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
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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
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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?