The women's Sweet 16 is set. No. 1 seeds Texas and the USC rolled in their round-of-32 matchups, though USC's win was far overshadowed by the injury to player of the year contender JuJu Watkins, who was carried off the court after hurting her right knee. Elsewhere, Maryland and Alabama played a double-overtime thriller, and UConn star Paige Bueckers recorded her second 30-point performance in the NCAA tournament in a win over South Dakota State.
With analysis of every game, as well as what's next for the winners, this is your one-stop shop for coverage of the conclusion of the women's tournament opening weekend.
Jump to: Full results and analysis | Relive the action
Monday's full results and analysis
(19) Mississippi State vs.
(1) USC
Final: USC 96, Mississippi State 59
How did USC win this game? Without their star player on the court, USC found another gear and drubbed Mississippi State 96-59 thanks to an all-time game from senior forward Kiki Iriafen. After JuJu Watkins exited the game because of a right knee injury that was later confirmed to be a torn ACL, the Trojans fed off the crowd and had five different players score in double figures. None were better than Iriafen, who has been USC's second-best player all season. The Los Angeles native brought the energy on both ends and had one of the best games of her career, totaling 36 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks and leading the Watkins-less Trojans into the Sweet 16.
What's next for USC? This is uncharted territory for the Trojans. Though coach Lindsay Gottlieb has built an exceptionally talented team around her star, Watkins is unquestionably the engine that makes the entire team run. Beating No. 9 Mississippi State was doable without her, but advancing to the Elite Eight and beyond will be a tougher challenge. With Watkins now ruled out, USC will have to try to make its title run without her. Against Kansas State in the Sweet 16 and beyond, they will need to rely on players such as Iriafen to step up beyond Monday's win. -- Paolo Uggetti
(5) Alabama vs.
(4) Maryland
Final: Maryland 111, Alabama 108 (2OT)
How did Maryland win this thriller? That's a big question, and the answer is more than can fit into this blurb. But let's try to sift through the final seconds of the second overtime. Shyanne Sellers hit two free throws -- probably her two biggest points of the year -- to put Maryland up three. Alabama got an excellent look, but couldn't get the 3-pointer to fall. The Crimson Tide got one more chance, but Maryland broke up the inbounds and secured the win, ending this marathon of a game. Sarah Te-Biasu was tremendous for the Terps in both overtime periods, scoring 10 of her 26 points in the extra frames. But she didn't do it alone. Kaylene Smikle scored 24 and Sellers had 28, while Allie Kubek finished with 19. For Alabama, Sarah Ashlee-Barker scored a school record 45 points. Especially after Zaay Green and Aaliyah Nye fouled out, Ashlee-Barker was doing everything she could to give the Crimson Tide a chance. The 219 points scored in this game marked the second most in tournament history, trailing just Duke and Alabama's 241 points back in 1995 (a four-overtime game).
What's next for Maryland? Maryland's 17-point comeback is its second-largest in tournament history, behind the 18-point comeback against Texas A&M in the 2012 Sweet 16. The prize? Facing South Carolina in the Sweet 16. -- Kendra Andrews
Sarah Ashlee Barker scores 45 points for Alabama, but Maryland holds on to win in double overtime.
(10) South Dakota State vs.
(2) UConn
Final: UConn 91, South Dakota State 57
What made the difference for UConn after a slow start? Paige Bueckers. From the 2:56 mark of the first quarter to the final buzzer of that frame, she rattled off 12 points to help the Huskies take the lead. The heroics didn't end there: She made eight consecutive shots spanning the first and second periods to put the Huskies ahead comfortably. Bueckers finished with 21 first-half points and 34 on the night, tying her career high and an NCAA tournament best. She joins Maya Moore as the only players in UConn history with multiple 30-point games in their NCAA tournament career (both had two). It would be remiss to give all the credit for the onslaught to one player, though. UConn shut down the Jackrabbits offense, forcing them into 14 first-half turnovers and scoring 25 points off them. Bueckers, Azzi Fudd (17 points) and Sarah Strong (15 points) combined for 66 points, their most in a game this season -- a sign the Huskies' Big Three is surging at the right time heading into the regionals.
What's next for UConn? The Huskies extended their record streak of consecutive Sweet 16 appearances to 31; next they will face an Oklahoma team that played some of its best basketball of the season against Iowa earlier Monday.-- Alexa Phillippou
(6) West Virginia vs.
(3) North Carolina
Final: North Carolina 58, West Virginia 47
How did North Carolina deal with West Virginia's defense? It helps that the Tar Heels are good defensively, and that they've played another top defense like Duke twice this season. Sure, it's still tough to avoid getting worn down by the Mountaineers' constant pressure -- but in the end, West Virginia (24.1%) shot even worse than UNC (36.4) from the field. The Mountaineers kept it as close as they did by making 19 of 23 free throws, but that still wasn't enough. Fifth-year senior Alyssa Ustby had 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting for the Tar Heels. She added seven rebounds and four steals.
What's next for UNC? An epic Sweet 16 showdown with the Tar Heels' archrival, No. 2 seed Duke. It will be the first time the programs have met in the NCAA tournament; this is the first time they have been in the same regional. Their first regular-season meeting in ACC play this season was like what the Tar Heels faced Monday: a grind-it-out, low-scoring game. The Tar Heels won 53-46 in overtime at UNC. In the rematch Feb. 27 at Duke, the Blue Devils won 68-53. Duke went on to win the ACC tournament. -- Michael Voepel
(6) Florida State vs.
