ESPN Tournament Power Rankings

Shades

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4. Notre Dame

Best Case: Arike Ogunbowale puts on an offensive display that is unmatched through the first four rounds, Jessica Shepard shines in her first taste of NCAA tournament play, Marina Mabrey continues to give an Oscar-worthy performance in her role playing a point guard, and announcers make 12 unintentional puns about how Jackie Young has a nose for the basketball (the sophomore has played most of the season with a broken nose). Notre Dame cruises into the Final Four with its entire rotation feeling as rested and healthy has it has all season.

Worst case: Another injury strikes the already depleted Irish much like it did last year in the second round to Brianna Turner and, finally, it's one the Irish can't overcome. They fall in the Sweet 16 again and head home to South Bend instead bolstered by the thoughts of having Turner join Shepard, Ogunbowale, Young and Mabrey on the court all season in 2019.


6. Oregon

Best case: Ruthy Hebard doesn't miss a shot through the first two rounds, then Sabrina Ionescu takes over in the regionals with a triple-double in the Sweet 16. But, it's her assist on a jumper by Maize Carzola at the buzzer against Notre Dame in the Spokane Regional final that gets the Ducks to their first Final Four. The Oregon athletic administration offers coach Kelly Graves a 10-year contract extension on the flight back to Eugene from Spokane.

Worst case: The young Ducks, who were last year's tournament darlings as a 10-seed during their improbable run to the Elite Eight, don't handle the role of favorite as well. The defense struggles to slow Ohio State in the regional semis, and even the triple-double by Ionescu can't save the Ducks. This time they are the upset victim.


10. Ohio State

Best case: Kelsey Mitchell catches one of those waves where everything is running downhill for her. She simply can't be stopped. For four straight games she is able to get wherever she wants on the floor. When she does miss, Stephanie Mavunga grabs every rebound. After an Elite Eight win over Notre Dame, the Buckeyes return home to Columbus for the Final Four.

Worst case: Ohio State wins its second-round game in Columbus over LSU, but never plays there again. The Buckeyes run into a more polished offensive team than themselves in the Oregon Ducks, and the defensive woes that have plagued Ohio State all season are front and center. Mitchell leaves the college game as its second highest scorer in NCAA history, passing Jackie Stiles for that spot in round two.


17. Maryland

Best case: The team that overcame injuries and transfers to lead the Big Ten for most of the season returns to Brenda Frese and the Terps cruise into the Sweet 16. Mississippi State proves to be too much there, but Maryland is competitive and positioned well for next season.

Worst case: The team that went 3-4 in the season's final weeks remains and the Terps are a first-round upset victim to Princeton, leaving Frese to wonder what needs to change in 2019.


23. Iowa

Best case: The Hawkeyes got matchups they like and are able to get up and down the court, creating plenty of free space for Megan Gustafson to dominate. That includes the second-round game against UCLA. The Hawkeyes pull the upset in L.A. and advance to the Sweet 16, just like they did in 2015.

Worst case: Creighton has been a scrimmage partner for Iowa over the past few years and the familiarity gives the Bluejays just too much insight as to how to slow down the Hawkeyes. Creighton's half-court execution is nearly flawless, and Iowa's trip to the West Coast is a short one.


26. Green Bay

Best case: No one holds opponents to fewer points per game than the Phoenix. Much of that is due to Green Bay's pace of play and ability to limit the number of possessions in a game. Kevin Borseth's team is able to do that twice to teams that play the opposite way in Minnesota and Oregon, and Green Bay advances to the Sweet 16.

Worst case: The Phoenix miss too many shots early, allowing Minnesota to dictate tempo, and that first-half deficit is too much to overcome despite the best efforts of Allie LeClaire. The Phoenix are one-and-done.


30. Michigan

Best case: Katelynn Flaherty catches fire and shoots the Wolverines all the way to the Elite Eight with a pair of 30-point games against Baylor and Tennessee.

Worst case: Michigan's first trip to the tournament since 2013 is short. Northern Colorado, which scored 94 against DePaul in its opening game of the season, does the same to the Wolverines in the first round.


37. Nebraska

Best case: The improvement of the young Cornhuskers under Big Ten coach of the year Amy Williams continues. Enthusiasm for 2019 grows in Lincoln after Nebraska takes out Arizona State and pushes Texas to the brink in round two.

Worst case: Inconsistent offense, the reason Nebraska was on the bubble most of the season, shows up again in the first round. The Cornhuskers can't follow up a solid first half against the stingy Sun Devils, who pull away.


39. Minnesota

Best case: The Gophers' four-woman offensive tour de force -- Kenisha Bell, Carlie Wagner, Gadiva Hubbard and Destiny Pitts -- not only wins the classic contrast in style matchup with Green Bay in the first round, but Minnesota shoots itself to a shocking upset of Oregon in the second.

Worst case: The Phoenix slow the game and Minnesota doesn't adjust to the precision execution of Green Bay. Wagner scores a bunch in her final game, but gets little help from her younger teammates in a first-round loss.
 




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