March Madness has become more predictable than exciting in this year’s women’s NCAA Tournament. For the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, no team seeded 11th or lower made it through to the second round.
The only double-digit seeds that advanced to the round of 32 are two 10-seeds: Oregon and South Dakota State. The Ducks managed to beat Vanderbilt after an overtime push, while the Jackrabbits overcame Oklahoma State with a six-point victory, bouncing back from a double-digit deficit in the second half.
As we look ahead to the next round of games, there are some highly anticipated matchups, including No. 5 Kansas State going up against No. 4 Kentucky, and No. 5 Tennessee clashing with No. 4 Ohio State. Interestingly, Kansas State faced a close call in their opening round, narrowly defeating Liberty 79-78.
On Monday, No. 6 Florida State will take on No. 3 LSU, while No. 6 West Virginia faces off against No. 3 North Carolina. There’s also buzz around the matchup between second-seeded TCU and No. 7 seed Louisville, as Hailey Van Lith returns to play against her former team.
Even with a lack of surprises in terms of upsets, the first 32 games showcased some impressive performances. The top teams demonstrated their strength, with the number one seeds—South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, and Southern California—winning their first-round games by an average of an astonishing 47 points.
Offensive power was evident as teams like the Gamecocks, Longhorns, UConn, Notre Dame, LSU, and Tennessee all surpassed the 100-point mark, marking only the second time in NCAA history that six teams reached this milestone. Additionally, strong defensive efforts were seen, with Duke limiting Lehigh to just 10 points in the first half, and UConn leading Arkansas State with a dominating score of 66-16 at halftime.
