Are you prepared for some upsets?
If the 2024 NCAA girls’s event had a tagline, that must be it.
There’s extra parity in girls’s faculty hoops than ever earlier than — and extra eyeballs on the sport, too — which implies we’re in for some main insanity this month.
The thinnest of margins separate 4, 5 and 6 seeds this 12 months, which issues as a result of within the girls’s event, the primary two rounds are nonetheless performed at dwelling websites. Don’t be shocked if we see dwelling groups falter — and even when it’s not two No. 1 groups being upset, as occurred final 12 months, it’ll nonetheless be loads of enjoyable.
A fast reminder that like in 2023, the ladies’s event could have two “tremendous” regionals, which means there will likely be 4 Candy 16 and two Elite Eight video games at every website. This variation was made in an effort to attract extra followers, and labored effectively final 12 months. Given the star energy within the recreation this season — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers — you may count on extra of the identical.
IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA event bracket contest for an opportunity at $1 million prize.
OPINION:Caitlin Clark and Iowa get no favors in NCAA Event bracket regardless of No. 1 seed
Ladies’s First 4 video games tip off Wednesday and Thursday, with the winners advancing to First Spherical video games on Friday and Saturday (First 4 video games are performed in school websites, so profitable groups don’t need to journey once more for his or her First Spherical recreation). The Ultimate 4 will likely be performed in Cleveland, with the nationwide semis tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 5. The second semi will tip roughly half-hour after the primary recreation ends. The championship recreation will likely be performed Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. ET and be broadcast on ABC. That is the second 12 months in a row that the championship recreation will likely be on community tv.
Right here’s all the pieces it’s essential know concerning the 2024 girls’s NCAA Event, together with a breakdown of every area, the very best first-round video games, gamers to observe and event snubs. For a printable bracket, click on right here.
Albany 1 Area
- No. 1 South Carolina (32-0) vs. No. 16 Sacred Coronary heart/Presbyterian, Friday, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- No. 8 North Carolina (19-12) vs. No. 9 Michigan St. (22-8), Friday, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 5 Oklahoma (22-9) vs. No. 12 FGCU (29-4), Saturday, 4 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 4 Indiana (24-5) vs. No. 13 Fairfield (31-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 6 Nebraska (22-11) vs. No. 11 Texas A&M (19-12), Friday, 10:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 3 Oregon St. (24-7) vs. No. 14 Japanese Wash. (29-5), Friday, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 7 Ole Miss (23-8) vs. No. 10 Marquette (23-8), Saturday, 4:45 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 2 Notre Dame (26-6) vs. No. 15 Kent St. (21-10), Saturday, 2:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Is South Carolina lastly going to get the storybook ending it has been looking for? The Gamecocks have been on a warpath this season after being upset within the nationwide semifinals final 12 months, falling to Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Many believed they’d take a step again this 12 months after shedding three first-round picks within the 2023 WNBA Draft. As a substitute they added among the best shooters within the nation, Oregon switch Te-Hina Paopao, and have change into considerably higher on offense. Don’t be shocked in the event that they largely breeze by the bracket till the Elite Eight, the place a possible rematch with second-seeded Notre Dame might await. Are the Irish a greater workforce now? Might Oregon State play spoiler and meet up with the Gamecocks for a spot within the Ultimate 4? Backside line: South Carolina is sort of everybody’s decide to win the title, and while you see how balanced the Gamecocks are, it’s comprehensible why.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.6 spg), essentially the most annoying on-ball defender within the nation who can get to the rim every time she desires; Indiana F Mackenzie Holmes (20.0 ppg, 66.7% FG), a drive within the paint; North Carolina G Deja Kelly (16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg), can take over a recreation at any time; South Carolina G Te-Hina Paopao (47.1% from 3), essentially the most impactful switch of the 2023-24 season; Oregon State G Talia von Oelhoffen (10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.7 apg), among the best defensive guards within the nation who hit one of many greatest pictures within the common season.
BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME: No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Michigan State: Don’t be fooled by the seeds right here. Both of those groups might make life tough for top-ranked South Carolina — as soon as they get previous one another.
