How Ole Miss beat #1 ranked Stanford in March Madness

The first major adjustment of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Championship came in Sunday’s final at #8 Ole Miss Discomfort No. 1 seed Stanford 54-49 in Cardinal’s Main Court at Maples Pavilion. Stanford joins the 1-seed on the men’s side, Bordeaux And Kansasin out the first weekend of March Madness.

the Rebel victory Sending the women’s No. 1 seed home before the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009, they ended a chalk-dominated day as the semi-finals were decided. Ole Miss advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007.

How far will Ole Miss go and how will his win change the race at the Seattle Regional 4? Few would have predicted the Rebels – who went 7-23 overall in 2019-20 and 0-16 in the SEC – would get this far. But under head coach Yollett McPhee-McEwen, who took over in 2018, the Rebels defense has become their calling card. They stunned Stanford, the 2021 champions, who lost in the Semifinal Four last year.

When the season opened, many started South Carolina and Stanford, past national champions, in the Final Four. But only one of them has a chance to be in Dallas. Gamecocks remain undefeated; topped up South Florida on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 at the Greenville 1 Regional.

As Stanford is left to lament a promising season passing sideways, without a Pac-12 championship title and a shocking early exit from the NCAA tournament, ESPN’s Charlie Cream, Alexa Filippou and Maa Voebel look at what went down in Sunday’s incredible game and what upsets it. To look for the Monday where Sweet 16 ends.

click here For Monday’s schedule – All games are on the ESPN family of networks and the ESPN app. And be sure to check Women’s Championship Challenge Arch.

As good as Ole Miss’s defense was, Stanford’s offense had been a concern for a few weeks. None of the young players rose to the occasion in season-ending losses Utah And University of Californiaand the Cardinal became very dependent on Haley Jones And Cameron Brink. And it all continued on Sunday night as the rest of the team tallied just 13 points (Brink had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Jones had 16 points and eight). Both Americans were not enough.

Filippo: Ole Miss is a defensive-minded team, and it was a standout performance on that end from Coach Yo’s team. The Rebels contested 43 of Stanford’s 52 field goal attempts, including 32 of 37 in the paint and 28 of 32 by Jones and Brink, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Cardinals couldn’t even go into the open floor, as Ole Miss excelled running back into transition. Thanks to the effort, Stanford was never so comfortable offensively, eventually committing more turnovers (21) than field goals made (17), going 10-for-32 in tackles and passing 43-39—which Brink attributed to physical Ole Miss Down Low. Although Stanford was a little more defensive in the second half, Ole Miss paid the Cardinals for their mistakes with 24 points on turnover and went 10-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth.

After the game, Brink said, the Stanford team lacked grit this year, while VanDerveer seemed to think it had something to do with a lack of experience among the backcourt youth. It would be great to see if/how they can improve in those areas while leaving a large deck of The Farm decked out in the off-season.

Voepel: When Ole Miss went to the Sweet 16 in 2007, she did so behind future WNBA player Armintie Price. As the No. 7 seed, these Rebels defeated then-No. 2 – Maryland, then defending national champion, in the second round. Carol Ross was the Rebels coach at the time, and like McPhee-McCuin, she built her team on defense, but they in Price had a real offensive lead, and won that game against the Terps 89-78. They went through to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee.

On Sunday, as Charlie and Alexa point out, this group of rebels basically took the life out of the Stanford attack. The fact that the Rebels went so long without a score in the fourth quarter and still won just goes to show how mind-boggling their defensive dominance was over Stanford.

What is the Ole Miss cap and how does losing Stanford affect what happens in the Seattle 4 Regional?

Generous: yeah You must smile. Not only is the No. 1 seed out of the way now, but the high-scoring Hawkeyes have nothing but defense-oriented, offensively challenging teams left in the region. Not one team left – TexasAnd LouisvilleOle Miss Colorado or duke – will beat Iowa. However, this area could also be an Ole Miss’ for the taking. This entire weekend we’ve been looking for one team to create bracketed mayhem. This team is the rebels. As good as the track looks for Iowa, there isn’t a team left in the Seattle 4 that Ole Miss can’t beat either. But it had been a long time since the No. 8 seed had reached the Final Four.

