NCAA Women’s Tournament Roundup: Two SEC Teams Make It to Sweet 16

The NCAA women’s tournament Sweet 16 has been set, and it features two SEC teams. The No. 1 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks and the No. 2 seeded Texas A&M Aggies are both advancing.

This round will only last two days, with it starting on March 27, and ending on the 28.

You can view the full tournament bracket here.

No. 1 UConn vs No. 5 Iowa

A match between the University of Connecticut and Iowa will open the Sweet 16 round. UConn finished the regular season in the number one spot in the AP Poll. They were also crowned the Big East Champions, and record only one loss on this season.

UConn freshman star Paige Bueckers leads her team in both field goals and three-pointers. She averages 19.9 and 4.7 respectively. The team is averaging 82.8 points per game, while holding their opponents to a 50.7 average.

Iowa on the other hand is averaging 86.59 points per game, while holding their opponents to 80.4. They also lead the Big 10 in three-pointers made, averaging 9.5 per game.

They are led by freshman Caitlin Clark who is averaging 26.67 points per game.

This match will feature a face-off between two superstar freshman, who were both ranked in the top-five of their recruiting class. Bueckers was ranked number one while Clark was ranked number four.

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No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 2 Baylor

Baylor cruised its way into the Sweet 16 with two dominant wins. First, they defeated Jackson State with a 101-50 score. After that, they won against Virginia Tech with a 90-48 score. This win was led by Dijonai Carrington, who led her team with 21 points.

Michigan clinched their first trip ever to the Sweet 16 after outscoring the Tennessee Volunteers 70 to 55.

A player to look out for is Michigan’s Naz Hillmon, who is second in the Big 10 Conference in scoring. She averages 24.3 points per game.

She also sits at the number one spot in the Big 10 for rebounds, averaging 11.6.

No. 1 NC State vs. No. 4 Indiana 

Indiana moves on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1983 after a win against the Belmont Bruins.

The Indiana Hoosiers were seeded number four for this tournament, after finishing their season with a 16-2 record. They also finished second in the Big 10.

The Hoosiers are averaging 72.6 points per game, while holding their opponents to 59.4.

Redshirt junior Ali Patberg leads the team with 15.6 points per game and 5.3 assists.

NC State is second in the ACC in scoring, averaging 77.5 points per game.

They will enter this game uncertain about Kayla Jones’s status. Jones is currently 11th in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.

No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 2 Texas A&M

Arizona defeated BYU in order to advance. The win was led by Aarion McDonald who got a double-double, after scoring 17 points and rebounding 11 times.

Texas A&M battelled their way into this round. Their first win was against the Troy Trojans, with an 84-80 victory.

On the second round, a buzzer-beater by Jordan Nixon kept them alive in the tournament.

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No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech

This game will open up the second day of the Sweet 16.

South Carolina is currently ranked first in the SEC. Destanni Henderson leads the conference in assists, averaging five per game.

Georgia Tech defeated West Virginia with a 73 to 56 score. The win was led by junior Lotta-Maj Lahtinen who scored 22 points in the game.

This marks the first time since 2021 that Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets move on to the Sweet 16.

No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 5 Missouri State

Missouri State won both previous rounds by 20 points or more. They are averaging 70.5 points per game this season, while holding their opponents to 55.9.

They are led by senior guard Brice Calip, who is averaging 13.5 points per game. She also leads her team in assist with 4.1 per game.

Stanford was seeded number one entering this tournament, after finishing their season with a 27-2 overall record.

They are averaging 30.3 field goals per game, while holding their opponents to 18.6.

No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 2 Louisville 

Oregon defeated the three-seeded Georgia Lady Bulldogs to advance to this round. The final score was 57-50, with Sedona Prince leading her team with 22 points.

Louisville on the other hand battled on their game against Northwestern to earn their spot in the Sweet 16. The Cardinals made an 18-point come-back win against Northwestern.

The win was led by Kianna Smith who scored 16 points and got six rebounds to earn the victory.

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No. 6 Texas vs No. 2 Maryland

The match between the Longhorns and the Terps will close out the Sweet 16 round.

Maryland currently leads the Big 10 conference in scoring, averaging 91.8 points per game, while holding the opponents to 69.1 They also lead the conference in offensive rebounds, getting an average of 14.9 per game.

They are led by sophomore guard Ashley Owusu who averages 18.1 points per game and 5.9 assists.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns finished fifth in their conference.

They are averaging 70.3 points per game, while holding their opponents to 62.7.

Junior forward Charli Collier leads her team with an average of 19.7 points per game and seven rebounds.