There was plenty of madness in the men's NCAA Tournament, but if you go back and look at how the women reached their Final Four, you'll see a ton of odd-looking upsets.
The second of the Final Four games pits the No. 4 Syracuse Orange up against the No. 7 Washington Huskies.
NCAA Tournament Odds at BookMaker.eu
Syracuse Orange -1.5
Washington Huskies +1.5
Over/Under 142.5
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Both of these teams got some favors along the way, but it's tough to argue with either one having earned their spot in Indianapolis for the Final Four.
The Orange used a hot-shooting offense to put at least 73 points on the board in each of their tourney games. They did avoid having to play No. 5 Florida in the second round, drawing No. 12 Albany instead, and though they didn't have to play No. 2 Arizona State out of the Sioux Falls Region, they did have to take care of No. 7 Tennessee, and most figured that the Lady Vols were going to triumph in that one.
Penn was supposed to provide Washington with a really tough 7/10 matchup in the opening round of the Lexington Region, but the Huskies would not relent. They knocked off the Quakers by a dozen in route to wins over Maryland, Kentucky and Stanford. It should be noted that the top seed in the Lexington Region, Notre Dame was dismissed by Stanford, though the Lady Cardinal have a great history in this tournament as well and were not easy to beat.
HOW THE SYRACUSE ORANGE CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Orange have improved their shooting dramatically over the course of this season, and they've continued to dump more and more points on their foes as this tournament has gone by. The offensive stats won't blow you away for Syracuse, as it only shot 37.3 percent from the field for the whole season and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.
However, the 'Cuse turn defense into offense. They force a whopping 24.2 turnovers per game, including 12.8 steals per game.
Alexis Peterson has had a fantastic season, and she's been unstoppable in this tournament. She's averaging 16.1 points per game, including 18 per game in the dance, and she'll be crucial towards Syracuse's chances of reaching the National Championship Game.
HOW THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Kelsey Plum is going to have to be a superstar in this game for the Lady Huskies. She's averaging 26.2 points per game this season, and she and Chantel Osahor combined to score 50 in the upset of Stanford in the Elite Eight.
If there's a concern here for the Huskies, it's on the glass. They were outdone 39-37 on the boards against the Cardinal, and though that isn't all that bad, allowing 17 offensive rebounds again in this game as was the case versus Stanford will be a fatal stat.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Osahor should have a big advantage on the boards, but she's really the only great rebounder U-Dub brings to the table. The Orange don't have elite rebounders either, but they've rebounded the ball incredibly well in this tournament, and in a game where the pace is sure to be very high, whichever team can hit the glass the hardest is very likely to win.
That's why we prefer Syracuse in this one. The Orange might not have the best player on the court, but if Plum is even remotely slowed down, we think Washington is in a lot of trouble.
Syracuse 77, Washington 70
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Syracuse Orange and Washington Huskies will go down Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