Voepel: The first time the No. 8 reached the final was in 1992 Missouri. The lowest seed to reach the Final Four on the women’s side is seed No. 9 Arkansas In 1998. However, we are talking about really rare accidents. For Ole Miss to replicate what Missouri State and Arkansas did, the Rebels will need to keep doing what they’ve got so far defensively, but they’ll need to get more offensively. Because in Texas or Louisville, they’re going to be up against a team that can defend like them, but has more offensive options. Of course, if we end up in the Duke-Ole Miss regional final, it could be the first 40-point win.

Filippo: If other teams can replicate what Georgia I did in Iowa on Sunday, which may not bode well for the Hawk family. Stanford had players who knew what it took to win a national championship, but with their elimination, it’s hard to see any of these remaining teams capable of playing in superior fashion to beat a team as hot as Iowa. But, this is why you play games.

If Stanford is going to remain a top Pac-12 and Final Four contender next season, these young players need to develop faster in the offseason than they did this season. Talana Lipolo And India Nevar They did not become the point guards that VanDerveer desperately needed. Jones had to shoulder a lot of that responsibility, and she wouldn’t be there to count on. Replacing Jones’ experience, reliability and production is Mission No. 1.

In addition to lacking a true point guard, Stanford was hit late in the season by a lack of reliable shooters. The best one, Hannah JumpHowever, she was relying heavily on someone getting the ball for her, a problem exacerbated by the point guard problem. Jump plans to return for the extra year she took, but will need help increasing her shooting talents. Brink will be there to build around and be one of the best players in the country, but roster rebuilding and individual development should be a priority over the summer.

Voepel: Stanford played probably its worst game of the 2021-22 season in the National Semifinals losing to Okun. And this is no shade towards the Huskies; Even coach Geno Auriemma said he believes Stanford played subpar for UConn to win.

Now, the Cardinals are out before the National Championship game again — much earlier — but in an even more disappointing fashion. There will be second guessing by Cardinal fans as to why this team is getting worse instead of better as the season progresses.

I’ve wondered for the past three years that Stanford finds the right rotation all the time with so much talent. The chemistry the Cardinals managed to maintain in a pandemic-affected 2020-2021 season — when at one point they spent nine straight weeks away from home — hasn’t carried over the past two seasons. They lost out to leaders who did this at guard like Keana Williams after the 2021 Final and Anna Wilson after the 2022 Final Four.

Which team outside of the top 16 seeds playing Monday has the best chance of advancing to the Sweet 16?

Generous: No. 12 seeds Florida Gulf Coast He might be ready to take another step and get to the first 16 ring. After hitting Virginia Tech In the first round this past March, the Eagles tied a tall and athletic Maryland team, a bad game for how Carl Smisko likes his teams to play. Smesko runs his offense based on analytics that the only good shots are high percentage shutdowns or max value 3 pointers. FGCU led the country in 3-pointers but was also second in 2-point field goal percentage. On Saturday win Washington stateThe Eagles relied heavily on these exercises with great success.

since Villanova Not having a shot-blocking presence inside defenders or long wingers, FGCU should be able to use the same strategy. Villanova also allows its opponents to shoot 33.3% from behind the arc. This ranks 290th in the country. slowing down Maddy SegristThe nation’s leading scorer will pose a challenge for the Eagles, but of the top four seeds who could have tied a game in the second round, Villanova is the better match.

Filippo: both of them Colorado And duke They’re known for their defensive identities, but the Buffaloes can hit 3-pointers in a way Duke simply can’t (Colorado went 13-for-27 from the arc in their first-round win over Middle Tennessee). This may be a low-scoring game, but in situations like this, all it takes is one or two key hits at the right time to win – and the Buffs have a better chance of doing that (perhaps than Jaylen Sherrodfrom Definitely an intense player).

Voepel: I wouldn’t be surprised to see the No. 5 seeds, Louisville and Oklahoma, pull ahead on Monday. Obviously, nobody is far from the top 16, so these won’t be big surprises. And, of course, the Cardinals were one of the Final Four teams last season. And even though they had to go to the wire with No. 12 seed Drake in the first round, credit for that goes to the Bulldogs.