1 possible fatal flaw for top women's NCAA tourney contenders

A number of schools have a realistic shot at cutting down the nets at the women's Final Four in Tampa in April.

It's a stark change to the last few campaigns, where it seemed like a foregone conclusion that South Carolina would be the last team standing. The Gamecocks have dropped more games this season than the last two years combined.

But South Carolina isn't the only team to expose weaknesses.

Here's one potentially fatal flaw for each of this season's top contenders, including the defending champs.

UCLA: Turnovers

One of UCLA's underlying issues amid its winningest campaign has been turnovers. The Bruins are 229th with 15.3 turnovers per game and have coughed up the ball as many times as their opponents. Four different players are turning the ball over multiple times per contest, including star center Lauren Betts, who ranks 19th in the Big Ten with 78 turnovers.

UCLA's inability to take care of the rock reared its ugly head during its three matchups versus USC. The Bruins went 1-2 against their crosstown rivals, averaging 20 turnovers in those contests and surrendering 20 points per game off those miscues.

South Carolina: Paint defense

The biggest question about South Carolina entering the season was the absence of a true rim-protector. Kamilla Cardoso's departure to the WNBA left a void in the middle. Ashlyn Watkins seemed to fill it - until she suffered a season-ending torn ACL in January.

Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards, and Sania Feagin have all done a tremendous job supplying South Carolina with consistent offense and rebounding. However, none of them have deterred opponents from attacking the rim. That's been a common theme in each of South Carolina's defeats this season. Texas had 40 points in the paint in its win over the Gamecocks last February, while UConn posted 36 in its 29-point blowout at Colonial Life Arena.

UConn: No true center

Geno Auriemma spent the entire campaign looking for an answer at the five. The Hall of Fame coach started Ice Brady for the first 12 contests of the season, then swapped her midseason for Jana El Alfy. Neither player made a significant impact, forcing Auriemma to frequently use smaller lineups featuring freshman Sarah Strong at center.

UConn was able to sacrifice frontcourt size in a Big East that largely lacks skilled bigs. That won't be the case in the NCAA Tournament, where the Huskies are bound to face a low-post scorer. El Alfy and Brady boast size, but it remains to be seen if either will be able to deliver the defensive physicality needed to counter such a threat.

USC: Bench scoring

What's the plan when JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen don't have it going? USC's star duo shot a combined 35.4% from the field in its three defeats this season, including a 3-of-20 clip from deep for Watkins. The Trojans also got zero bench points when they fell to Notre Dame in late November. Lindsay Gottlieb's second unit has improved over the year, but it remains an area of concern heading into March Madness.

USC ranks 192nd in bench scoring (16.8), with freshman Avery Howell accounting for approximately 40% of that production. Sophomore guard Malia Samuels wasn't much of a factor until the Big Ten Tournament, while backup center Clarice Akunwafo has primarily served as a defensive specialist. First-year guard Kayleigh Heckel provides the team with pace and relieves some of the ball-handling duties from Watkins. However, Heckel has struggled immensely over the past month and played just nine minutes in the conference tournament, including a DNP-CD for the final versus UCLA.

Texas: Shortage of 3-point shooting

Texas' high-scoring offense has masked its lack of floor spacing. The Longhorns rank 356th in threes made per game (3.2) and 358th in threes attempted per game (10.9). They've only knocked down 29.6% of their triples, with no player averaging more than 0.9 3-point field goals made.

Vic Schaefer's elite defensive system may only take Texas so far. The Longhorns need to generate more perimeter looks to avoid being a one-dimensional offense. Madison Booker and Jordan Lee have each shot the ball well from deep in a limited sample. Nobody's expecting Texas to completely revamp its style of play, but mixing in a long-distance attempt here and there would at least keep opposing defenses honest.

Notre Dame: Slumping backcourt

Notre Dame enters the Big Dance with three losses in its last five games after a 19-game win streak briefly put it atop the AP Poll. The Fighting Irish's star backcourt has noticeably struggled as of late. Hannah Hidalgo is shooting 37.9% from the field over her last five appearances, while Olivia Miles is making only 35.5% of her attempts. The tandem shot a combined 12-of-31 when Duke held Notre Dame to a season-low 56 points in the ACC Tournament semifinals.

Hidalgo and Miles' shooting slumps may just be a product of conference play and their opponents' growing familiarity with their tendencies. But elite guard play is vital to success in March, especially for a Notre Dame squad that lives and dies with its starting backcourt.

LSU: Lack of scoring outside Big 3

Aneesah Morrow, Flau'Jae Johnson, and Mikaylah Williams can match up with any trio in the nation and are averaging a combined 54.6 points on 47.4% shooting. Morrow and Johnson are nursing injuries, but both are expected to be back in the lineup for LSU's NCAA tourney opener. Even at full health, however, Kim Mulkey's group isn't getting enough scoring from the supporting cast.

Arizona transfer Kailyn Gilbert is the team's fourth-highest scorer at 9.7 points per contest, but her play has been up and down throughout the campaign. No player outside of the Tigers' Big 3 tallied double digits in scoring in three of their five defeats this season. It's hard to imagine the Tigers making another deep run without another player rising to the occasion.