SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Well, just like everybody predicted: an all-orange regional final here in South Dakota.
Uh, yeah, we're kidding ... very few people figured we'd get No. 7 seed Tennessee and No. 4 seed Syracuse playing for a trip to Indianapolis. But that's what will be happening Sunday.
The Lady Vols punched their ticket to the Elite Eight with a 78-62 upset of No. 3 seed Ohio State. Tennessee defeated the No. 2 seed, Arizona State, in the second round. But the Lady Vols won't have to face the top seed, their fellow SEC team South Carolina, because the Gamecocks were upset by Syracuse in Friday's first game here at the Denny Sanford Premiere Center.
For all the ups and downs Tennessee has been through this season, this Sweet 16 game was actually pretty routine. The Lady Vols took a big lead after the first quarter, and then were able to maintain the lead the rest of the way.
How the game was won: A powerful opening quarter set the tone for Tennessee, which outscored Ohio State 23-10 in the first 10 minutes. And while the Buckeyes bounced back with 25 points in the second quarter, Tennessee had 20 of its own.
Player of the game: Center Mercedes Russell really seemed to come into her own in the second-round game at Arizona State, and that was just a prelude for how good she would be on Friday. Russell had career-high 25 points and tied her career best with 15 rebounds. She made 12 of 16 shots.
Turning point: Believe it or not, it was before the game even started. When Ohio State's Cait Craft suffered a broken hand in practice Tuesday, it really hurt the Buckeyes. She has been such a big part of their ability to move the ball on offense and such a tough, gritty defender that her absence limited some of the things the Buckeyes can usually do. Tennessee played so well, it may not have changed the outcome if the Buckeyes would have had Craft. But it hurt them that they didn't.
X factor: The Tennessee team defense was very good against Ohio State star Kelsey Mitchell, who was limited to 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Tennessee guard Te'a Cooper, who was a big part of that defense, also had 16 points.
Stat of the game: The Tennessee interior ruled this game. Along with Russell's big night, forward Bashaara Graves had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and pulled down 14 rebounds. Plus, forward Jamie Nared had nine points and 11 rebounds.
What's next: Tennessee will face No. 4 seed Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday for a trip to the Women's Final Four. Ohio State's season ended at 26-8.