NCAAW: Harvard-Michigan State highlights second day of tournament

Early round upsets, at least in comparison to men’s March Madness, are a bit of a rarity in the women’s game. Because players can’t go one-and-done, the top teams accumulate talent that spreads across different graduating classes, making it that much harder for double-digit seeds make noise.

Although we may not see any of the top-seeded teams face a real threat until the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, here are some matchups that deserve your time on day two of the first round:

No. 8-seed Cal vs. No. 9-seed Mississippi State

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Cal was able to hang around with No. 8 Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament, an encouraging sign after being routed by the Irish 91-52 in February. That’s how a couple of marquee matchups have played out for the Golden Bears this year. They’ve been absolutely smothered a few too many times for comfortability, but went 25-8 in a good ACC conference. They don’t project to be a team to make noise beyond the first round, but they have a high likelihood of giving the people a good game to watch amongst a pile of blowouts.

Mississippi State is pretty similar to Cal. They’re not a great team, but they’re good enough to present an entertaining product. They may be marginally over-seeded because of a 13-1 start to non-conference play. Since that start, the Bulldogs are 8-10. They rebound the heck out of the ball and finish well inside the paint, but their offense is inflated by a high pace. They haven’t proved anything to anyone since November, but anything can happen in March. Cal will be a good warmup to see whether the Bulldogs can reignite their fall flame. This one tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

No. 7-seed Michigan State vs. No. 10-seed Harvard

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When writing this headline, I accidentally typed “Michigan State vs. Harmoni Turner.” That should tell you how good the Harvard senior guard is. In the Ivy League semifinal, she dropped a calm 44 points on fellow tournament team Princeton. The game before that, she shot 14-for-17 from 2-point range en route to 33 points and six assists against Dartmouth. The rest of Harvard’s roster is pretty average, but to be honest, it’s hard to stand out when playing with a generational talent, especially for the Ivy League.

When the game begins at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN News), Michigan State will be ready for Turner—the question is more-so whether whatever strategy they devise will work. The Spartans are more physical and have three players averaging over 13 points per game in comparison to Harvard’s one. Stops will be at a premium for the Crimson. Michigan State has played better competition this season and has more tournament experience than Harvard—but Harmoni Turner has something to prove. She chose to stay in the Ivy League despite getting calls from Power Four schools, and now she gets to show herself on the world stage.

No. 6-seed Florida State vs. No. 11-seed George Mason

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George Mason, entering the postseason with only five losses, has outscored opponents by 544 points this season. They average the ninth-fewest turnovers in the NCAA and shoot at the 20th-best clip from the 3-point line. Analytics love the Patriots. The only tournament team they’ve faced this year was No. 4-seed Maryland, who beat them just by 10 points. An upset win over Florida State, coming off two straight losses, is absolutely in the cards.

What Florida State has is talent. Talent by the name of Ta’Niya Latson. What is there to say about Latson that hasn’t already been said? First in the country in points per game. Second in the country in points produced. First in the country in usage. Gets to the free throw line 13 times a game, and makes 11 of them. The Seminoles lose 75 percent of their games when Latson is held to under 20 points, but she’s only failed to reach that mark four times in 27 games this season. Shutting her down is a fairytale. Florida State vs. George Mason, which is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET (ESPN2), will be one of two things: an entertaining potential upset, or a litmus test of how far Latson may be able to carry the Seminoles in March.

No. 1-seed Texas vs. No. 16-seed William & Mary

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William & Mary, a No. 16 seed, likely will not beat No. 1-seed Texas when they meet in Austin at 9:45 p.m. ET (ESPN2), but they’re one of the more amazing stories this March and are worth a watch. The Tribe finished the regular season at a disappointing 11-18 record, losing seven of their last eight games. Then, they won four games in four days to steal the CAA conference title. They carried their momentum into the First Four, beating 21-11 High Point by six. Doing the impossible is, well, impossible for a reason, but it’s always fun to root for.