The ladies’s NCAA match rolls into the Candy 16 with 4 video games Friday, together with two high seeds in motion. Undefeated South Carolina faces No. 4 Indiana forward of No. 1 Texas squaring off with No. 4 Gonzaga. No. 2 Notre Dame begins the day in opposition to No. 3 Oregon State. Cameron Brink and No. 2 Stanford face No. 3 NC State in primetime.
Ladies’s March Insanity video games are airing and streaming throughout ESPN’s household of channels. USA TODAY Sports activities will present the most recent information, scores, evaluation and extra all day. Observe alongside.
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March Insanity ladies’s video games as we speak
Right here is the complete schedule for Friday’s NCAA ladies’s match video games.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, groups and extra.
Easy methods to watch ladies’s NCAA Match video games
ESPN will broadcast all 4 of Friday’s Candy 16 video games.
Hannah Hidalgo’s No. 1 fan
Hannah Hidalgo’s No. 1 fan
Loads of individuals have paid, and paid huge cash, to see Caitlin Clark play this season. There are just a few gamers for whom she’d return the favor.
“I might say JuJu proper now most likely. That’s who I might pay and go see,” Clark mentioned, referring to Southern California’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins.
“But additionally Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame,” Clark mentioned. “I feel she’s been large. I feel Hannah has form of flown beneath the radar a little bit bit.” – Nancy Armour
Halftime rating: Oregon State 32, Notre Dame 31
Oregon State has the benefit in dimension, depth, rebounding and factors within the paint.
The place it’s struggling is caring for the ball.
Notre Dame, regardless of a poor taking pictures efficiency, has stayed on this recreation and is down one, 32-31 on the half. The Preventing Irish have gone simply 12-of-33 (36.4%) from the sector, however have scored 14 factors off of 12 Oregon State turnovers. Notre Dame, in the meantime, has dedicated only a single turnover.
The opposite space the place the Irish have a transparent edge: pushing the tempo. Notre Dame has shut out Oregon State in transition whereas scoring 12 factors on the break.
Oregon State Ahead Raegan Beers leads all scorers with 12 factors on six-of-seven taking pictures and has added seven rebounds. Notre Dame has gotten 11 factors from guard Sonia Citron and 9 from ahead Maddy Westbeld. — Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State up 17-15 after 1st Q: Raegan Beers leads Beavers
The Beavers turned to the pick-and-roll with star sophomore ahead Raegan Beers to create mismatches and get Beers clear seems to be on the basket.
The Preventing Irish have struggled to comprise Beers’ presence, permitting simple entry passes and entering into early foul bother. Notre Dame had tried to double Beers, however the foul points have pressured the Irish to play extra conservatively on protection.
Beers has eight early factors on four-of-five taking pictures and 5 rebounds, three of which have been offensive. Oregon State has an imposing six-to-one benefit on offensive rebounds and has a 12:4 edge on boards, general.
Oregon State takes a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.
Notre Dame ahead Maddy Westbeld leads the Irish with seven factors. – Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame ideas off, then stops
The Candy 16 is formally underway — form of.
No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Oregon have tipped off in Albany for the primary recreation of the regional semifinal spherical, although the motion slowed simply as shortly because it began. A shot clock difficulty instantly halted play simply 32 seconds into the motion.
Oregon State had gained the tip however missed their first area aim try earlier than officers stopped play due to the clock difficulty. – Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State mascot: Benny Beaver
Who’s Oregon State’s cute mascot, you ask? It is Benny the Beaver. However wait… there’s additionally Bernice Beaver, who has just lately returned from retirement.
Instances Union Middle now MVP Enviornment
In search of the placement of the Oregon State vs. Notre Dame recreation? When you thought it was at Instances Union Middle, you are flawed – form of. The Albany venue internet hosting the Candy 16 was referred to as Instances Union Middle, however was renamed MVP Enviornment in January, 2022.
