In the current installment of the women’s NCAA Tournament, March Madness has mostly lived up to its name by being anything but unpredictable. This year’s competition made history as, for the first time since the 64-team format was introduced in 1994, no team seeded 11 or lower made it through to the second round.
Two exceptions to the rule were the 10th-seeded teams—Oregon and South Dakota State—that managed to squeeze into the round of 32. Oregon needed overtime to edge past Vanderbilt, while South Dakota State came back from a significant second-half deficit to win against Oklahoma State by six points.
With the favorites advancing in droves, the stage was set for some thrilling encounters in the second round, and Sunday’s matches lived up to that expectation. Oregon’s journey ended in a tight clash against No. 2 Duke. Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Kansas State outlasted fourth-seed Kentucky in an overtime showdown, a significant achievement considering Kansas State had narrowly survived the first round by holding off Liberty 79-78.
The Sunday upsets didn’t end there—Baylor, hosting the game, was defeated by the Ole Miss team, seeded fifth. Meanwhile, a later matchup saw No. 5 Tennessee clash with No. 4 Ohio State. More exciting games are on the cards for Monday, including No. 6 Florida State versus No. 3 LSU and No. 6 West Virginia against No. 3 North Carolina.
A particular highlight was the face-off between second-seeded TCU and Hailey Van Lith’s former team, No. 7 Louisville, on Sunday. Although Louisville started strong, Van Lith guided TCU to a decisive victory with a final score of 85-70.
Despite the absence of major upsets, the early tournament rounds have still delivered various standout performances. The top-seed teams showcased dominance in their initial victories, with the four No. 1 teams—South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, and Southern California—winning their games by an average of 47 points. A feast of offensive prowess unfolded in the opening games, as the likes of South Carolina, Texas, UConn, Notre Dame, LSU, and Tennessee each scored over 100 points—a milestone achieved by six teams in the same round only once before in NCAA history.
Defense played its role, too, with Duke limiting Lehigh to just 10 points in the first half, and USC restricting Lehigh to merely 11. Meanwhile, UConn led Arkansas State with an overwhelming scoreline of 66-16 at halftime.