The women’s NCAA Tournament has seen quite a few unexpected twists amidst the madness. Unlike previous years, the tournament has been rather predictable so far, with no team seeded 11 or lower making it to the second round for the first time since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994. The only double-digit seeds left standing in the round of 32 are both 10 seeds – Oregon and South Dakota State. Oregon needed overtime to defeat Vanderbilt, while South Dakota State staged a comeback to beat Oklahoma State after trailing by double digits in the second half.
Looking ahead, some exciting second-round matchups are on the horizon. No. 5 Kansas State will take on No. 4 Kentucky, while No. 5 Tennessee faces off against No. 4 Ohio State. Meanwhile, No. 6 Florida State will play No. 3 LSU, and No. 6 West Virginia will go up against No. 3 North Carolina.
The upcoming games also feature an intriguing showdown between second-seeded TCU and Hailey Van Lith, who will be facing her former Louisville team, seeded No. 7, on Sunday.
Despite the lack of major upsets, the first 32 games have featured some remarkable performances. The top teams have displayed their dominance, with the four 1-seeds – South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, and Southern California – securing victories by an average margin of 47 points. Offense has been a highlight, as teams like the Gamecocks, Longhorns, UConn, Notre Dame, LSU, and Tennessee all scored over 100 points in their games. This marked only the second time in NCAA history that six teams surpassed the century mark in a single round.
Notable defensive performances have also been observed, with Duke holding Lehigh to just 10 points in the first half and USC limiting their opponent to 11 points. UConn took a commanding 66-16 lead over Arkansas State at halftime.
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