NCAAW March Madness: Spokane region preview

Top Seeds: UCLA, NC State and LSU

After defeating USC in the Big Ten Championship, UCLA was granted the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it did come with much controversy.

South Carolina made a good case to earn the top spot after easily defeating Texas in the SEC Championship, but the Bruins do have the head-to-head win over the Gamecocks.

UCLA is led by First-Team All-American center Lauren Betts, who averages 19.7 points per game. As a unit the Bruins average 78.8 points per game and hold its opponents to 57.4.

UCLA won’t have it easy in this region as they face teams with experience in the big dance. NC State is coming off of a Final Four appearance and LSU is two years removed from a national title.

The Wolfpack ended the season strong, having won six games in a row before falling to Duke in the ACC Championship. As a team NC State averages 76.8 points per game and are led by the strong guard trio of Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers.

Wes Moore was named the ACC Coach of the Year and is looking to get his team one step further than they did a year ago.

The Tigers had a rough end of the season, having lost four of their last seven games. LSU was without leading scorer and star guard Flau’Jae Johnson for the SEC Tournament, but she is expected to return.

The Tigers have a huge advantage inside from forward Aneesah Morrow. Morrow leads the nation with 13.6 rebounds per game, while also scoring 18.5 ppg.

Teams to watch: Baylor, Ole Miss

Baylor and Ole Miss are slotted at No. 4 and No. 5 in this region and if they both win in the opening round, this has the potential to be an exciting round of 32 matchup.

The Rebels are a strong defensive team, holding opponents to just 58.2 ppg. This mark finished third in the SEC behind only Texas and South Carolina. On the other hand, the Bears finished with the second highest scoring offense in the Big 12 at 78 ppg.

The common denominator between these teams is that they both have plenty of scorers. Ole Miss has four players averaging over 10 points a game. Baylor also has an impressive mark with five players averaging double-digit points.

Upset potential: Harvard, George Mason

The Crimson won the Ivy League Tournament for the first time 2007, behind a 24-point performance from Harmoni Turner.

Turner had an even more impressive performance in the semi-finals, scoring 44 points in the teams 70-67 win over Princeton. The senior guard finished top-10 nationally in scoring with 22.5 ppg.

Harvard has one of the top defenses in the country, holding opponents to just 52.5 ppg. The Crimson have an impressive 22-4 record and could certainly cause some problems for Michigan State in the opening round and any other opponents in the region.

George Mason is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, and come in hot having won 14 of their last 15 games.

The Patriots are led by Zahirah Walton, averaging 15.9 ppg. Paula Suárez led the team's A-10 championship victory over Saint Joseph’s with a 23 point and six assist performance.

George Mason will face Florida State in the first round and they certainly have the potential to turn some heads.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.