I'll go with Indiana nipping North Carolina State, particularly if Kayla Jones is still out. Jones averages 11+ ppg and just under 8 rpg. If she's in, Wolfpack are on full cylinders. If not, that helps the Hoosiers, who only play two forwards. But those forwards -- Gulbe and Holmes -- play tough defense and rebound well.
And Holmes is a pesky offensive player who has some McHale-like moves around the basket that could annoy Cunane no end.
Ultimately, I like Indiana because Ali Patberg does not get fazed and Grace Berger is unrelenting with her drives and pull-up jumpers. She's strong on and off the ball and both she and Patberg tend to get other people in foul trouble, not the other way around.
Low-scoring affair with IU just pulling ahead enough to hit the Elite 8.
Good morning. I didn't comment on the board last night because it was my wife's birthday: extended family zoom call, cooking dinner and the like. Fun. My wife did let me watch the UConn-Iowa game early on while she hung out in the sun, but no go on IU and NC State.
I did, however, remember making this prediction on Friday, which goes to show you even an Irish fan stuck in a two-year chasm can have a day in the sun!
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IU's starting five all were in double figures. Along with Michigan's Leigha Brown, this team is trying to resurrect the mid-range jumper!
Gulbe is a nice complement to Holmes, who is just a blast to watch. Cardano-Hillary was clutch but this was still the work of the dynamic duo of Patberg and Berger. Really happy for Ali.