Turning It Up in the Tournament

These players did it last year, and they could do it again

Rebecca Prenevost

Mar 10, 2023

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Elizabeth Kitley scored a career-high in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Will she do it again? Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.

NCAA Tournaments are full of great moments: players hitting clutch threes, teams making pivotal defensive stops, and coaches drawing up last-second plays to decide the game with a buzzer-beating shot. Each game in the tournament could be a team’s last, and the pressure is on to win or go home. Amazingly, some players thrive in these intense conditions—rising to the occasion when everything they’ve worked for is on the line and their team needs them the most—and find a way to play one of their best games all season. We highlight a few of the players who did this last year and discuss the potential for them to do it again.

Angel Baker, Ole Miss

After transferring from Wright State, last season’s SEC Sixth Woman of the Year, Angel Baker, averaged 11.1 points off the bench in her first season playing for the Rebels. Even more impressive is that she nearly matched her season-high in Ole Miss’ first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 10 seed South Dakota, putting up 23 points. Although the Coyotes still pulled off a 75-61 upset, the 5-foot-8 guard provided a wonderful glimpse of what she’s capable of, especially in key moments.

Now as a senior, Baker’s game has improved in almost every way, averaging more points (15.1), more rebounds (5.5 vs. 3.1), more assists (2.6 vs. 1.5), and a higher field-goal percentage (45.3 vs. 43.3) compared to last season. She’s also repeatedly shown she can perform in important games. During the regular season, she had 17 points and five rebounds against South Carolina, 21 points and eight rebounds against LSU, and tied her season-high of 25 points in her team’s overtime loss to Auburn.

ESPN’s most recent NCAA Tournament Bracketology projects Ole Miss as an No. 8 seed, but with the end of Baker’s college season on the line, chances are she’ll be doing everything she can to help her team avoid another upset this time around, and that includes putting up big numbers under bright lights.

Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech

Two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley has been remarkably consistent. The 6-foot-6 senior has averaged over 18 points per game on 53 percent shooting or better in each of the past three seasons, scoring 1,967 career points and counting, and making her the all-time leading scorer in Virginia Tech history. But Kitley has also shown the ability to shift into an even higher gear during big games, exemplified by her career-high 42-points during last season’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Florida Gulf Coast University. Although the Hokies didn’t come away with the win that night, all signs point to Kitley turning it up once again for what could be the final stretch of her college career.

In the Hokies’ last four regular season games, Kitley put up a 20-point double-double in each of them, including a last-second turn-around jumper against the University of North Carolina to snag the Hokies a 61-59 victory. It was her 10th 20-point double-double against ACC opponents this season; all other players in the ACC have combined for just nine such games. And this past weekend, Kitley helped Virginia Tech clinch its first-ever ACC Tournament championship with a 20-point, five-rebound performance in a 75-67 win over Louisville, including two clutch free throws in the final seconds of the game.

With Virginia Tech ranked No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll and a projected No. 1 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology, Kitley has a chance to make even more history if she can help the Hokies get past the Sweet Sixteen. As a player on the watchlists for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Wade Trophy, and Lisa Leslie Award as well as a potential first-round WNBA draft pick, there’s no question Kitley will be leaving it all on the court to prevent another premature exit for the Hokies from the tournament.

Kennady McQueen, Utah

Last season with the Utes, McQueen had a relatively solid year, averaging 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. However, the 5-foot-10 guard turned it up several notches when her team reached NCAA Tournament play, scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds in Utah’s first-round game against Arkansas and putting up 18 points and corralling four rebounds in the Utes’ second-round game against Texas. If McQueen can produce similar performances this year, she’ll improve her team’s chances of making it all the way to Dallas for the team’s first-ever Final Four appearance.

With a 25-4 record, Utah is currently ranked eighth in the latest AP Top 25 Poll and is projected as a No. 2 seed in the latest bracketology. And McQueen has been a key piece in helping her team get there. On a stacked roster, she ranks fourth in points (9.3) and 3-point percentage (37.3), and she leads the team in steals (1.1) per game. She’s also shown she’s capable of elevating her game on certain nights, putting up 16 points against Oregon and 17 points against USC.

McQueen’s speed, toughness, and competitiveness have repeatedly benefitted her in high-pressure games in the past. Now able to couple that with more experience and increased confidence, McQueen should rise to the occasion once again when Utah begins tournament play next week.

Diamond Miller, Maryland

Last season, Miller missed 10 of the first 12 games due to a knee injury and took some time to fully recover even after she returned to the lineup. Although the crafty 6-foot-3 guard was still able to average 13.1 points and 4.0 rebounds during the season, she amped up her production during the NCAA Tournament, averaging 19.3 points and 4.6 rebounds during the Terps’ run to the Sweet Sixteen.

Since then, the potential WNBA lottery pick has repeatedly shown she’s able to perform when the stakes are high. This season, Miller has had twelve 20-plus point games, including the game where she scored 31 points, had 12 rebounds, and hit a heavily contested pull-up at the buzzer to secure a 74-72 victory against then-No. 7 Notre Dame. She also put up a great fight in the Terps’ Big Ten Tournament loss against the eventual champion, Iowa, contributing 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks.

With a 25-6 record, Maryland is currently ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 Poll, and ESPN’s latest bracketology projects the Terps as a second seed in the NCAA Tournament. Miller has been a major factor in getting the Terps to where they are, leading the team in points (19.7), rebounds (6.5), blocks (1.3), and steals (2.1). But for the team to make it all the way to Dallas, it’ll be important for Miller to continue to play her highest level of basketball, especially as the pressure to perform increases with each and every game.

Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado

As a junior last season, Sherrod put up some very respectable numbers, averaging 8.1 points and 3.8 assists per game. But the 5-foot-7 guard elevated her performance to another stratosphere in NCAA Tournament play, scoring a career-high 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting while dishing out five assists and pulling down five rebounds during the Buffaloes’ first-round game against Creighton. Although Creighton was still able to come away with the upset, Sherrod’s performance was a harbinger for things to come.

Now a senior, nearly every aspect of Sherrod’s game has gotten better. She’s averaging more points (11.2) and a better field-goal percentage (40.9 vs. 35.8), and currently leads the Pac-12 Conference in assists (5.0) and steals (2.5), earning her a spot on the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. She’s also shown she can perform when the pressure is on, recently scoring 19 points in a double-overtime loss against Stanford—including making the game-tying basket with 23 seconds left in regulation—and filling the stat sheet during the Buffaloes’ Pac-12 Tournament loss to Washington State, with 13 points, five rebounds, six assists, and six steals.

Although the latest AP Top 25 Poll ranks Colorado at No. 20 and recent Bracketology projects the team as a No. 5 seed, odds are Sherrod will be digging deep when it really matters to try to propel her team back to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2003.

As tournament play begins, there’s no doubt many players will be ratcheting up their play, but these players’ history of doing it in the past, makes it that much more exciting to see if they can do it again.

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