If the Iowa Women’s Basketball team is going to make their third Final Four in four seasons, they’ll have to go through the Sacramento 4 Region to do it. The path isn’t an easy one, but the Hawkeyes have proven to be one of the top teams in the country, entering the NCAA Tournament with a 26-6 overall record and a 15-6 mark against teams in the field of 68. Can South Carolina do what everyone expects and make their sixth consecutive Final Four? Can TCU or Oklahoma make some noise and knock off one of the top seeds to make the Elite Eight? Are there any other upsets in store?

HawkeyeReport takes a closer look at the Sacramento 4 Region to see what this section of the bracket might have in store.

The Sacramento 4 Region Bracket

Sacramento 4 Region Schedule

THURSDAY

Time (CT)GameTV6:00pm(16) Samford vs (16) SouthernESPN28:00pm(10) Arizona State vs (10) VirginiaESPN2

FRIDAY

Time (CT)GameTV11:00am(14) UC San Diego at (3) TCUESPN1:30pm(6) Washington vs (11) South Dakota StateESPNEWS6:30pm(5) Michigan State vs (12) Colorado StateESPNEWS9:00pm(13) Idaho at (4) OklahomaESPN

SATURDAY

Time (CT)GameTV12:00pm(16) TBD at (1) South CarolinaABC12:30pm(7) Georgia vs TBDESPN22:30pm(8) Clemson vs (9) USCESPN23:00pm(15) Fairleigh Dickinson at (2) IowaESPN

Efficiency Rankings

Using the pre-tournament numbers from Torvik, here is how the Sacramento 4 Region ranks in adjusted overall, offensive and defensive efficiency

TeamOverallOffensiveDefensiveSouth Carolina (1)443Iowa (2)91710TCU (3)152013Oklahoma (4)142111Michigan State (5)221239Washington (6)192420Georgia (7)323628Clemson (8)495846USC (9)20399Arizona State (10)459015Virginia (10)402974South Dakota State (11)524282Colorado State (12)708360Idaho (13)8910375UC San Diego (14)112122117Fairleigh Dickinson (15)128126158Southern (16)231289122Samford (16)271225318

Sacramento 4 Region Shot Charts

Sacramento 4 Region Mini Previews

(1) South Carolina (31-3) – The Gamecocks, along with UConn, run women’s basketball, having made the Final Four in five consecutive seasons, including two national titles. South Carolina is a heavy favorite to come out of this region and make it to another Final Four. They’ve got scoring depth, with five players averaging 10.0+ points per game, while they rank fifth in points per possession allowed. After falling outside the top 60 in three-point percentage last year, they’re back inside the top ten, which is where they were when they won the ’24 championship.

(2) Iowa (26-6) – One of the biggest surprises of the season, Vanderbilt (19) and Iowa (21) are the only two in the top eight that ranked outside the preseason AP Top 15. As always, the Hawkeyes are one of the most efficient teams in the country, ranking 8th in effective field goal percentage, led by budding star center Ava Heiden. After a three-game slide, Jan Jensen’s squad enters the tournament having won eight of its last nine games. They have the wins to back up their seeding, with the second-best average NET ranking of opponents defeated.

(3) TCU (29-5) – Head coach Mark Campbell has been a portal wizard, quickly turning the Horned Frogs into a program to be reckoned with. TCU advanced to the second weekend for the first time in program history last season and are looking to get back there again. Their top six in minutes played are transfers, led by All-American guard Olivia Miles (Notre Dame) and forward Marta Suarez (California). They shoot it at a high level, ranking 5th in the country in two-point percentage and 23rd in three-point percentage, while their defense leads the country in effective field goal percentage.

(4) Oklahoma – Last season, head coach Jennie Baranczyk led the Sooners to their first Sweet 16 in four seasons but fell to eventual champ UConn. If they want to make it further, like last year, they’ll have to go through a team that can win it all. The Sooners are a balanced scoring team, with five averaging in double figures, led by freshman Aaliyah Chavez (18.4 ppg) and All-American center Raegan Beers (15.7 ppg). They play at the fastest pace in the country, averaging a sizzling 81.4 possessions per 40, but they still are 11th nationally in defensive efficiency. Prior to their loss to LSU in the SEC quarterfinals, OU had won six in a row, and they have an OT win over South Carolina on their resume. Maybe we see a rematch in the Sweet 16.

(5) Michigan State – It was a promising start to the season for MSU, reaching as high as 12th in the AP Poll at 17-1, but they faded down the stretch, losing seven of their last 12 games. That cost them a chance to host. Their offense operates at a high-level, ranking top 20 in five different categories. However, the defense has been an issue, ranking 303rd in two-point percentage and 311th in three-point percentage. During that 5-7 finish, MSU ranks 360th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

(6) Washington – The Huskies have been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team this season. On some nights, they look like a Sweet 16 team and a few nights later they look a first round exit is possible. It’s the three wins over top five seeds that catches your eye. They’re top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency, while they have three players, Sayvia Sellers, Avery Howell and Elle Ladine that can go off on any night. They’ve struggled to force turnovers (301st), which forces them to get straight up defensive stops.

