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Women's NCAA basketball tournament 2019 bracket predictions

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Miss. St. tapped for No. 1 seed in Portland Region (4:47)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are named the No. 1 seed in the Portland Region of the NCAA women's tournament. (4:47)

The 2019 women's NCAA tournament bracket is out, and while there aren't a ton of surprises in the field of 64, there are plenty of questions before first-round games tip off Friday.

Who has the toughest road to the Final Four in Tampa, Florida? What are some of the thrilling games and potential upsets we might see along the way?

Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel of espnW make their picks and predictions:

Hardest region

Creme: Albany
Hays: Albany
Voepel: Albany

Easiest region:

Creme: Portland
Hays: Chicago
Voepel: Greensboro

Best first-round game

Creme: (8) Central Michigan vs. (9) Michigan State
Hays: (5) Marquette vs. (12) Rice
Voepel: (8) Central Michigan vs. (9) Michigan State

Best potential second-round game

Creme: (3) Maryland vs. (6) UCLA
Hays: (7) Missouri/(10) Drake vs. (2) Iowa
Voepel: (3) Maryland vs. (6) UCLA

Team better than its seed

Creme: (10) Drake
Hays: (12) Rice
Voepel: (6) UCLA

Team worse than its seed

Creme: (7) Rutgers
Hays: (5) Gonzaga (due to injuries)
Voepel: (5) Gonzaga

Biggest snub

Creme: UConn as a No. 2 seed
Hays: Ohio left out of the field
Voepel: Ohio left out of the field

Biggest surprise

Creme: UCF as the last team in the field
Hays: UConn as a No. 2 seed
Voepel: UConn as a No. 2 seed

Possible Cinderella

Creme: BYU (7-seed in Chicago Regional)
Hays: South Dakota State (6-seed in Portland Regional)
Voepel: Rice (12-seed Chicago Regional)

First No. 1 seed to lose

Creme: Louisville
Hays: Louisville
Voepel: Louisville

Most talent in one region

Creme: Albany
Hays: Greensboro
Voepel: Portland

Under-the-radar player

Creme: Reyna Frost, Central Michigan
Hays: Macy Miller, South Dakota State
Voepel: Cierra Dillard, Buffalo

Final Four picks

Creme: Baylor, Oregon, Notre Dame, UConn
Hays: Baylor, Oregon, Notre Dame, UConn
Voepel: Baylor, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, UConn

Predicted champ

Creme: Notre Dame over Baylor
Hays: UConn over Oregon
Voepel: Notre Dame over Baylor