Five teams you need to know before the women’s NCAA tournament
March Madness is almost here and Mackenzie Salmon has a quick breakdown of five teams you need to know.
The women’s NCAA Tournament gets underway Monday with eight second-round games. The day will be told by none other than Kathleen Clarke and the top seeds. Iowawhich play in prime time on ESPN. Juju Watkins and No. 1 USC They are in action tonight, one of two nightcaps to wrap up the day.
Women’s March Madness Games are being streamed and streamed across ESPN’s family of channels. USA TODAY Sports offers breaking news, scores, analysis and more throughout the day. Follow it.
Stream: March Madness is on. ESPN+ And Fubo
NCAA Women’s March Madness Bracket
You can find the complete Women’s March Madness bracket here.
Women’s March Madness scores
Here Scoreboard For today’s second round games NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Women’s March Madness games today
Here is the full schedule for Monday NCAA Women’s Tournament Games.
Ole Miss has more or less stopped the bleeding, but it’s looking like that won’t be enough.
Notre Dame outscored the Rebels by just two points in the third quarter, but the Fighting Irish still held a big lead.
Notre Dame is up 61-42 with one quarter left to book its third straight trip to the Sweet 16.
The Fighting Irish were deliberate and measured in their approach to attack, swinging the ball to find gaps in the Ole Miss defense, attacking and then finishing — or making extra passes. Notre Dame had 15 assists on 24 field goals, compared to just seven of Ole Miss’ 18.
Notre Dame remained dominant in the paint with a 30-20 win over Ole Miss there.
In the first half, Notre Dame’s 2-3 zone caused all kinds of problems for Ole Miss.
The Rebels struggled to find openings under defensive pressure and often forced possessions into the shot clock, forcing rushes and contested shots or — worse — turnovers.
The Fighting Irish forced Ole Miss into 13 zones and limited the Rebels to just 11-of-29 (37.9%) from the floor. Notre Dame’s zone prevented Ole Miss from easily getting into the post.
Notre Dame junior forward Maddie Westbeld led all scorers with 14 points, including the final bucket before halftime off an offensive rebound. All-Star freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo added nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Irish are up 43-26 at the half. –Lorenzo Reyes
The women’s second round is underway in South Bend, Ind.
Playing on their home court, the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish led No. 7 Ole Miss 21-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Irish connected on 50% of their shots from the field in the quarter, 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Freshman Hannah Hidalgo leads Notre Dame with six points and a pair of steals.
The Rebels shot just 23.5% from the field in the quarter, and their 11-point deficit was their largest after one quarter. – Steve Gardner
The final games of the second round of the women’s March Madness bracket begin, with No. 2 seed Notre Dame taking on No. 7 seed Ole Miss.
How to watch women’s NCAA tournament games
The ESPN family of networks carry all women’s championship games. So you’ll find them on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC. First game tips at 2pm and last game tips at 10:30pm Here’s how to watch Women’s March Madness like a pro.
As Iowa’s Kathleen Clark continues to rewrite the record books, USA TODAY Sports tracks all the stats during the NCAA tournament. Here’s everything you need to know about the superstar guard, an in-depth visual look at the Iowa star and his run to the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record.
To fully understand the impact Caitlin Clark has had on Iowa, a longtime champion and supporter of women’s basketball, consider this: For all the superstars that have come out of the Midwest center, for all the legends that have dominated that. The still-respected six-six-six legacyFor all the locals who are worshiped by other locals, only one has her image carved out of butter. And the fact that it doesn’t exactly match isn’t the point.
“I honestly never expected it to be carved out of butter,” Clark said, recalling August 2023. A statue that went viral. “But if you’re from the state of Iowa, you know this is a big deal. You go to the State Fair just to see the butter sculptures.
Read Lindsay Schnell’s full feature on Clark and Iowa.
Here are today’s NCAA Women’s Tournament second round picks from USA TODAY Sports experts Nancy Armor, Scooby Axon, Ellen Harrow And Lindsay Quick.
- Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.6 spg), one of the most frustrating defenders in the country who can get to the rim whenever she wants.
- Indiana F Mackenzie Homes (20.0 ppg, 66.7% FG), a force in the paint
- UCLA F Lauren Betts (14.7 ppg, 9.0 Rpg, 65.3% FG), can score in the paint at will when her teammates get the ball.