(3) LSU
Final:LSU 101, Florida State 71
How did LSU take over in the third quarter? The Tigers led just 50-49 at halftime, and it looked as if this was going to be a tight game until the end. Those 99 points by both teams tied for the sixth most in any NCAA tournament first half. But LSU completely changed the script in the third quarter, outscoring the Seminoles 31-6, including a 17-0 run over the last 5:30 of the quarter. The Seminoles just had no answer for the Tigers' top threats: Mikaylah Williams ended up with 28 points, Aneesah Morrow 26 and Sa'Myah Smith 20. Smith, who also had 12 rebounds and six assists, went 9-for-9 from the field and Williams was 10-for-12. Ta'Niya Latson led the Seminoles with 30 points, but 23 of those came in the first half.
What's next for LSU? The Tigers (30-5) are headed to the Sweet 16 for the third time in coach Kim Mulkey's four seasons at LSU. The Tigers are the first SEC team to have two 100-plus point games in the same NCAA tournament, and just the second team in any league to have those games back-to-back. Up next, they'll play the winner of Mississippi State-USC. -- Michael Voepel
(6) Iowa vs.
(3) Oklahoma
Final: Oklahoma 96, Iowa 62
How dominant was Oklahoma? The 27-7 Sooners did what they do best: They moved the ball, pushed the pace, rebounded energetically and capitalized on their depth. This was the third-most points that Oklahoma has ever scored in an NCAA tournament game. Six Sooners finished in double figures, led by senior Skylar Vann's 17 points. After getting an NCAA tournament-record 72 rebounds in their first-round victory over Florida Gulf Coast, the Sooners had 64 against Iowa, led by Raegan Beers' 13. Beers also had 11 points and 4 blocked shots; it was her 14th double-double of the season. In all, Oklahoma had 23 assists and made 11 3-pointers.
What's next for Oklahoma: This will be the Sooners' first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013, and the first for coach Jennie Baranczyk, who is in her fourth season guiding Oklahoma. The Sooners joined four other SEC teams that previously advanced to the regional semifinals: South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas. Alabama and LSU are also playing Monday and could make it, too. In the regional semifinals, the Sooners will face the winner of Monday night's UConn-South Dakota State game. -- Michael Voepel
(8) Illinoisvs.
(1) Texas
Final: Texas 65, Illinois 48
How did Texas dominate Illinois? It took them a quarter to settle in and put the clamps down, but once they did, the Longhorns ran away from Illinois on Monday. Texas contested 75% of the Illini's field goal attempts, including 20 of their 21 attempts inside the paint. Illinois usually thrives on the boards, which then fuels its offense, but Illinois was outrebounded 32-27, and Kate Bostic was limited to eight boards. Illinois had no luck slowing the Longhorns, especially inside as the Longhorns scored half of their points in the paint. The Longhorns went 0-of-5 from downtown, becoming the first team since 2023 to win a tournament game without a made 3-pointer. However, Texas has proved it doesn't need the 3-ball to be successful; the Longhorns went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in their win over South Carolina last month. Madison Booker recorded her second consecutive 20-point game, and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored a career-high 18 points.
What's next for Texas: The Longhorns advance to the Sweet 16 for the eighth time in the past 10 years and 19th overall in program history. They will face Tennessee for a spot in the Elite Eight. The Longhorns beat the Lady Vols by four during a regular-season matchup in January. Texas' defense propelled it to the No. 1 seed in the tournament and to 33 wins this season, and that's what the Longhorns will depend on to power them as they move forward. They forced Illinois to commit 20 turnovers and scored 23 points off them. -- Kendra Andrews
(7) Michigan State vs.
(2) NC State
Final: NC State 83, Michigan State 49
How dominant was NC State? The only thing the Wolfpack failed to do Monday was allow for any sense of suspense. NC State came out of the gate flying and never let the Spartans have hope. The Wolfpack led 27-9 after the first quarter and continued to pour it on. The 34-point winning margin is NC State's largest in an NCAA tournament game.
NC State entered averaging 6.8 3-pointers but made 15 of 30 on Monday, NC State's most in an NCAA tournament game and one off its single-game school record. The Wolfpack shot 50% from the floor and from 3-point range. The only concern: They were 50% from the free throw line, which could be a problem going forward in close games.
Aziaha James led NC State (28-6) with 26 points, and Saniya Rivers had 17 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. It was James' third game of 25-plus points in the NCAA tournament; the other two were last year in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. James and Rivers combined to score or assist on 63 of NC State's 83 points (76%) as the Wolfpack finished 18-0 in home games this season at Reynolds Coliseum.
What's next for NC State: The Wolfpack have advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in the past seven NCAA tournaments. They next will face the winner of Monday's game between No. 3 seed LSU and No. 6 seed Florida State. The Wolfpack have played both teams this season. They fell to LSU 82-65 in a tournament in the Bahamas on Nov. 27, then defeated FSU 97-74 in an ACC game on Feb. 9. Last season, NC State advanced to the Final Four as a No. 3 seed. -- Michael Voepel
Saniya Rivers stuffs the stat sheet with 17 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in the Wolfpack's takedown of Michigan State.