Georgia basketball: My bracket for the Lady Dawgs route to the National Championship

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 02: A general view of the American Airlines Center prior to the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 02: A general view of the American Airlines Center prior to the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

March Madness is here. While the men’s Georgia basketball team isn’t in the post season, the Lady Dawgs are a no. 4 seed in the women’s tournament.

The Lady Dawgs are back! After a few decent seasons, the Georgia women’s basketball team are national championship contenders once again. They aren’t settling for a middle or low seed this year, they have a no. 4 seed in the North region.

The men get all of the attention during March Madness, but sadly, we don’t have a men’s basketball team in the field again this year. For all of you in the Bulldog Nation who fill out brackets each year, you can’t fill out one homer bracket with the Dawgs.

Unless you fill out a women’s bracket, which ESPN does have a Women’s Tournament Challenge. I filled out one, a homer bracket of course, that I’d like to share with you as basically my forecast for the Lady Dawgs route to their first National Championship.

Round One vs. no. 13 Mercer

I just can’t see Georgia losing to Mercer, not after beating them by 18 points in the regular season. Plus, upsets aren’t nearly as common in the women’s tournament. The Lady Dawgs roll through Mercer with no issues.

Other North Region games

no. 1 Connecticut vs. no. 16 St. Francis

Winner: Connecticut

no. 8 Miami vs. no. 9 Quinnipac

Winner: Miami

no. 5 Duke vs. no. 12 Belmont

Winner: Duke

no. 6 South Florida vs. no. 11 Buffalo

Winner: South Florida

no. 3 Florida State vs. no. 14 Little Rock

Winner: Florida State

no. 7 California vs. no. 10 Virginia

Winner: Virginia

no. 2 South Carolina vs. no. 15 North Carolina A&T

Winner: South Carolina

Round Two vs. no. 5 Duke

Georgia has one of the toughest routes in the entire tournament. After a squash match with mercer, the lady Dawgs have to play Duke . Like Georgia, the lady Blue Devils struggled against their top opponents which kept them from getting a no. 3 seed or better. But Duke did defeat Ohio State and Florida State. It’ll be a tournament classic, the Lady Dawgs need their best to win.

Other North Region games

no. 1 Connecticut vs. no. 5 Miami

Winner: Connecticut

no. 3 Florida State vs. no. 6 South Florida

Winner: South Florida

no. 2 South Carolina vs. no. 10 Virginia

Winner: South Carolina

Sweet Sixteen vs. no. 1 Connecticut

More from Dawn of the Dawg

See, told you Georgia has one of the toughest routes. I don’t need to describe Connecticut women’s basketball to you. If you have basic cable and watch ESPN somewhat often, you know what they’re about.

They have 11 National Championships, including four-straight from 2013-to-2016. 18 Final Four’s, 23 Elite Eight’s, 25 Sweet 16’s, 30 consecutive tournament appearances. A win over the Lady Huskies would undoubtedly be one of the biggest wins in the history of the Georgia women’s basketball program.

Other Sweet 16 games

no. 2 South Carolina vs. no. 6 South Florida

Winner: South Carolina

no. 1 Notre Dame vs. no. 4 Texas A&M

Winner: Texas A&M

no. 2 Oregon vs. no. 6 LSU

Winner: Oregon

no. 1 Mississippi State vs. no. 4 North Carolina State

Winner: Mississippi State

no. 3 UCLA vs. no. 7 Arizona State

Winner: UCLA

no. 1 Louisville vs. no. 4 Stanford

Winner: Louisville

no. 2 Baylor vs. no. 3 Tennessee

Winner: Tennessee

Elite Eight vs. no. 2 South Carolina

The tournament doesn’t get any easier in the Elite Eight against South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat Georgia in the regular season and then beat them again in the SEC Tournament. But third time’s a charm right? It’s still going to take the Lady Dawg’s absolute best to beat the 2017 NCAA Tournament Champions. A win would make this a legendary run.

Other Elite Eight games

no. 2 Oregon vs. no. 4 Texas A&M

Winner: Oregon

no. 1 Mississippi State vs. no. 3 UCLA

Winner: UCLA

no. 1 Louisville vs. no. 3 Tennessee

Winner: Louisville

Final Four vs. no. 2 Oregon

You expect nothing but the best in the Final Four and I expect Georgia to play Oregon for a spot in the National Championship Game. Oregon dominated the Pac 12 on route to a 30-4 record and a conference championship. Hopefully the Lady Dawgs have enough in the tank for this one.

Other Final Four game

no. 1 Louisville vs. no. 3 UCLA

Winner: UCLA

Next: Why Georgia basketball shouldn't hire Rick Pitino

Championship Game vs. no. 3 UCLA

Georgia’s run to the National Championship ends with another Pac 12 team, this time the UCLA Bruins who lost three times to Oregon, but still finished 24-7. Luckily, Georgia would likely have to have beaten Oregon to play UCLA so that’s encouraging.

This certainly isn’t the Championship Game most people will predict, but it’s about time the championship picture is shaken up. And who better to win with this shake up than our Lady Dawgs?