- Iowa G Caitlin Clark (31.9 ppg, 8.9 apg), the leading scorer and most complete offensive player in the history of the women’s college game.
- USC G Mckenzie Forbes (13.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), who pretty much hits big shots in big minutes.
- UConn F Ice Brady (4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who came up big in the Big East Tournament, more than doubled her scoring output.
- NC State guard Sania Rivers (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), whose athleticism is good enough to drop at least one jaw per game.
- Gonzaga twin Gs Kayleigh (11.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Kaylynne Truong (11.6 ppg, 5.9 apg), whose stats, like theirs, are nearly identical.
Women’s March Madness Program
Here Women’s schedule:
- First round: March 22-23
- Second round: March 24-25
- Sweet 16: March 29-30
- Elite Eight: March 31 – April 1
- Final Four: Friday, April 5 at 7:30 and 9 pm ET on ESPN
- NCAA Championship Game: Sunday April 7 at 3pm on ABC
Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo led the Fighting Irish to a 55-51 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the ACC Championship Game to earn Notre Dame an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Hidalgo, who had 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win, was named the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP and named to the All-Tournament First Team.
The ACC Tournament honors are just the tip of the iceberg for Hidalgo, whose stellar freshman campaign earned her national recognition. Here’s everything you need to know about first-class talent
Meet Syracuse’s Diasha Show, Kaitlyn Clark, the leading scorer in women’s college basketball.
Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair surpassed former Baylor star Brittany Griner (3,283 points) this season to become the fifth all-time leading scorer in women’s college basketball history. Fair, 22, trails only Missouri State alumnus Jackie Stiles (3,393), Ohio State alum Kelsey Mitchell (3,402), Washington alum Kelsey Plum (3,527) and Clark (3,685 and counting) on the NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring list.
“She’s different. She’s special. She’s one of the best players to ever play the game,” coach Felisha Leggett-Jack told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, part of the USA Today Network, in January when Fair topped 3,000 career points.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Syracuse star who has quietly crept up the all-time scoring list in Clark’s shadow. – Sidney Henderson
Alyssa Pili only needs to see her right foot to fully understand and appreciate the pride she feels for her Polynesian heritage.
Tattooed there, from ankle to hip, is a circle of Polynesian tribal symbols in prominent display. In ancient times, this kind of color – especially full sleeves – was usually associated with warriors.
And that’s a fitting description for reigning Player of the Year Pili, a tough, relentless forward who averaged 21.0 points and 6.4 rebounds. No. 22 Utes. But the Samoan and Alaska Native (Inupiaq) man values her femininity, so she asks the tattoo artist to add flowers.
“Women aren’t known for being super feminine in our Polynesian culture, but I think it’s important that other people don’t just stick in a (insert you) box,” Pili told USA TODAY Sports. “For me, I grew up playing football with my brothers and cousins, I was a tomboy. But I also like being a girl. And if you want to wear (fake) lashes or wear makeup or get your nails done, it’s okay to show that side of you too.
Read Lindsay Schnell’s full feature here.
It’s understandable why JuJu Watkins, the reigning national runner-up of the year, gets a reaction every time she’s on the floor. The 6-foot-2 rookie from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles has a silky smooth jumper, veteran composure and a rare combination of skill, power and body control.
Kathleen Clarke heads into the 2024 WNBA draft, where she is projected No. 1 overall, Watkins is set to be the second leading women’s basketball prospect behind Clarke this season. She will be joined by another Notre Dame point guard, Hannah Hidalgo, who is the freshman of the year.
It is not lost on the power brokers in the game: both players are black. And in a game built by black women, it’s important that the faces of the future look like the faces of the past.
Read Lindsay Schnell’s full feature here.
Caitlin Clark is the reigning Nationals Player of the Year, a sharp supernova capable of launching 3-pointers from the rim, cheating any looks and talking trash to everyone in her path.
The postseason for Clark and Iowa It starts next week Playing the Hawkeyes in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. No matter what happens over the next few days, Iowa is expected to earn a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and host the first two rounds. A year after leading Iowa to the national championship game, Clark is trying to return to her second straight Final Four, a feat few players have achieved. USA TODAY Sports has been following her game closely. If you need to brush up on your Clark trivia, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive guide to all things Clark.
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