Candy 16 predictions
The insanity is again as we speak, and video games solely get sweeter from right here on out − that’s our prediction at the least. It looks like we’re due for some buzzer-beaters or time beyond regulation battles. Perhaps each. This spherical of the ladies’s NCAA Match has just about all the pieces you can need, from longtime powerhouses dancing deep for the umpteenth time to packages attempting to make the second weekend an everyday vacation spot. There’s savvy seniors, phenomenal freshmen and all the pieces in between. Listed here are some daring predictions for spherical 1 of the Candy 16, which ideas off Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. — Lindsay Schnell
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame predictions
USA TODAY Sports activities consultants Nancy Armour and Lindsay Schnell are cut up on who will win this Candy 16 matchup. Armour says Notre Dame will win whereas Schnell has Oregon State capturing the victory.
Notre Dame vs. Oregon State: What to observe for
The Irish are virtually enjoying on fumes at this level, having misplaced one other participant (ahead Kylee Watson) to a season-ending damage simply earlier than the NCAA Match. They’ve obtained a spectacular freshman level guard in Hannah Hidalgo, who has but to effectively, play like a freshman. Is that coming in some unspecified time in the future?
The Beavers, picked to complete tenth within the Pac-12 this season, have that all the time coveted inside-out assault and, based on the numbers, are the second-best defensive group left within the match, behind solely South Carolina. They have been rolling in mid-February earlier than sophomore middle Raegan Beers broke her nostril and missed just a few video games, stalling their momentum. Can they get again to that stage of play? Learn extra on Notre Dame vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
What to find out about Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame’s freshman star and ACC rookie of the 12 months
Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo led the Preventing Irish to a 55-51 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack within the ACC championship recreation to safe Notre Dame an automated bid into the NCAA match. Hidalgo, who scored 22 factors, six rebounds, six help and two steals within the win, was named the 2024 ACC Match MVP and named to the All-Match First Group.
The ACC match accolades are simply the tip of the iceberg for Hidalgo, whose stellar freshman marketing campaign has additionally earned her nationwide recognition. Here is all the pieces to know concerning the freshman standout.
NCAA ladies’s match schedule
Right here is the scoreboard and schedule for as we speak’s Candy 16 video games within the NCAA ladies’s match.
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame odds
Notre Dame is the favourite to defeat Oregon State in Friday’s March Insanity matchup, based on the BetMGM school basketball odds.
Will Notre Dame’s accidents lastly meet up with them?
You must be impressed with the second-seeded Irish, who misplaced level guard Olivia Miles to a season-ending damage final 12 months. Everybody knew she wouldn’t be able to go in the beginning of the season and a freshman, Hannah Hidalgo, must step in. However might anybody have anticipated Hidalgo would play like a first-team All-American? However that’s hardly been the one damage difficulty for Notre Dame. Guard Cass Prosper has missed a lot of the season, not enjoying since November, and the Irish misplaced ahead Kylee Watson to a torn ACL in the course of the ACC match. In some unspecified time in the future, these accidents meet up with the Irish − and we’re pondering it occurs within the Candy 16, vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
Iowa’s Molly Davis damage replace: ‘Uncertain’ for Candy 16
ALBANY, N.Y. — Molly Davis was at Iowa’s follow Friday, carrying exercise gear and a compression brace. However she solely stretched and didn’t run or take part in drills in the course of the portion that was open to the media.
“Molly is uncertain for tomorrow,” Bluder mentioned afterward. “I actually thought she’d be again by now. I actually did. I don’t know how lengthy it will take for her to utterly heal, however we’re not going to place her on the market when it is unsafe for her to be on the market.”
Learn extra from Nancy Amour.
Ladies’s March Insanity gamers to observe as we speak
- Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.6 spg), probably the most annoying on-ball defender within the nation who can get to the rim at any time when she desires
- Indiana F Mackenzie Holmes (20.0 ppg, 66.7% FG), a pressure within the paint
- USC G Mckenzie Forbes (13.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), who just about solely hits huge photographs in huge moments
- N.C. State guard Saniya Rivers (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), whose athleticism is usually good for at the least 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 practically an identical.
