The path has been paved for the Iowa State women’s basketball program to keep on rolling in the NCAA Tournament. All that is left to do now is for the team to take advantage.

On Sunday night, Iowa State women’s basketball punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 and will be facing No. 10 seed Creighton Friday. This is a crucial win for the Cyclones because not only did Creighton take down red-hot No. 2 seed Iowa, but Iowa State matches up very well with the Bluejays.

While physical teams such as Texas and Baylor have notoriously caused problems for this year’s Iowa State team, Creighton relies on outside shooting to find success.

Finishing 11th in the nation in three-point percentage and fourth in three-pointers made, the Bluejays share a strength with Iowa State as the Cyclones are second in each of those same categories.

Teams that have proved they could beat the Cyclones such as Baylor and LSU were upset sometime in the first two rounds and taken out of the NCAA Tournament.

If the Cyclones continue their run in the NCAA tournament, there are three teams that could be a matchup nightmare for Iowa State if it were to happen down the road.

South Carolina

The Gamecocks came into the tournament as the top team in the nation and have shown why in March.

South Carolina allowed just 21 points against Howard and 33 against a Miami team that put up much stronger numbers in the ACC Tournament.

In the game against Miami, even when the offense was not rolling for the Gamecocks, they were still able to earn a comfortable 49-33 win.

South Carolina currently holds a 31-2 record, losing a pair of games by a combined three points. While I wouldn’t consider this a matchup nightmare for the Cyclones, the pure talent of the Gamecocks will be difficult to match in a potential roadblock to the Final Four.

Texas

The Longhorns have proven this season why Iowa State should hope to avoid them in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas blew out the Cyclones twice during the regular season, and just when it looked like Iowa State would come back for redemption in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas snuck one out in overtime.

Rori Harmon won Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and has blossomed into a star this postseason. Her biggest game of the year? A 30-point performance in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals against none other than Iowa State.

Not only does Texas have top-tier physicality and post players, but Harmon makes the team that much more difficult to stop.

Iowa State does have the tools to beat Texas, but given its performances against them this season, the Longhorns are a team the Cyclones do not match up well with and could lose to again.

Notre Dame

This pick is a bit more bold than the others, as Notre Dame is a No. 5 seed in the tournament, but if this team finds themselves going up against Iowa State, it could cause problems.

The Fighting Irish are a team that can flat out score.

Five players on the Irish are averaging double-digits in terms of scoring to a team average of 74.6 points per game.

The second round performance best encapsulates what this team can do, as they scored 108 points against Oklahoma, winning the game by 44 points.

If Notre Dame hits its shots early, it would likely come out on top against Iowa State.