Lynn Hey/Associated Press
The NC State Wolfpack will try to replicate the dominant performances from the three other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Saturday.
The three top seeds that played on Friday had an average margin of victory of 42.3 points.
NC State rolled through most of the regular season with double-digit wins and is projected to add to that tally against the Longwood Lancers.
The Florida Gators are also looking to follow a trend from teams on their same seed line. A pair of No. 10 seeds picked up wins on Friday.
Florida has some added motivation to join the South Dakota Coyotes and Creighton Bluejays as No. 10 seeds to advance to the second round. The Gators take on their in-state rival, the UCF Knights, with the right to play the Connecticut Huskies on the line.
Saturday Schedule and Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
No. 9 Kansas State (-4) vs. No. 8 Washington State (Over/Under: 117.5) (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 15 Mercer vs. No. 2 UConn (-29.5) (O/U: 120.5) (1 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 11 Villanova vs. No. 6 BYU (-11.5) (O/U: 127) (1 p.m. ET, ESPNNews)
No. 14 Charlotte vs. No. 3 Indiana (-16) (O/U: 123) (1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 16 Longwood vs. No. 1 NC State (-38) (O/U: 139) (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 11 Missouri State vs. No. 6 Ohio State (-5) (O/U: 133) (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
No. 13 Buffalo vs. No. 4 Tennessee (-10) (O/U: 138) (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 14 American vs. No. 3 Michigan (-25) (O/U: 120.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 UCF (-6.5) (O/U: 114.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNNews)
No. 11 Princeton vs. No. 6 Kentucky (-2) (O/U: 127.5) (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 14 Jackson State vs. No. 3 LSU (-13) (O/U: 137) 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
No. 12 Belmont vs. No. 5 Oregon (-11) (O/U: 126.5) (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 12 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 5 North Carolina (-12) (O/U: 128.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNNews)
No. 12 UMass vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (-7.5) (O/U: 139.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 13 UNLV vs. No. 4 Arizona (-12) (O/U: 131) (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 13 IUPUI vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (10 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Predictions
No. 16 Longwood vs. No. 1 NC State (-38)
NC State won its four nonconference contests against mid-major sides by 28 points or more and held each of its last four first-round opponents under 60 points. That streak includes one appearance as a No. 1 seed from last season.
Longwood comes into Raleigh, North Carolina, on a 10-game winning streak, but all of those wins came from the Big South or the First Four.
The Lancers struggled to match the high-major competition they faced early on in the campaign. They suffered a 30-point loss to the Maryland Terrapins and fell by 38 points to the Iowa State Cyclones.
NC State should use a well-rounded offense to pick apart the Longwood defense. The Wolfpack have five players who average over eight points per game in 20 or more minutes per contest.
Look for Elissa Cunane and Diamond Johnson to lead the offensive charge. NC State should overpower Longwood’s tired legs on its home floor to come away with a large margin of victory.
No. 10 Florida (+6.5) vs. No. 7 UCF
Florida is in a rough spot in its attempt to become the third No. 10 seed to advance into the second round.
The Gators enter the NCAA tournament with four losses in their last five games, whereas UCF has not lost since January 22.
If you glance past Florida’s current losing run, though, you will see a squad that has wins over the Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs.
Florida also played to a 12-point loss against the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks and fell in a tight battle versus the LSU Tigers.
Florida is battle-tested and should have extra motivation to be competitive with an in-state rival in UCF.
The Gators have four players who average over 10 points per game, and they could use their experience in SEC play to right their current skid and land a coveted matchup with UConn.
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