The fourth double-digit seed in the history of the women's tournament, and the 10th seed in the history of the women's tournament, the BlueJays made it to the Elite Eight after demolishing the entire state of Iowa. This March's second-best Cinderella story has overcome 3-seed Iowa State and 2-seed Iowa, along with the nation's top scorer, to win the title.
The Big East men's and women's teams are both regular tournament entrants, but the women have never made it past the round of 32. Things have been clicking this year. The BlueJays can count themselves in the top five teams in the country in both effective field goal percentage and points per scoring attempt, and they have some serious depth on their roster. They lead the nation in assists per game.
They will face South Carolina today, and whether anyone is able to beat the Gamecocks, who have only stumbled twice this season, remains to be seen. It will be the biggest challenge yet for Creighton, and the presence of the BlueJays is indicative of a larger trend that has been overtaking women's ball.
Nine wins from double-digit seeds in the women's tournament this year have been a new record. In a month that used to be predictable, the top five or six teams were far superior to the rest of the field, and then the winner would take home the trophy. The wild upsets and total unpredictability that we were used to seeing in the men's tournament didn't translate to the women.
The push toward parity is gaining steam with six first-round upsets from double-digit seeds. The women's tournament has yet to see a one-seed knocked out, but the men's tournament has already seen three one-seeds go.
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