Women’s Sweet 16 preview
With the Sweet 16 upon us, USA Today Sports’ Tony Anderson previews a few of the top matchups we’re most looking forward to.
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The women’s NCAA tournament rolls into the Sweet 16 with four games Friday, including two top seeds in action. Undefeated South Carolina faces No. 4 Indiana ahead of No. 1 Texas squaring off with No. 4 Gonzaga. No. 2 Notre Dame starts the day against No. 3 Oregon State. Cameron Brink and No. 2 Stanford face No. 3 NC State in primetime.
Women’s March Madness games are airing and streaming across ESPN’s family of channels. USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest news, scores, analysis and more all day. Follow along.
STREAM: March Madness on ESPN+ and Fubo
March Madness women’s games today
Here is the full schedule for Friday’s NCAA women’s tournament games.
How to watch women’s NCAA Tournament games
ESPN will broadcast all four of Friday’s Sweet 16 games.
Oregon State started the second half just the way it ended the first.
The Beavers, going back to late in the second quarter, went on a 16-2 run that extended midway into the third period to build a prominent lead over Notre Dame in the third quarter. The Irish, however, chipped away and are down 53-50, despite facing a 10-point deficit earlier in the period.
Oregon State continued to rely on its height and positioning in the low block to limit scoring opportunities from the paint.
Fighting Irish star freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo has been cold all game, shooting just 2-of-13 (15.4%) from the field and scoring only six points. Hidalgo has been visibly frustrated, especially after a fast-break layup was stuffed by Oregon State forward Raegan Beers. – Lorenzo Reyes
Caitlin Clark isn’t possessive of her records.
Clark became college basketball’s all-time leading scorer earlier this month, passing Pete Maravich. On Monday, she overtook Kelsey Plum as the single-season scoring leader in women’s Division I basketball, too.
“Somebody is going to come along and break my records, and that’s exactly how it should be,” Clark said Friday. “That’s kind of the point of a record. Other people chase them down and break them.”
Maravich died in 1988 but Lynette Woodard, who had held the previous women’s scoring record, was on hand to see Clark pass him in Iowa’s regular-season finale. Woodard played at Kansas when the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was the governing body for women’s basketball and the NCAA doesn’t recognize AIAW player records.
“Lynette Woodard was able to come to our Senior Night and be in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Somebody that maybe wasn’t always given all her flowers but was really like a pioneer in our game and did so much for our game. To be able to share that with her was really special,” Clark said.
“The next person that comes along to break mine, I’ll be right there supporting them, and hopefully I can see it in person.” – Nancy Armour
Plenty of people have paid, and paid big money, to see Caitlin Clark play this season. There are a few players for whom she’d return the favor.
“I would say JuJu right now probably. That is who I’d pay and go see,” Clark said, referring to Southern California’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins.
“But also Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame,” Clark said. “I think she’s been tremendous. I think Hannah has kind of flown under the radar a little bit.” – Nancy Armour Read more
Oregon State has the advantage in size, depth, rebounding and points in the paint.
Where it’s struggling is taking care of the ball.
Notre Dame, despite a poor shooting performance, has stayed in this game and is down one, 32-31 at the half. The Fighting Irish have gone just 12-of-33 (36.4%) from the field, but have scored 14 points off of 12 Oregon State turnovers. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has committed just a single turnover.
The other area where the Irish have a clear edge: pushing the pace. Notre Dame has shut out Oregon State in transition while scoring 12 points on the break.
Oregon State Forward Raegan Beers leads all scorers with 12 points on six-of-seven shooting and has added seven rebounds. Notre Dame has gotten 11 points from guard Sonia Citron and nine from forward Maddy Westbeld. — Lorenzo Reyes
The Beavers turned to the pick-and-roll with star sophomore forward Raegan Beers to create mismatches and get Beers clean looks at the basket.
The Fighting Irish have struggled to contain Beers’ presence, allowing easy entry passes and getting into early foul trouble. Notre Dame had tried to double Beers, but the foul issues have forced the Irish to play more conservatively on defense.
