The Sweet 16 of the NCAA women”s basketball tournament will prominently feature the SEC, as six teams from the conference have advanced to the second weekend of March Madness. Top seeds South Carolina and Texas easily moved into the regional semifinals, joined by No. 2 seeds Vanderbilt and LSU, along with No. 4 seed Oklahoma and No. 5 seed Kentucky.
Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph expressed pride in the conference”s performance, stating, “I think it”s a great sign for the conference. You can”t really control if it”s spread out or not. But you know how we feel about the SEC conference. It”s the best conference in the country. If you want to win a championship, you”re going to have to come through us, so it”s not a surprise to me that we”re seeing that many teams in. We”ll see. Hopefully we”ll continue to be one of them.”
Both of the top seeds will face all-SEC matchups, with the Gamecocks set to take on the Sooners, who are the only team to have defeated them during the regular season. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley noted, “Our league prepares us for this level of play. There isn”t an opponent out there that we don”t feel like we”re prepared for because of what we have been challenged with in the regular season and in the SEC Tournament.”
While the SEC shone brightly, other teams also made an impact during the first weekend of the tournament. UConn stands as the only unbeaten team in women”s college basketball, boasting a remarkable 52-game winning streak, which includes a staggering 53-point victory over Syracuse in the second round. UConn has reached the Sweet 16 for an impressive 32 consecutive years and will face North Carolina in the upcoming rounds. The Tar Heels are among four teams from the ACC still competing.
One of the most surprising stories comes from Virginia, which has advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time in 26 years and made history as the first team to reach this stage after playing in the First Four. They needed double overtime to defeat Iowa and secure their spot.
In addition to SEC teams squaring off against each other, Minnesota is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, facing UCLA, a fellow member of the Big Ten. A significant matchup also awaits between Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, showcasing two of the nation”s top guards, Mikayla Blakes and Hannah Hidalgo, as they aim to lead their teams to the Elite Eight. Both players are known for their scoring abilities and playmaking skills, with Hidalgo leading the nation in steals.
All five of the AP first-team All-Americans remain in contention, with UConn”s Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd making significant contributions. Madison Booker of Texas delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 40 points in the tournament”s second round, while Fudd added 34 points against Syracuse. Lauren Betts played a crucial role in bringing UCLA back to the Sweet 16, and Blakes has guided Vanderbilt into new territory.
Furthermore, LSU set an NCAA record this season with their 16th game scoring over 100 points. They will face third-seeded Duke in a rematch of their previous ACC/SEC challenge game, which LSU won. However, this Duke squad is different, having won 23 of their next 25 games following that initial defeat.
Contributions to this report were made by AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker and AP freelance writer Pete Iacobelli.
For more information, you can check the AP March Madness bracket and coverage.
