Rebecca Lobo, Andraya Carter explain why Albany 2 Region could be the toughest in Women's NCAA Tournament

As expected, after winning the Big Ten Tournament last week, Iowa will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as a No. 1 seed in the Albany 2 Region. Looking farther down the bracket, though, the Hawkeyes don’t have an easy path to the Final Four by any stretch.

UCLA is the No. 2 seed on that side of the bracket while defending national champion LSU checked in as the No. 3 seed. Kansas State also wound up in that group as the No. 4 seed. That means there’s no shortage of competition the Albany 2 Region as the teams look to make their pushes to the national championship.

In fact, ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo and Andraya Carter considered it the toughest of the four quadrants.

“I mean, the strength of the top four teams in this bracket is incredible,” Lobo said. “Especially if you’re looking at it from Iowa’s point of view. UCLA’s your 2-seed, certainly a national championship contender. LSU as your 3, but the reigning national champion – the team that beat you in the national championship game.

“And then K-State, again, if all seeds hold. K-State and Iowa have already played twice this year. They split, in terms of Iowa lost at home and Iowa beat them on a neutral court. … Holy cow, this region’s tough.”

As Bracketologist Charlie Creme pointed out, LSU was also a No. 3 seed last tournament. The Tigers managed to go on a run and win the whole thing in Kim Mulkey’s second season as head coach.

But Carter put the level of competition into perspective by referencing her Final Four picks before the bracket reveal. She thought UCLA and LSU were both capable of punching tickets to Cleveland. The fact that they’re in the same region, she said, showed it won’t be easy for any team to come out of that group of teams.

“Listen, I have UCLA and LSU in my Final Four,” Carter said. “So when you talk about these two teams being in the same region, this is definitely going to be a tough battle. Watching those two teams potentially go against each other with the size inside and the dynamic guards on the outside is going to be really impressive.”

It’s shaping up to be the most exciting region in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and games get underway this week as the push toward the national championship begins.