Beers has eight early points on four-of-five shooting and five rebounds, three of which were offensive. Oregon State has an imposing six-to-one advantage on offensive rebounds and has a 12:4 edge on boards, overall.
Oregon State takes a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.
Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld leads the Irish with seven points. – Lorenzo Reyes
The Sweet 16 is officially underway — kind of.
No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Oregon have tipped off in Albany for the first game of the regional semifinal round, though the action slowed just as quickly as it started. A shot clock issue immediately halted play just 32 seconds into the action.
Oregon State had won the tip but missed their first field goal attempt before officials stopped play because of the clock issue. – Lorenzo Reyes
Who is Oregon State’s adorable mascot, you ask? It’s Benny the Beaver. But wait… there’s also Bernice Beaver, who has recently returned from retirement.
Looking for the location of the Oregon State vs. Notre Dame game? If you thought it was at Times Union Center, you’re wrong – kind of. The Albany venue hosting the Sweet 16 used to be called Times Union Center, but was renamed MVP Arena in January, 2022.
Sweet 16 predictions
The madness is back today, and games only get sweeter from here on out − that’s our prediction at least. It feels like we’re due for some buzzer-beaters or overtime battles. Maybe both. This round of the women’s NCAA Tournament has pretty much everything you could want, from longtime powerhouses dancing deep for the umpteenth time to programs trying to make the second weekend a regular destination. There’s savvy seniors, phenomenal freshmen and everything in between. Here are some bold predictions for round 1 of the Sweet 16, which tips off Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. — Lindsay Schnell
USA TODAY Sports experts Nancy Armour and Lindsay Schnell are split on who will win this Sweet 16 matchup. Armour says Notre Dame will win while Schnell has Oregon State capturing the victory.
Notre Dame vs. Oregon State: What to watch for
The Irish are practically playing on fumes at this point, having lost another player (forward Kylee Watson) to a season-ending injury just before the NCAA Tournament. They’ve got a spectacular freshman point guard in Hannah Hidalgo, who has yet to well, play like a freshman. Is that coming at some point?
The Beavers, picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this season, have that always coveted inside-out attack and, according to the numbers, are the second-best defensive team left in the tournament, behind only South Carolina. They were rolling in mid-February before sophomore center Raegan Beers broke her nose and missed a few games, stalling their momentum. Can they get back to that level of play? Read more on Notre Dame vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
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 secure Notre Dame an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Hidalgo, who scored 22 points, six rebounds, six assist and two steals in the win, was named the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP and named to the All-Tournament First Team.
The ACC tournament accolades are just the tip of the iceberg for Hidalgo, whose stellar freshman campaign has also earned her national recognition. Here’s everything to know about the freshman standout.
NCAA women’s tournament schedule
Here is the scoreboard and schedule for today’s Sweet 16 games in the NCAA women’s tournament.
Notre Dame is the favorite to defeat Oregon State in Friday’s March Madness matchup, according to the BetMGM college basketball odds.
Will Notre Dame’s injuries finally catch up with them?
You have to be impressed with the second-seeded Irish, who lost point guard Olivia Miles to a season-ending injury last year. Everyone knew she wouldn’t be ready to go at the beginning of the season and a freshman, Hannah Hidalgo, would have to step in. But could anyone have anticipated Hidalgo would play like a first-team All-American? But that’s hardly been the only injury issue for Notre Dame. Guard Cass Prosper has missed most of the season, not playing since November, and the Irish lost forward Kylee Watson to a torn ACL during the ACC tournament. At some point, those injuries catch up with the Irish − and we’re thinking it happens in the Sweet 16, vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
ALBANY, N.Y. — Molly Davis was at Iowa’s practice Friday, wearing workout gear and a compression brace. But she only stretched and did not run or participate in drills during the portion that was open to the media.
“Molly is doubtful for tomorrow,” Bluder said afterward. “I really thought she’d be back by now. I really did. I have no idea how long it’s going to take for her to completely heal, but we’re not going to put her out there when it’s unsafe for her to be out there.”
