a 2-game losing streak and a loss in the SSC quarterfinals. They have two stand-out players: forwards Dori Nagy and Staja Tyghter. Nagy is a South Florida transfer that earned the SSC Newcomer of the Year award and All-SSC first team. She led the conference in rebounds this season at 9.1 per game. She finished second in field goal percentage at just over 50% and averages 13.6 points per game. Georgia State transfer Tyghter was also named first-team All-SSC. She averages 14.3 points, logged 1,032 minutes (most in the conference) and averages 8.7 rebounds per game (third in the SSC). Tampa is the 5-seed coming into the region tournament, so it will be a true battle between the Spartans and the Flames.
Nova Southeastern (18-11, 13-7 SSC)
Union’s meeting with NSU will not be the first. The Bulldogs gave the Sharks a loss early in the season in the GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge. Guards Alison Hughes and Christen Prasse joined the All-SSC second team, while guard Claire McMahon grabbed a spot on the All-SSC Newcomer team. Hughes leads the team in free throw and three-point percentages while averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game. Prasse leads the rebounding with 7.5 per game. McMahon averages 10.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG. The Sharks lost to Florida Southern in the semifinals of the SSC tournament but were selected in the 7-seed spot over the Gulf South’s Valdosta State. NSU will be looking for revenge this Friday against Union.
West Florida (23-5, 17-3 GSC)
While the Argonauts dropped their first game of the GSC tournament, they were able to earn the 3-seed spot in the South Region tournament. Coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton was named GSC Coach of the Year. Forward Toni Brewer was named Player of the Year and leads the conference with 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. With only three losses in the GSC, splitting their series with Delta State and Valdosta State, the Argonauts could very well have the ability to advance over Eckerd on Friday.
Eckerd (22-9, 14-6 SSC)
The Tritons will make the trip to the regionals for the third year in a row. Picked as the 6-seed, they will face off against West Florida, a team that leads Eckerd 3-2 in their meetings. Guard Octavia Loll, a Charleston (W.V.) transfer, was named to the SSC Newcomer Team. Guard Chelsea Johnson received first-team All-SSC accolades. Johnson averages 13.7 points per game and shoots 84 percent from the line. Loll averages 5.0 RPG and is .424 from the field. The Tritons look to defeat the Argonauts to balance their record and reach the next round of the tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will take on Nova Southeastern at 1:30 on Friday in Lakeland, Florida in the first round of the tournament. If they win, they will face the winner of West Florida-Eckerd on Saturday. Click here for more information on the tournament in addition to links to all seven South Region games.
