South Carolina seeks perfection. Iowa is after another Final Four. We look at every team in the women's NCAA bracket, from 1-seeds to the First Four.
Carolyn Peck, Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo and Elle Duncan break down South Carolina's path in the women's NCAA tournament. The 2024 women's NCAA tournament bracket is here. The games are right around the corner. The anticipation and excitement around women's college basketball has never been higher.ESPN is here to get you situated and prepared on all things March Madness as competition gets underway this week, starting with the First Four games Wednesday and Thursday.
On the line for the Gamecocks, who are now 103-3 over their past three seasons : the 10th undefeated season in NCAA Division I history, but perhaps more importantly to those in Columbia, a chance to win the program's third national title in seven tournaments and bolster their argument as the sport's latest dynasty.Iowa won its third consecutive Big Ten tournament title and will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992, when C.
But the Irish procured their first ACC tournament title under coach Niele Ivey not just because of the heroics of Hidalgo. Junior guardfound their groove -- those two plus Hidalgo scored or assisted on 53 of Notre Dame's 55 points in the ACC championship game -- and the team as a whole emerged as a defensive force, with Hidalgo naturally spearheading the charge.
UCLA went undefeated in nonconference action, garnering wins over UConn, Florida State and Ohio State before taking some hits in conference play. The Bruins are 8-2 since Betts returned to the lineup following a four-game absence due to a medical issue, with their most recent loss coming in a double-overtime heartbreaker to eventual Pac-12 champion USC in the conference tournament semifinals.
The program last advanced beyond the first weekend of the tournament in 2015, Fortier's first year at the helm. That's a reasonable goal for this year's squad, which has the experience to make a run with its entirely senior starting lineup .The Hoosiers played likely their best game of the season Feb. 22 when they defeated Iowa 86-69 and held the Hawkeyes to 17.9% shooting from 3-point range.
They did, winning six of their last seven to send them into the NCAA tournament in a better frame of mind. Forward lead the way for Baylor's offense. Baylor was fourth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game but first in opponents' field goal percentage . Baylor is good enough to compete with almost any team, and the Bears' defense usually has been reliable. The key to advancing in the tournament will be offensive production.
Nebraska had some losses this season it shouldn't have had, such as to Minnesota, Illinois and Rutgers. But when the Huskers are at their best -- like their Feb. 11 victory over Iowa and their run to the Big Ten final -- they combine good 3-point shooting, led by guardSyracuse's quarterfinal exit after falling to Florida State as the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament might have been disappointing, but the Orange's overall season has been one to remember.
But the Blue Devils still aren't an easy matchup to have on your side of the bracket, especially after a confidence-boosting final month of ACC action featuring some big wins and close games against upper-tier competition . And out of conference, they played teams like Stanford and South Carolina tight earlier this season.
Injuries have depleted their backcourt rotation, but the Tar Heels still have exciting pieces entering March, starting with senior all-ACC picks. If the Tar Heels can get their offense rolling, a second weekend appearance seems within reach. North Carolina will need productive runs from its transfer trio of guards
Because there was so much attention on the Big Ten's top teams, there wasn't as much of a spotlight on the Spartans. But they aren't going to be a pushover in the NCAA tournament. The guard-led Spartans were second to Iowa in the Big Ten in assists . They led the league -- and rank second in D-I -- in assists-to-turnover ratio . Senior guardThe Tigers have earned the Ivy League's last five NCAA tournament bids and are going dancing for the 11th time overall.
But Arizona has come together at the right time, and it's showed in how it ended its Pac-12 season. Typical of Barnes' teams, the defense is nightmarish to face, as it comes away with steals on 16.4% of possessions, according to CBB Analytics. Arizona won five of its last eight conference games, with two of those losses at the hands of USC by a combined five points. It also secured a marquee win by taking down the Cardinal at Stanford for the first time in 23 years.
A huge milestone for the Blue Raiders would be to win a NCAA tournament game; they are 5-20 all-time in the event, the worst record among teams with 20-plus NCAA tournament games, and last advanced to the second round in 2007.The Aggies are back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2021, also marking the first berth for second-year coach Joni Taylor. Texas A&M breezed through nonconference play for the most part, but SEC competition was much tougher.
The Jackrabbits' strength is on the offensive end, where they have three players averaging double figures, led by Summit League player of the year, who gets it done down low. But they also have four other players shooting around 40% or better from 3; as a team they're hitting 38.3% of their treys.
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