- South Carolina G Te-Hina Paopao (47.1% from 3), probably 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 largest photographs within the common season.
- Stanford F Cameron Brink (17.8 ppg, 12.0 rpg), the projected No. 2 choose within the 2024 WNBA Draft who’s a handful at each ends of the ground
— Lindsay Schnell
NCAA ladies’s March Insanity bracket
You could find the whole ladies’s March Insanity bracket right here.
Ladies’s basketball wants faces of future to be Black. Enter JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo
It’s comprehensible why JuJu Watkins, the front-runner for nationwide freshman of the 12 months, sparks response each time she’s on the ground. The 6-foot-2 rookie from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, has a silky easy jumper, a veteran’s poise and a mix of talent, energy and physique management hardly ever seen.
With Caitlin Clark headed to the 2024 WNBA draft, the place she’s projected No. 1 general, Watkins, the nation’s second main scorer this season behind Clark, is positioned to turn into the face of ladies’s basketball. She’ll be joined by Notre Dame level guard Hannah Hidalgo, the opposite favourite for freshman of the 12 months.
Not misplaced on any of the powerbrokers within the recreation: Each of those gamers are Black. And in a recreation constructed by Black ladies, it issues that the faces of the longer term appear to be the faces of the previous. Learn Lindsay Schnell’s full function right here.
LSU’s Angel Reese on Baltimore bridge collapse: ‘I am praying for Baltimore’
Stunning because it was for anybody to see the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, it was significantly so for Angel Reese. The LSU star is a Baltimore native, and mentioned her aunt used to drive on the Key bridge day by day to get to work.
“And we drive over it to get to her home,” Reese mentioned Friday. “So I am undecided the route she’s taking proper now or if she’s been in a position to go to work since then, however my prayers are to everybody that hasn’t been discovered but and those which can be discovered and are nonetheless affected by accidents.”
The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a cargo ship that had misplaced energy. The ship was in a position to radio forward, permitting site visitors onto the bridge to be stopped, however eight constructions plunged into the river. Two have been rescued however six died. 4 of the employees stay lacking.
“I am praying for Baltimore proper now, and I hope all the pieces will get resolved,” Reese mentioned. — Nancy Armour
No. 2 UCLA delayed in attending to Candy 16
The UCLA Bruins’ physique clocks are actually going to be tousled. UCLA, the No. 2 seed within the Albany 2 regional, was already going to must take care of a three-hour time change. Then the Bruins’ flight was delayed, inflicting them to get to Albany, N.Y., greater than two hours later than scheduled Thursday. UCLA was first up for media interviews Friday morning, too.
“I’ve obtained some crimson eyes and people sorts of issues,” mentioned coach Cori Shut, whose group faces No. 3 LSU on Saturday. “However the actuality is that we’re enjoying within the Candy 16. We have an opportunity to do wonderful issues. So I am not going to let two and a half hours get in the way in which of that.
“I simply suppose it is a actuality, and when you’re centered on issues which can be out of your management, as Coach Wood will say, it is going to adversely have an effect on the issues which can be beneath your management,” she mentioned, referring to legendary UCLA coach John Wood. “That is a part of sports activities and life, and the more durable extra collectively group wins, and I am not going to let one thing like journey get in the way in which.”
Her gamers agreed.
“Just a bit adversity,” Lauren Betts mentioned. “We’ll be tremendous.” — Nancy Armour
Reseeding the Candy 16 within the ladies’s NCAA match
There wasn’t a lot insanity within the first two rounds of the ladies’s match. Does an absence of upset motion imply chaos is coming within the subsequent 4 days? One can solely hope — until you’re rooting for the general top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks. In that case, you’re most likely crossing your fingers that all the pieces will go chalk. We are able to argue at a distinct time if that’s enjoyable or not. For now, let’s re-seed the match primarily based on which groups are left. — Lindsay Schnell