Women’s March Madness
Final Four picks: LSU, South Carolina, UConn, and Notre Dame
Winner: UConn
Dark horses: Kentucky, Duke… LSU?
Players to watch: Georgia Amoore (Kentucky), Chloe Kitts (South Carolina), Aneesah Morrow (LSU), Juju Watkins (USC), and the trio of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Sarah Strong (UConn).
I picked UConn to win the tournament last year, but they were eliminated by Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the Final Four. This year is different though.
The Huskies beat the reigning champions, South Carolina 87-58, snapping their 71-game home winning streak. That win really cemented the Huskies as a championship contender.
Three seed LSU is also somewhat of a dark horse. Their 3 headed monster of Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Mikaylah Williams were all named 2025 AP All-Americans.
Johnson didn’t play at all during the SEC tournament, and Morrow got injured late in their semi-final game against Texas. The two have been rehabbing their lower body injuries and are expected to return for the tournament.
My personal favorite dark horse is Kentucky at the four seed. In his first season at the helm, head coach Kenny Brooks won National Coach of the Year honors, and he recruited All-American Georgia Amoore, along with SEC Defensive Player of the year Clara Strack, to join his program.
While I may be biased because she’s my favorite player, Amoore is the best point guard in the nation and she’s proven that she can carry her team deep.
The Sweet 16 is where the first big challenge comes for Kentucky. It’s very likely they’re going to play USC, who is the one seed in their region.
USC is led by the star sophomore guard who is arguably the best player in the nation, Juju Watkins. They’re one of the best teams in the tournament, and a favorite in many people’s brackets to win it all. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other two teams I have picked to make it to the final four, in South Carolina and Notre Dame.
The South Carolina Gamecocks are the defending national champions, and they swept the SEC Regular-Season and Tournament championships for the third-straight season.
They also have the depth to repeat, as they lead the nation with 41.5 bench points per game.
On the other hand, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were also one of the favorites to win the national championship this season, but due to a late season slump they fell to the three seed.
This season, Notre Dame has double-digit wins over third ranked UConn, fourth ranked USC, fifth ranked Texas and seventh ranked Duke.
This tournament is going to be absolutely electric to watch, and I can’t wait to see who comes out on top. (It will be UConn)
More Stories
Baseball starts to build confidence
They were down but they weren’t out. VTSU Castleton ,after a tough 4-1 loss in gane one of a double header against RPI, came back in game 2twofrom a 3-9 deficit to win the game 15-9. The Engineers took the lead in the 4th inning with two home runs to make the game 2-0, but […]
Wrestling season comes to a tough end
After a phenomenal season filled with dominant performances and high expectations, the Castleton Spartans wrestling team concluded its season in disappointing fashion. Despite their hard work and dedication, the team fell short of their own expectations, leaving the program as a whole reflecting on what went wrong. Head coach Scott Legacy wasn’t happy about the […]
Softball kicks off season in Myrtle Beach
The Vermont State University woman’s softball team started their season off in Myrtle beach. Playing 7 teams and 8 games they finished the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. The Vermont State University Castleton softball team had an eventful series of games at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic […]
The Lindgren Effect
Graduating senior, Maddie Lindgren, leaves her mark on Spartan soccer with an award. One of the most prestigious honors an athlete can receive is not only having their name etched onto an award but having an award named after them. At VTSU Castleton, few awards bear the names of former students, and those who have […]
MLB season is here
The arrival of spring generally means warmer weather, longer days, and the blooming of flowers, but to a baseball fan, it’s a new beginning. As someone who grew up a New York Mets fan, everyone usually chuckles when they hear me say “This will be our year”. They know that I say that every year, […]
Skiers have solid showing at Nationals
The Spartan ski teams returned from the 2025 USCSA National Ski Championship last week with impressive finishes across multiple events. The event was held at Mount Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, where the teams faced the top universities from across the country. “It feels good to be back,” said Christopher Eder, head alpine ski coach at […]