Half of the Sweet 16 of the 2022 women’s NCAA tournament is set, but after one of the most unpredictable opening days of the second round in recent memory, it’s not the lineup most predicted. For the first time since 2016, a pair of top-two seeds went out in the first two rounds, and the regional semifinals will include at least two double-digit seeds for the first time since 2018. Iowa Hawkeyes sophomore Caitlin Clark and Baylor Bears senior NaLyssa Smith, two of the leading candidates for national player of the year, are out of the tournament. Sunday was a wild day.
The 10th-seeded Creighton Bluejays got it started by shutting down the best offense in the country and eliminating red-hot Iowa. Then the No. 10-seeded South Dakota Coyotes led from start to finish and thoroughly dominated Baylor.
This year’s eight wins by double-digit seeds in the first two rounds ties the NCAA…