Albany 2 Area
- No. 1 Iowa (29-4) vs. No. 16 Holy Cross/UT Martin, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
- No. 8 West Virginia (24-7) vs. No. 9 Princeton (25-4), Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 5 Colorado (22-9) vs. No. 12 Drake (29-5), Friday, 7 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 4 Kansas St. (25-7) vs. No. 13 Portland (21-12), Friday, 4:30 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 6 Louisville (24-9) vs. No. 11 Center Tenn. (29-4), Friday, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 3 LSU (28-5) vs. No. 14 Rice (19-14), Friday, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
- No. 7 Creighton (25-5) vs. No. 10 UNLV (30-2), Saturday, 7 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 2 UCLA (25-6) vs. No. 15 California Baptist (28-3), Saturday, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Can Caitlin Clark take Iowa again to varsity basketball’s promised land? Halfway by the season it seemed like a particular no, because the Hawkeyes dropped highway video games to groups they need to have beat. However Clark is in postseason mode, and after cruising to the Massive Ten event championship, Iowa earned a 1 seed. If the Hawkeyes’ bracket goes chalk they’ll meet up with UCLA, which seemed like a Ultimate 4 workforce early in nonconference play however has a historical past of underachieving. However there’s additionally the potential for a rematch with LSU. And Kansas State already has confirmed it will possibly beat Iowa. Given the energy of this bracket’s 1-4 seeds, don’t be shocked if one thing wacky occurs with this area.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: UCLA F Lauren Betts (14.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 65.3% FG), can rating at-will within the paint when her teammates get her the ball; Iowa G Caitlin Clark (31.9 ppg, 8.9 apg), the very best scorer and most full offensive participant within the historical past of the ladies’s faculty recreation; Kansas State C Ayoka Lee (20.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 62.2% FG), whose measurement gives issues for each opposing workforce; LSU G Mikaylah Williams (14.4 ppg, 47.2% FG), an incredible freshman scorer who performs like a seasoned veteran.
BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME: No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 UNLV: The Blue Jays, who like to shoot 3s, performed spoiler a pair years in the past, knocking Clark out of the tourney as a sophomore. UNLV is on the lookout for its first NCAA Event win since 1991.
Portland 3 Area
- No. 1 Southern California (26-5) vs. No. 16 A&M-Corpus Christi (23-8), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- No. 8 Kansas (19-12) vs. No. 9 Michigan (20-13), Saturday, 2 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 5 Baylor (24-7) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt/Columbia, Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 4 Virginia Tech (24-7) vs. No. 13 Marshall (26-6), Friday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 6 Syracuse (23-7) vs. No. 11 Auburn/Arizona, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 3 UConn (29-5) vs. No. 14 Jackson St. (26-6), Saturday, 1 p.m. (ABC)
- No. 7 Duke (20-11) vs. No. 10 Richmond (29-5), Friday, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNews)
- No. 2 Ohio St. (25-5) vs. No. 15 Maine (24-9), Friday, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Who would have guessed at first of the season, when Southern California was picked to complete sixth within the Pac-12, that the Trojans would earn a 1 seed? In its final 12 months of existence, the Pac-12 was the very best convention within the nation all 12 months, with quite a few groups ranked within the prime 10. But it surely’s a tough league to comply with, as a result of so few folks have entry to the Pac-12 Community. After freshman phenom JuJu Watkins dropped 51 factors at Stanford on Feb. 2 although, folks began paying consideration. Now, can they get to a Ultimate 4? Ohio State’s vaunted press might trigger issues on the way in which there. And also you higher consider Paige Bueckers & Co. are hungry to place UConn able to win its first title since 2016, an unimaginable drought for the Huskies. Within the meantime, will fourth-seeded Virginia Tech, which made the Ultimate 4 final 12 months, have the companies of three-time ACC participant of the 12 months Liz Kitley after she injured her knee of their regular-season finale? Nobody appears to know for positive.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Virginia Tech G Georgia Amoore (19.2 ppg, 6.9 apg), one of many prime flooring generals within the nation; UConn F Ice Brady (4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who stepped up huge within the Massive East event, greater than doubling her scoring output; USC G Mckenzie Forbes (13.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), who just about solely hits huge pictures in huge moments; Ohio State F Cotie McMahon (14.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), who performs with an incredible stability of ardour and poise.
BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME: No. 6 Syracuse vs. winner of No. 11Auburn/Arizona: Whoever will get previous the First 4 recreation will likely be tasked with slowing Syracuse tremendous scorer Dyaisha Truthful, who averages 22 factors per recreation and is, as the youngsters prefer to say, a strolling bucket.
