How The Big 12 Women’s Teams Fared In Women’s March Madness 2022
We’re halfway through what has been a crazy 2022 NCAA Women’s Tournament. This tournament marked the first time that the women’s field had 68 teams instead of 64, six of which were from the Big 12.
Baylor, Iowa State, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Kansas State all heard their names called on Selection Sunday. Here’s a look at how each team has done so far in the tournament.
No. 2 Baylor
Baylor finished the regular season on a 10 game winning streak, they rode their strong regular-season finish to the Big 12 Championship game but ultimately fell to Texas 67-58. They showed the committee enough to earn the two seed in the Wichita Region.
The Bears took on 15 seed Hawaii in their first-round matchup cruising to a 40 point win. Baylor had four players score double digits in the 89-49 victory. That win set up a second-round meeting with ten-seed South Dakota.
They ran into a stingy South Dakota defense and struggled from the start. They had just four points in the first quarter putting them into a hole that they never overcame, falling to the Coyotes 61-47.
In their upset loss, Baylor had a 31.5% field goal percentage and only made five of their 26 three-point shots. South Dakota got 20 points off of the Bear’s turnovers and held potential No. 1 WNBA draft pick, NaLyssa Smith, to just 10 points her last game. The loss also ended Baylor’s streak of 12 consecutive trips to the Sweet Sixteen.
No. 2 Texas
Texas came into the tournament with momentum having won the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2003. They secured the two seed in the Spokane Region, setting up a meeting with Fairfield. The Longhorns eased by the Stags with a 70-52 win behind Aaliyah Moore’s double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds).
In the second round, they knocked out 7 seed Utah 78-56 to advance. Moore had another impressive game scoring 21 points, a career-high for the freshman. The Longhorns’ run continues with a matchup against Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen for a chance to take on Maryland or Stanford in the Elite Eight.
No. 3 Iowa State
The Cyclone’s first-round matchup with UT Arlington was a little closer than they would’ve liked but they picked up the 78-71 win. Ashley Joens played every minute scoring 36 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the win.
Iowa State looked much more dominant in their impressive 67-44 win over 6 seed Georgia to secure a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010. They started off hot and finished the game with four players in double figures. Lexi Donarski led the team with 20 while Joens registered 12 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the tournament and 18th on the season.
They’ll take on Creighton next who is looking to continue their Cinderella story run. The Cyclones have the chance to reach the Elite Eight for just the third time in school history and first since 2009.
No. 4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma had an impressive season going 23-7, the most wins for the Sooners since the 2016-17 season. They had a tough first-round matchup against IUPUI but ultimately avoided the upset and advanced, winning that one 78-72.
In the second round they fell in a big way to Notre Dame and their season came to an end with a 64-108 loss to the Fighting Irish. 31 of Notre Dame’s points came off Oklahoma turnovers.
The Sooners season has come to an end but things are looking promising in Norman, Oklahoma.
No. 8 Kansas
Kansas returned to the tournament for the first time since 2013 and started their tournament run with an impressive 77-58 win over 8 seed Georgia Tech in the first round. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, their win set up a meeting with Stanford the defending national champions.
They played Stanford tough but weren’t able to keep up with the Cardinals in the second half. Stanford pulled away, picking up the 91-65 win to end the Jayhawks season.
No. 9 Kansas State
Kansas State is another team that had an impressive turnaround season. They played a tough back-and-forth matchup against Washington State in the first round picking up a 50-40 win to advance. Ayoka Lee led the team with 20 points and 15 rebounds securing her 20th double-double of the season.
In the second round, the Wildcats met one seed NC State but were unable to pull off the upset. They were unable to keep up with the pace of the Wolfpack who pulled away with an 89-57 win.
For Kansas State, it’s a disappointing end to their tournament run but they return all five of their starters next season as they look to return to the Big Dance.
March Madness is a busy time for sports bettors and sports betting apps. The women’s tournament is becoming more popular and has started to show up on a few sportsbooks. Unfortunately for Big 12 fans in Texas, it’s not likely that Texas will launch sports betting apps anytime soon.
