The Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers both advanced to the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday. Here are our recaps of their second round games:
No. 8 seed Ole Miss Rebels over No. 1 seed Stanford Cardinal 54-49
In arguably the upset of the tournament, Ole Miss downed No. 1 seed Stanford in a tight game that came down in the closing seconds when Madison Scott stole the ball from Haley Jones and won with a pair of free throws. .
Ole Miss quickly established itself as not only a formidable underdog team but a force of nature that would be difficult to deal with. They went on an 11–6 run and remained in control, never trailing throughout the game.
Stanford was never behind and always felt like they were minutes away from taking control of the game. Cameron Brink was excellent defending the basket. He had monster block after monster block, ending his night with 20 points and 13 rebounds with seven.
All the credit for this victory goes to the rebels. They forced Stanford into uncomfortable situations and held them to account for 21 turnovers with their defense. Cardinal guard Haley Jones struggled with a suffocating defense, which committed five turnovers.
When Ole Miss needed a basket, their guard combos of Angel Baker and Marquesha Davis were there to deliver. Both finished the night with double digits and four rebounds. In the fourth quarter, with the game still hanging in the balance, Davis hit a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game and put Stanford away for good. Another Jones turnover on the inbounds play and the upset was fully felt. Stanford put up a great effort, but Ole Miss was the better team. They will face the winner of Louisville vs. Texas in the Sweet Sixteen.
No. 3 seed LSU Tigers over No. 6 seed michigan wolverines66-42
Angel Reese and company took care of Michigan fairly quickly thanks to a dominant performance in the first half. LSU held Michigan to under nine points in the first two quarters, giving them a 15-point advantage entering the second half.
LSU never let him back in the game and Reese was a big reason why. He had 25 points, 24 rebounds and six blocks. It’s hard to think how she could have been more impressive.
Angel Reese in 66-42 win vs. 6 seed Michigan: 25 points on 8-23 shooting, 9-11 from the FT line, 24 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 6 blocks in 37 minutes (sixth 20-20 game this season) In. 30th double double this season. leads the nation in both categories) pic.twitter.com/Exs0pLUAWq
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) March 20, 2023
Now Sweet Sixteen bound, LSU faces Utah. This will be the first game of the tournament where they will be the underdogs. Could they be upset? We know he has the star power to make noise, but it’s going to be difficult. Kim Mulkey may consider playing more than six players in his rotation against the Utes. He only played six significant minutes against Michigan.