(7) Georgia – Historically, Georgia has a strong program, with 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, but they haven’t made the second weekend since 2013. Former Hawkeye Katie Abrahamson-Henderson nearly led the Bulldogs to an upset at Carver in ’23 and they might just get another shot this time around. After a 14-0 start against a light non-conf slate, UGA went 8-9 in SEC play, but notched wins over Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Ole Miss. Georgia Tech transfer Dani Carnegie leads her formal rival, averaging 18.1 points per game.

(8) Clemson – Another program trending in the right direction, head coach Shawn Poppie has the Tigers in the field in his second season. The Tigers previously had one March Madness trip since the ’02 season (2019). They’re decent on both ends of the floor, ranking top 60 in offense and top 50 in defense, including ranking 9th nationally in defensive rebounding. Georgia Tech transfer Rusne Augustinaite is third in the ACC in made threes (80). The Tigers do have notable wins over Duke and Notre Dame.

(9) USC – The Trojans are a team that, talent wise, is much better than the seed that they received. They’ve got a strong defense (9th nationally) and a solid offense (39th), is led by a mix of freshman and veterans. Jazzy Davidson won Big Ten Freshman of the Year, which gives the Trojans a ton of excitement for next season with JuJu Watkins is healthy again. They enter the tournament trending the wrong way, on a four-game losing streak, giving up 80.5 per game. When they put it together they can be dangerous, including wins over Iowa, NC State, Illinois and some close losses.

(10) Arizona State – In her first season as head coach, Molly Miller is taking the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament for their first appearance since 2019. Their top five in minutes played and 83.5% of their scoring came from the transfer portal. Another example of how the portal can quickly change a program’s outlook. The ASU defense ranks 15th in defensive efficiency, which is spearhead by chaos, ranking 38th in forced turnover rate. After a 15-0 start, the Sun Devils went 9-10 in the second half and have really struggled from three-point range, ranking 310th in three-point shooting since January 1st.

(10) Virginia – The Cavaliers got off to a 13-3 start, but went just 6-8 down the stretch, which made their Selection Sunday very nervy. They’re offense runs completely through guard Kymora Johnson who is the only double-digit scorer on the roster, averaging 19.0 points per game. During that poor closing stretch, the UVA defense really struggled, ranking outside the top 250 in effective field goal percentage, forced turnover rate and third-to-last in three-point defense. Still, they proved to be very dangerous, notching wins over Notre Dame and Louisville.

(11) South Dakota State – A powerhouse in the Summit League, the Jackrabbits are making their fifth NCAA Tournament in the last six seasons. For the majority of the year, NDSU looked like the favorite, but SDSU beat them in Fargo and then won by double-digits in the Summit League final. Forward Brooklyn Meyer is one of the best mid-major players out there, putting up 20+ points in 20 games this season, including a 44-point game against Oral Roberts. They’re top 5 in the country in two-point percentage and top 30 in three-point shooting.

(12) Colorado State – After four-straight 20+ win seasons without an NCAAT trip, head coach Ryun Williams has led the Rams to their first March Madness appearance since 2016. Indiana transfer Lexus Bargesser won Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, averaging 15.2 points per game. They lead the country in fewest turnovers per game (10.6) and enter the tournament riding a nine-game winning streak.

(13) Idaho – Back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, the Vandals have won 21 of their last 22 games, including avenging their only loss during that stretch, defeating Montana State in the Big Sky Tournament championship. They rely on a balanced attack, with five players averaging 8.0+ points per game. Meanwhile, they’re 75th in defensive efficiency, ranking 10th in two-point percentage and 11th in defensive rebounding. They do have 6’5 center Lorena Barbosa to match up against OU’s Raegan Beers.

(14) UC San Diego – How about the Tritons? They’ve been eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament for two seasons since their move to DI and they’re 2-for-2 in winning the Big West autobid. They dominate the turnover battle, with Big West Defensive Player of the Year Makayla Rose leading a UCSD defense that ranks 36th in forced turnover rate, while their offense ranks 18th in turnover rate.

(15) Fairleigh Dickinson – The Knights absolutely rolled through the NEC, winning all 21 games they played. The bad news is that it doesn’t mean a whole lot because the NEC ranks 31st in the NET out of 31 conferences. FDU played just two games against Q1-3 teams, falling to Notre Dame (98-52) and Purdue (67-58) in the first two games of the season. FDU does rank 9th in the country in made threes per game and 18th in offensive rebounding.

(16) Southern (19-13) – You can’t say that the Jaguars haven’t been tested, as they played a normal SWAC non-conference slate, with nine games against P4 opponents. Southern started 12-4 in conference play, but after losing their final two, they avenged those losses in the SWAC semis and championship. The Jags rely heavily on their defense that ranks top 15 in forced turnover rate, while their offense ranks 289th in adjusted efficiency.

(16) Samford (16-18) – One of stories that makes March great, the Bulldogs, at one point, were just 8-16, but they’ve won eight of their last ten, including three games in three days to win the SoCon Tournament. Even though they’ve played well as of late, Samford ranks outside the top 200 in offense and outside the top 300 in defense. They do rank 11th in three-point attempt rate and top 30 in made threes per game.