Women’s NCAA tournament 2022 – Sweet 16 picks, predictions and which No. 1 seed will fall first?

The Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball tournament tips off Friday in the Greensboro and Spokane regions. All four No. 1 seeds — the South Carolina Gamecocks, Stanford Cardinal, NC State Wolfpack and Louisville Cardinals — reached the regional semifinals.

But March Madness has had its share of upsets, as two No. 10 seeds, the Creighton Bluejays and South Dakota Coyotes, will play in the Sweet 16 for the first time in their programs’ history.

Can they keep winning? What’s the best game when the next round tips off? Which of the No. 1 seeds faces the toughest challenge? And which teams will leave the Bridgeport, Greensboro, Spokane and Wichita regionals as champions and head to the women’s Final Four in Minneapolis?

ESPN’s Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Mechelle Voepel preview and predict the regionals, and along with Andrea Adelson and Katie Barnes make their game-by-game picks.

Follow this link for a complete look at Friday’s schedule and Saturday’s games, which are all on the ESPN family of networks. Visit this link to check your Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket.

Maryland and Stanford have been two of the most impressive teams so far. What will decide their matchup Friday?

Creme: These are two outstanding offensive teams, and when the Terrapins are clicking, they are a point-producing machine. But Stanford is also an elite defensive team. That, and the Cardinal’s depth, will be the difference.

Her Hoops Stats rates Stanford as the third-best defensive team in the country. Opponents only shoot 36.1% inside the arc against the Cardinal. Stanford is also fourth in the country in blocked shots per game. Cameron Brink and Fran Belibi are hard to score against inside, and Anna Wilson will harass any opposing point guard. Stanford goes nine or 10 deep and can play a multitude of lineup combinations.

Maryland, meanwhile, is a seven-player rotation, and if