The two remaining No. 1 seeds — South Carolina and Virginia Tech — will take to the court Saturday as the women’s NCAA tournament resumes with the final Sweet 16 matchups. Elite Eight places up for grabs.
The final four games in the regional semifinals begin at 11:30 a.m. ET (ESPN) with No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland, followed by No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 1 South Carolina.
Aliyah Boston and the Gamecocks are chasing their second straight national championship and have a slight home field advantage on their side – the Greenville Regional is less than two hours from their campus.
The remainder of the evening pits No. 3 Ohio State against No. 2 Connecticut and No. 1 Virginia Tech against No. 4 Tennessee, who have not made the Elite Eight since 2016.
Follow the rest of the day for live updates:
Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers each scored 18 points to lead a second-half blitz and beat Notre Dame 76-59 in the Greenville Regional 1 Sweet 16.
Maryland advances to the Elite Eight and takes on the winner of UCLA and South Carolina.
Sellers added eight assists, five rebounds and three steals for Maryland, who led by as much as 22 in the second half.
The Terrapins were down by one at half-time but outperformed the Irish by 13 in the third quarter and continued to push from there.
Notre Dame turned it over 25 times, hit just two of his 10 shots from the arc and couldn’t stay out of foul trouble.
Sonia Citron had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Irish and was the only Notre Dame player to hit double digits.
Kim Mulkey won’t be the only one to draw attention to what she’s wearing on the sidelines.
The LSU trainer went viral on Friday for a jacket that was part Elton John, part Muppets and part Tea Party. When asked what she thinks Mulkey could break out for Sunday’s Elite Eight game against her Miami team, Hurricanes coach Katie Meier said she doesn’t know.
“But I will wear an overall,” Meier said. “Because a lot of people miss opportunities because they’re dressed in overalls and they look like work, so I wear overalls. Put it out there.”
– Nancy armor
Notre Dame overcame early turnovers and put on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take a 32-31 lead in the Greenville Regional 1 Sweet 16 matchup against Maryland.
The Irish turned it over eight times in the first quarter but used their size to pick up offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities. Maryland was held without a point for six minutes in the second quarter and had turnover problems of its own as it allowed the Irish to take the lead.
Sonia Citron has eight points and Maddy Westbeld added seven points, four rebounds and three fouls for Notre Dame, who shot 52 percent in the first half.
Abby Meyers leads Maryland with nine points and Brinae Alexander has eight points off the bench.
– Scooby Axson
The Sweet 16 for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament kicks off with action Saturday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina and the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle:
►No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland
Time/TV: Saturday, 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 1 South Carolina
Time/TV: Saturday, 2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 UConn
Time/TV: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, ABC
►No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Tennessee
Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
This is only the second trip to the Sweet 16 and the first since 1999 for Virginia Tech as it seeks to establish itself as one of the nation’s premier programs. Winning the ACC tournament and finishing at No. 1 helped, but if they’re going to be in the conversation next season and the season after that, the Hokies need to keep winning.
Tennessee used to take the Elite Eight so naturally, it was practically a part of their schedule. But the Lady Vols haven’t gotten that far since 2016. This is truly the first team that seems to have the potential of the old Tennessee teams, and their performances in the first two rounds reminded people why they were a trending choice for the Final Four last season.
– Nancy Armor, Lindsay Schnell
Twelve head coaches advanced to the Sweet 16, the most since 2015, when 13 head coaches took their teams that far (three of whom are the same: South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, Maryland’s Brenda Freese, and Iowa’s Lisa Bluder). Only once in the history of the tournament have all 16 teams been coached by women – in the first year, in 1982.
Three of the 12 are black women — Staley, Ole Miss’ Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey — a number that resonates in a sport with 44% black athletes.
“It’s important just because I have aspirations to be a coach,” said Jordan Walker of Tennessee, a senior guard. “To be able to see Dawn Staley and Coach Yo in those positions, it’s just, wow, little black girls, they can do it too. It’s really inspiring. It makes you want to push harder because your foot is in the doo. With three (black women) in the Sweet 16 right now, what can it be later down the line?
– Lindsay Schnell
While Aliyah Boston is by far the most important member of the Gamecocks roster, she’s not the biggest problem for opposing teams. It’s their teammates.
Boston, along with the rest of the starting five, led South Carolina to the No. 1 overall finish and the likely favorite to be repeated as the national champion. Most in women’s basketball — including South Carolina’s Sweet 16 opponent, fourth-ranked UCLA — would love to have even one of the Gamecocks starters on their roster. But they would also appreciate a reserve.
– Lindsay Schnell
SEATTLE — Another day, another 30-point game by Caitlin Clark.
Iowa’s junior guard scored 31 goals and dished out eight assists on Friday as the second-ranked Hawkeyes advanced to the Elite Eight with an 87-77 win over sixth-ranked Colorado at Climate Pledge Arena.
Colorado had many opportunities to put Iowa ahead but failed to capitalize. The Buffs overtook Iowa 40-32 and grabbed 21 offensive boards, but they could only convert those into 15 second chance points (Iowa, meanwhile, scored 11 second chance points herself).
– Lindsay Schnell
The game was head-to-head all the way, but the No. 3 LSU Tigers beat the No. 2 Utah Utes 66-63 on Friday. Utah had a chance to take the lead after a 7-0 run with four seconds remaining, but Jenna Johnson missed her two free throws. LSU’s Alexis Morris sealed the deal, sending the Tigers to their first Elite Eight since 2008 with their own pair of free throws.
– Victoria Hernandez