Portland 4 area
- No. 1 Texas (30-4) vs. No. 16 Drexel (19-14), Friday, 3 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
- No. 8 Alabama (23-9) vs. No. 9 Florida St. (23-10), Friday, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 5 Utah (22-10) vs. No. 12 South Dakota St. (27-5), Saturday, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 4 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. No. 13 UC Irvine (23-8), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 6 Tennessee (19-12) vs. No. 11 Inexperienced Bay (27-6), Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
- No. 3 NC State (27-6) vs. No. 14 Chattanooga (28-4), Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
- No. 7 Iowa St. (20-11) vs. No. 10 Maryland (19-13), Friday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- No. 2 Stanford (28-5) vs. No. 15 Norfolk St. (27-5), Friday, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
Nicely now, who noticed that coming? Texas, winners of 9 of its previous 10 video games, earned a 1 seed within the NCAA Event for the primary time since 2004, edging Pac-12 regular-season champ Stanford. What the Longhorns have performed this season after shedding All-American guard Rori Harmon to a torn ACL, is exceptional. Freshman guard Madison Booker, the co-Massive 12 participant of the 12 months, is a giant a part of why UT continues to be one of many hardest groups within the nation to beat. But when all the pieces goes chalk, Texas must match up with Stanford and twin towers Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen, which will likely be numerous enjoyable for everybody watching, and possibly nerve-racking for everybody sitting on the bench. N.C. State continues to be smarting from its loss two years in the past to UConn within the regional closing, when N.C. State was a 1 seed and UConn was a 2 enjoying in entrance of a (very) pleasant crowd. Punching a ticket to Cleveland can be one solution to erase that reminiscence. However don’t depend out Gonzaga, the very best mid-major all season, a workforce led by three veterans who’ve performed collectively for years.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Texas G Madison Booker (16.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.9 apg), who doesn’t play like a rookie; Stanford F Cameron Brink (17.8 ppg, 12.0 rpg), the projected No. 2 decide within the 2024 WNBA Draft who’s a handful at each ends of the ground; Iowa State F Audi Crooks (18.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg), one of many strongest, hardest publish gamers within the recreation; N.C. State guard Saniya Rivers (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), whose athleticism is usually good for a minimum of one jaw-dropping spotlight per recreation; Gonzaga twin Gs Kayleigh (11.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Kaylynne Truong (11.6 ppg, 5.9 apg), whose stats, like them, are almost similar.
BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME: No. 7 Iowa State vs. No 10 Maryland: The Terps have been a bubble workforce not that way back, and Iowa State has a behavior of beating groups it shouldn’t. Meaning something is feasible for the winner of this recreation. One other enjoyable storyline: Maryland coach Brenda Frese, a Cedar Rapids native, spent 4 seasons on Invoice Fennelly’s workers from 1995-99.
LEFT OUT
It’s exhausting to argue with what the committee did this 12 months. Choice chair Lisa Peterson stated the primary 4 out, in alphabetical order, have been Miami, Penn State, Villanova and Washington State. She stated Mississippi State, St. Joseph’s, Toledo and Washington additionally bought consideration.
The committee put two Ivy League groups in for the primary time (it’s Columbia’s first NCAA Event), and Energy 5 colleges left behind most likely aren’t thrilled about that. However nobody overlooked has a NET rating of upper than 27 (Penn State) and Washington State, which has a NET of 29, misplaced its finest participant a few weeks in the past to a season-ending damage. Miami is perhaps a little bit of a shock simply due to what the Hurricanes did final March, upsetting No. 1 Indiana on the Hoosiers’ dwelling flooring, however its NET was 51.
WOMEN’S MARCH MADNESS SCHEDULE
- First 4: March 20-21
- Sacred Coronary heart (24-9) vs. Presbyterian (20-14), Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
- Vanderbilt (22-9) vs. Columbia (23-6), Wednesday, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
- Auburn (20-11) vs. Arizona (17-15), Thursday, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Holy Cross (20-12) vs. UT-Martin (16-16), Thursday, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
- First spherical: March 22-23
- Second spherical: March 24-25
- Candy 16: March 29-30
- Elite Eight: March 31-April 1
- Ultimate 4: Friday, April 5, 7:30 and 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- NCAA championship recreation: Sunday, April 7, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Electronic mail Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and comply with her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell