The 2022 women's NCAA tournament bracket, predicted line by line
With the bracket for the 2022 DI women's basketball tournament released Sunday, women's basketball expert Autumn Johnson made her predictions for the 2022 tournament.
Her full breakdown can be viewed in the video above. Below are some of the highlights from Autumn's bracket:
Greensboro region
- First round: No. 13 UNLV over No. 4 Arizona
- Reasoning: “I like UNLV considering the fact they are one of the top-20 offenses in the nation. Arizona has some injuries as of late.”
- First round: No. 11 DePaul over No. 6 Georgia
- Reasoning: “DePaul has one of the No. 1 offenses in the nation and Georgia has had a rollercoaster ride of upsets. So, DePaul could get the best of this matchup.”
- Elite Eight: No. 1 South Carolina over No. 2 Iowa
BRACKET: Check out the entire 2022 DI women's basketball bracket
Spokane region
- First Round: No. 12 FGCU over No. 5 Virginia Tech
- Reasoning: “Virginia Tech has Elizabeth Kitley, but they’ve been plagued with injuries as of late. This is one of the top offenses in the nation with FGCU, so I have them advancing.”
- Elite Eight: No. 1 Stanford over No. 2 Texas
Bridgeport region
- Sweet Sixteen: No. 3 Indiana over No. 2 UConn
- Reasoning: “I feel like UConn is not healthy as of late with Paige Bueckers still trying to get acclimated to the system. So, I have the veteran squad in Indiana advancing to the Elite Eight.”
- Elite Eight: No. 1 NC State over No. 3 Indiana
- Reasoning: “This will set us up for a rematch of the Sweet Sixteen we saw last year. Indiana got the best of this matchup with the upset that sent NC State home early, but I don’t see that happening this year.”
Wichita region
- Second Round: No. 2 Baylor over No. 3 Michigan
- Reasoning: “Last year, Baylor got the best of that matchup in overtime. Earlier this year, Michigan got the best of that matchup, but this time I have Baylor advancing.”
- Elite Eight: No. 2 Baylor over No. 1 Louisville
PICKS: Make your picks for the 2022 tournament
Championship
- No. 1 South Carolina over No. 1 Stanford
- Reasoning: “They (South Carolina) are 11-0 against ranked opponents. They are equipped with the same Final Four squad they had last year, added more depth and this squad is deep and talented.”
2022 March Madness schedule
| GAMES | TIME | TV | CITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Four — Wednesday, March 16 | |||
| No. 16 Incarnate Word vs. No. 16 Howard | 7 p.m. | ESPNU | Columbia, South Carolina |
| No. 11 Dayton vs. No. 11 DePaul | 9 p.m. | ESPNU | Ames, Iowa |
| First Four — Thursday, March 17 | |||
| No. 16 Longwood vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| No. 11 Missouri State vs. No. 11 Florida State | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| First Round — Friday, March 18 | |||
| No. 8 Miami (FL) vs. No. 9 South Florida | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2 | Columbia, South Carolina |
| No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 South Dakota | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Waco, Texas |
| No. 7 Colorado vs. No. 10 Creighton | 1:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Iowa City, Iowa |
| No. 1 South Carolina vs. TBD | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Columbia, South Carolina |
| No. 5 Virginia Tech vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU | College Park, Maryland |
| No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Gonzaga | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Louisville, Kentucky |
| No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 15 Hawai'i | 4 p.m. | ESPN2 | Waco, Texas |
| No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Illinois State | 4 p.m. | ESPN | Iowa City, Iowa |
| No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Delaware | 5 p.m. | ESPNU | College Park, Maryland |
| No. 7 Utah vs. No. 10 Arkansas | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Austin, Texas |
| No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 16 Albany | 6 p.m. | ESPN2 | Louisville, Kentucky |
| No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU | Stanford, California |
| No. 6 Georgia vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Ames, Iowa |
| No. 2 Texas vs. No. 15 Fairfield | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 | Austin, Texas |
| No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 16 Montana State | 10 p.m. | ESPN2 | Stanford, California |
| No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 UT Arlington | 10 p.m. | ESPNU | Ames, Iowa |
| First Round — Saturday, March 19 | |||
| No. 8 Washington State vs. No. 9 Kansas State | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2 | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Mercer | 1 p.m. | ABC | Storrs, Connecticut |
| No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Villanova | 1 p.m. | ESPNN | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 14 Charlotte | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Bloomington, Indiana |
| No. 1 NC State vs. TBD | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| No. 6 Ohio State vs. TBD | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 13 Buffalo | 3 p.m. | ABC | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 American | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| No. 7 UCF vs. No. 10 Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Storrs, Connecticut |
| No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Princeton | 4 p.m. | ESPN | Bloomington, Indiana |
| No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Jackson State | 5 p.m. | ESPNU | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Belmont | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNN | Tucson, Arizona` |
| No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 UMass | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Norman, Oklahoma |
| No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 UNLV | 10 p.m. | ESPN2 | Tucson, Arizona |
| No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 IUPUI | 10 p.m. | ESPNU | Norman, Oklahoma |
