In Fort Worth, Texas, the women”s NCAA Tournament has reached the Sweet 16 stage, with traditional powerhouses UConn and Notre Dame advancing alongside North Carolina and Vanderbilt. These four teams are among only fifteen that have consistently reached this stage of the tournament, and they will compete in the Fort Worth Regional 1 semifinals on Friday.
The defending national champions and top-seeded Huskies will face off against No. 4 seed North Carolina, while No. 2 seed Vanderbilt takes on No. 6 seed Notre Dame. This matchup features two of the nation”s leading scorers competing against each other.
“You play, what, 36 games, and you try to put yourself in this situation as often as you can,” remarked Geno Auriemma, the head coach of UConn, who has led the team to twelve national championships. “I think every team that”s here knows that this weekend is probably the biggest weekend of the year. I know everybody talks about the Final Four and all that, but getting there is a lot harder than what happens after you get there, I think.”
The Huskies, boasting a remarkable 36-0 record, bring a 52-game winning streak into their record-setting 32nd consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and 33rd overall. The Tar Heels, with a record of 28-7, are making their 20th appearance in this round, having only advanced once in the last nine seasons before last year.
“It means a lot. … We had a lot of milestones every year that we wanted to accomplish. Each year we keep growing and taking that extra step,” said Indya Nivar, a guard for UNC. “We want to keep growing it.”
In a unique twist, Notre Dame”s Iyana Moore will face her former team, Vanderbilt, which is making its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2009. The graduate transfer guard is now a key player for the Fighting Irish, having averaged 13.1 points in her three seasons with the Commodores.
“She was a big part of our rebuild at Vanderbilt, so I”m excited to see her and I”m just excited to play against her, see what she”s learned,” said Sacha Washington, a senior forward for Vanderbilt and Moore”s former roommate.
This marks the 15th consecutive time that Notre Dame has reached at least the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, a streak only interrupted when they missed the tournament in 2021. The Irish last won the national title in 2018 and lost in the championship game the following year but have not advanced past this round since.
“I think it”s incredible what Vandy has done this year,” Moore praised. “They”ve been put in a great position just to go out there and be polished in March.”
Hannah Hidalgo, leading the nation with an average of 5.6 steals per game and ranking third in scoring with 25.2 points, is the sole returning starter for Notre Dame. The team underwent significant changes after losing eight players from last season, including several who are now playing professionally.
“It speaks volumes. … The team that we have, they just are connected,” said Niele Ivey, Notre Dame”s sixth-year coach. “The last several weeks we”ve done a great job of really peaking at the right time, and our chemistry is clicking at the right time.”
Notre Dame”s only defeat in their last ten games came against Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals. In a clash of top scorers, Hidalgo will go head-to-head with Mikayla Blakes from Vanderbilt, who leads the country with an average of 27 points per game.
UConn”s Sarah Strong, a native of Durham, North Carolina, was highly recruited by the Tar Heels before opting to join the Huskies, where she has already made a significant impact, averaging 17.4 points in her first 75 games.
“She”s a special kid. It”s a kid I”ve loved for a long time. I think she”s a generational talent,” commented UNC coach Courtney Banghart. “It”s been fun to support her. I”ve watched a lot of their games because I”m a Sarah Strong fan.”
As the tournament progresses, excitement builds for the upcoming semifinals, showcasing some of the best talent in women”s college basketball.