Read more from Nancy Amour.
Women’s March Madness players to watch today
- Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.6 spg), the most annoying on-ball defender in the country who can get to the rim whenever she wants
- Indiana F Mackenzie Holmes (20.0 ppg, 66.7% FG), a force in the paint
- USC G Mckenzie Forbes (13.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), who pretty much only hits big shots in big moments
- N.C. State guard Saniya Rivers (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), whose athleticism is typically good for at least one jaw-dropping highlight per game
- Gonzaga twin Gs Kayleigh (11.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Kaylynne Truong (11.6 ppg, 5.9 apg), whose stats, like them, are nearly identical.
- South Carolina G Te-Hina Paopao (47.1% from 3), the most impactful transfer of the 2023-24 season
- Oregon State G Talia von Oelhoffen (10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.7 apg), one of the best defensive guards in the country who hit one of the biggest shots in the regular season.
- Stanford F Cameron Brink (17.8 ppg, 12.0 rpg), the projected No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft who is a handful at both ends of the floor
— Lindsay Schnell
NCAA women’s March Madness bracket
You can find the complete women’s March Madness bracket here.
Women’s basketball needs faces of future to be Black. Enter JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo
It’s understandable why JuJu Watkins, the front-runner for national freshman of the year, sparks 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, a veteran’s poise and a combination of skill, power and body control rarely seen.
With Caitlin Clark headed to the 2024 WNBA draft, where she’s projected No. 1 overall, Watkins, the nation’s second leading scorer this season behind Clark, is positioned to become the face of women’s basketball. She’ll be joined by Notre Dame point guard Hannah Hidalgo, the other favorite for freshman of the year.
Not lost on any of the powerbrokers in the game: Both of these players are Black. And in a game built by Black women, it matters that the faces of the future look like the faces of the past. Read Lindsay Schnell’s full feature here.
Shocking as it was for anyone to see the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, it was particularly so for Angel Reese. The LSU star is a Baltimore native, and said her aunt used to drive on the Key bridge every day to get to work.
“And we drive over it to get to her house,” Reese said Friday. “So I’m not sure the route she’s taking right now or if she’s been able to go to work since then, but my prayers are to everyone that hasn’t been found yet and the ones that are found and are still suffering from injuries.”
The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a cargo ship that had lost power. The ship was able to radio ahead, allowing traffic onto the bridge to be stopped, but eight constructions plunged into the river. Two were rescued but six died. Four of the workers remain missing.
“I’m praying for Baltimore right now, and I hope everything gets resolved,” Reese said. — Nancy Armour
The UCLA Bruins’ body clocks are really going to be messed up. UCLA, the No. 2 seed in the Albany 2 regional, was already going to have to deal with a three-hour time change. Then the Bruins’ flight was delayed, causing them to get to Albany, N.Y., more than two hours later than scheduled Thursday. UCLA was first up for media interviews Friday morning, too.
“I’ve got some red eyes and those kinds of things,” said coach Cori Close, whose team faces No. 3 LSU on Saturday. “But the reality is that we’re playing in the Sweet 16. We’ve got a chance to do amazing things. So I’m not going to let two and a half hours get in the way of that.
“I just think it’s a reality, and if you’re focused on things that are out of your control, as Coach Wooden will say, it will adversely affect the things that are under your control,” she said, referring to legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. “That’s part of sports and life, and the tougher more together team wins, and I’m not going to let something like travel get in the way.”
Her players agreed.
“Just a little adversity,” Lauren Betts said. “We’ll be fine.” — Nancy Armour
Reseeding the Sweet 16 in the women’s NCAA tournament
There wasn’t much madness in the first two rounds of the women’s tournament. Does a lack of upset action mean chaos is coming in the next four days? One can only hope — unless you’re rooting for the overall top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks. In that case, you’re probably crossing your fingers that everything will go chalk. We can argue at a different time if that’s fun or not. For now, let’s re-seed the tournament based on which teams are left. — Lindsay Schnell
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
