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Breaking down the Wichita Region bracket in the NCAA Women’s Sweet 16

We take a look at the Wichita Region heading into the Sweet 16 round of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Tournament and discuss picks for an upset, teams to fade and more.

Syndication: The Courier-Journal Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Saturday’s Wichita regional will start with a matchup between the No. 1 Louisville Cardinals and No. 4 Tennessee Volunteersat 4:00 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup featuring the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines and No. 10 seed South Dakota at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET.

Both games will be held at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, and can be seen on ESPN2.

No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Tennessee (ESPN2)

Point spread: Louisville -7
Total: 131
Moneyline odds: Louisville -305, Tennessee +240

Louisville (27-4) crushed No. 16 seed Albany 83-51 and jumped out to a 14-0 lead and eventually knocked off the No. 9 Gonzaga Bulldogs 68-59 in the second round. The Cardinals turned the ball over just 18 times through their first two NCAA Tournament games, and Hailey Van Lith went for at least 20 points in both.

Tennessee (25-8) beat the No. 13 seed Buffalo 80-67 and survived a potential upset with a 70-67 victory over the No. 12 seed Belmont. The Volunteers rank No. 3 nationally in rebounds per game, and Alexus Dye had a double-double in the first two NCAA Tournament games, averaging 19 points and 11 boards to this point.

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 10 South Dakota (ESPN2)

Point spread: Michigan -4
Total: 125
Moneyline odds: Michigan -180, South Dakota +155

Michigan (24-6) hammered the No. 14 seed American 74-39 and followed that with a 64-49 victory over the No. 10 seed South Dakota 64-49 to advance to the Sweet 16. The Wolverines have gotten some help as they will play double-digit seeds in their first three NCAA Tournament games, and Naz Hillmon scored an average of 25.5 points and 11 rebounds in the first two rounds.

South Dakota (29-5) pulled off consecutive upsets with a 75-61 win over the No. 7 seed Ole Miss Rebels and handled the No. 2 seed Baylor Bears 61-47 in the second rounds. The Coyotes rank No. 3 nationally in points per 100 possessions offensively, and Hannah Sjerven shot 61.9% from the floor through the first two NCAA Tournament matchups.

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