Arizona's Aari McDonald reacts after making a three-point basket during the the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 round of the Women's NCAA tournament Saturday, March 27, 2021, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Elite 8 Matchup- Arizona v. Indiana

Both No. 3 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Indiana are feeling elite for the first time in each program’s history. The two teams will face off in the final game of the Mercado Region bracket on Monday night. A spot in the final four is on the line for both teams who have thrived in the month of march and in the tournament in San Antonio. Each with their own passion and tenacity plus a little fun has amounted to both teams playing their best quality basketball at the right time.

https://twitter.com/ncaawbb/status/1375964754829791243

How They Got Here:

Both teams locked down their tickets to the Elite 8 on Saturday. Arizona put together a rather convincing win against Texas A&M. In the 74-59 victory, the Wildcats closed out the Aggies who had a bit of a home state advantage. The Wildcats made a season-high 13 three-pointers in beating Texas A&M, an Arizona NCAA Tournament record. This is the first time Arizona has been in the tournament since 2006. Indiana followed suit with a close margin victory over top seeded North Carolina State. In the 73-70 win over NC State, the Hoosiers capitalized from the free-throw line late in the game to seal the win. The Hoosiers are now 21-5 and winners of 12 of their last 13 games

 

Who To Watch:

Each team’s last outing pressured big time performances from both the Hoosiers and Wildcats. Aarion McDonald’s  contributed 31 point of Arizona’s  74 points in the win against Texas A&M .McDonald is the current Pac-12 Player of the Year  who averages 19.8 points and 5.2 rebounds along with a team-leading 103 assists. Aari’s 31 points are now the most in an NCAA Tournament game by an Arizona player since 2000. She leads the team in made threes per game, making 2.1 three-pointers per game with a 33 percent shooting percentage from the arc.

https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1375993134962860037

In the Hoosiers last performance senior Ali Patberg led the team with 17 points, but more than anything represents an unselfish leader for Indiana. Patberg began at Notre Dame after her acclaimed Indiana Miss Basketball prep career at Columbus North High School. An injury led to her transfer where she now thrives in her home state for here hometown team.  The Hoosiers also being led in tournament play by junior guard Grace Berger who is averaging 16 points per game as well as sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes with 14.

Tune in at 9 p.m. on ESPN as the two teams square off for the chance to clinch their first final four berth in either program’s history.

About Ellory Fuqua

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

https://vimeo.com/198372157 GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Gainesville Boys Basketball Looks For State Success

By Brooke Bastedo and Elizabeth Landen The Gainesville High School Hurricanes boys basketball team is …