Avery Howell leads Huskies to first round victory, drawing Kelsey Plum comparisons

Avery Howell was phenomenal against South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament. The Husky sophomore had 30 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and one assist. She helped the Huskies advance past the No. 11 Jackrabbits with a final score of 72-54. She seemed to make everything, especially from behind the arc, dropping seven three-point shots.

Her strong play is drawing clear comparisons to one of the Husky women's legends, Kelsey Plum. As Howell is now the first Washington player with 20 points and 5+ 3PT FG in an NCAA Tournament since Plum (2017). That's a huge accomplishment and much needed for the Huskies to advance.

Washington will face the TCU Horned Frogs in the round of 32 on Sunday

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No. 6 Washington will now be headed into a match with the TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday. It's going to be an uphill battle as the Horned Frogs have only lost five games this season and zero games at home. As the women's tournament does things differently from the men's tournament, TCU will actually host this No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup.

It's hard to expect another huge performance from Howell as she has only had one other 30+ point outing all season (against Wisconsin in overtime). She's capable of big bursts with now four 20+ performances and two 30+ outings.

Howell only averages 13.7 points on the year, but can get hot, especially from the outside. She's shooting 41.9% from behind the arc this season.

It will take someone to step up to take down TCU, as well as solid play by the team as a whole. TCU has a guard named Olivia Miles who can consistently get hot, averaging 19.6 points per game. Miles has scored 20+ 12 times this season and four times with 30+. She even has a 40+ game. It might be a showdown between Howell and Miles, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16.