The numbers have been stunning in this memorable season for women’s college basketball.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has broken scoring records. UConn’s Paige Bueckers is producing eye-popping statistics again after missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries. Southern California’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo had two of the most productive freshman seasons ever.
All of them have led their teams into a star-studded Sweet 16 field. Here’s a rundown of notable statistics regarding each of the teams that have made it this far.
ALBANY 1 REGION
INDIANA: Indiana’s had a different player set the program’s NCAA Tournament single-game scoring record in each of the first two rounds. Sara Scalia broke a 41-year-old record by scoring 27 points while making five 3-pointers in an 89-56 victory over Fairfield. That record vanished two days later when Mackenzie Holmes got 29 points in a 75-68 triumph over Oklahoma.
SOUTH CAROLINA: MiLaysia Fulwiley has averaged 20.3 points over her last three games — starting with an SEC Tournament championship game victory over LSU — and has shot 13 of 22 from 3-point range during that span. Fulwiley had shot just 2 of 11 from beyond the arc in the four games leading up to this stretch.
OREGON STATE: The Beavers' first two NCAA Tournament opponents have missed more than two-thirds of their shots. Eastern Washington shot 30% and Nebraska shot 31.3% against Oregon State. The Beavers now face Notre Dame, which shot 52.2% in its first-round victory over Kent State and 50% in its second-round triumph over Mississippi.
NOTRE DAME: Hidalgo didn’t merely break Notre Dame’s single-season steals record. She shattered it. Hidalgo’s NCAA-leading 157 steals give her 43 more than the previous record holder. Skylar Diggins-Smith (then known as Skylar Diggins) had 114 steals for the Irish in 2012-13.
PORTLAND 4 REGION
GONZAGA: The Bulldogs are making 40.2% of their 3-point attempts to lead all Division I teams. They’ve made 9.5 3-pointers per game to rank seventh. Gonzaga went 12 of 22 from beyond the arc in its 77-66 second-round victory over Utah, with twin sisters Kaylynne Truong and Kayleigh Truong going a combined 7 of 12.
TEXAS: The Longhorns have outrebounded their first two opponents 96-57 and have outscored them 45-19 in second-chance points. DeYona Gaston had eight offensive rebounds in a first-round triumph over Drexel. Texas could have a tougher time dominating the glass against Gonzaga. Texas ranks sixth among all Division I teams in rebound margin (plus-10.3), while Gonzaga is eighth (plus-9.3).
NORTH CAROLINA STATE: The Wolfpack’s strength is in their balance. North Carolina State has five players scoring in double figures: Aziaha James (16.0), Saniya Rivers (12.7), Mimi Collins (10.9), Madison Hayes (10.7) and River Baldwin (10.4). Zoe Brooks (8.8) isn’t far behind. Four different players have at least six rebounds per game: Baldwin (7.1), Hayes (6.9), Collins (6.3) and Rivers (6.3).
STANFORD: The magic number for Stanford is 70. Stanford has gone 59-1 in the last 60 NCAA Tournament games in which it has scored at least 70 points. That includes a 79-50 victory over Norfolk State and an 87-81 overtime win over Iowa State in the first two rounds this year.
ALBANY 2 REGION
COLORADO: Aaronette Vonleh has a team-high 14 points per game for Colorado, but it’s her defense that has garnered her attention in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-3 center had seven steals in the first half of a 63-50 second-round victory over Kansas State.
IOWA: Clark has produced tons of eye-popping numbers on her way to becoming the leading career scorer in Division I men’s or women’s basketball, but one statistic speaks most clearly to her consistency since arriving on campus. Clark is the first player in major women’s college basketball to lead her conference in both scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons.
LSU: In the first two rounds of this tournament, LSU has been outscored 63-62 before halftime but has outscored opponents 91-53 in the second half. The defending national champions trailed Middle Tennessee 36-32 at halftime before rolling to an 83-56 second-round victory. LSU made 26 of 37 free throws in the game, while Middle Tennessee made 6 of 9 attempts.
UCLA: The Sweet 16 matchup between UCLA and LSU features the nation’s top two teams in rebound margin. UCLA is outrebounding foes by 14.2 boards per game. LSU has a plus-13.1 rebound margin. UCLA outrebounded its first two NCAA Tournament foes 90-45 and outscored them 32-5 in second-chance points.
PORTLAND 3 REGION
BAYLOR: The Bears rank ninth in 3-point percentage defense and are allowing opponents to make just 26.2% of their 3-point attempts. In five of the Bears’ last eight games, opponents have shot below 20% from beyond the arc. Baylor now faces Southern California, which went 13 of 30 from 3-point range in a 73-55 second-round victory over Kansas.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: JuJu Watkins has a chance this weekend to break the record for points by a true freshman. Watkins currently has 861 points, which puts her in third place on the all-time list. San Diego State’s Tina Hutchinson scored 898 points as a freshman in 1984, while Kelsey Mitchell had 873 points for Ohio State in 2015.
UCONN: The Huskies are making their NCAA-record 30th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The Huskies had earned a record 14 straight Final Four berths before losing 73-61 to Ohio State in a regional semifinal last year.
DUKE: Reigan Richardson is averaging 12.4 points this season, but she’s stepped up her game in a big way during this tournament. After totaling 15 points in the three games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, Richardson scored 25 in a first-round victory over Richmond and 28 in a second-round upset of Ohio State.
___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
