2026 Women’s March Madness live: Highlights and scores for NCAA games

The first day of the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament is the books.

Perhaps the biggest headline to come out of Day 1 was Tennessee losing in the first round for only the third time in program history. The Lady Vols matched the lowest win total in program history, with only 16 this season. They lost 11 of 13 games to end the season.

The Madness continues Saturday with No. 1 overall seed UConn, South Carolina and UCLA in action.

Here’s everything you need to know to settle in for day of women’s hoops.

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Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

UConn’s Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here’s the best players in women’s college basketball:

It’s hard to believe Sarah Strong could top her record-breaking freshman season, but she’s one-upped herself. Strong has career highs in points (18.5), assists (4.1), steals (3.4), field goal percentage (60.1%) and free throw percentage (87.3%). She leads UConn in nearly every statical category, including points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Expect Strong to have a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament. She set the freshmen points record in an NCAA Tournament (114) last season.

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts’ stats are slightly down from last season, but she’s no less dominant. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game and has 11 double-doubles. Her efforts earned her Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to earn both in the same season.

Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker has reached new heights this season earning first-team All-SEC after recording career highs in points (18.9), steals (2.3) and field goal percentage (51.6%), which she raised from 46.1% last season. Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring and has been in double-digits for all but two games this season. She’s only a junior, but she’s already climbed to No. 6 on Texas’ all-time scoring list with 1,873 points career points entering March Madness.

UConn Huskies senior guard Azzi is shooting lights out from the 3-point line. She’s averaging a career-high 44.6% from beyond the arc and her 104 3-pointers rank second in the nation. Her field goal percentage (48.9%) also marks a career-high. Fudd has also helped anchor UConn’s top-ranked scoring defense. She’s one of three Huskies to have at least 85 steals this season, joining Sarah Strong (111) and KK Arnold (93). Fudd is also flirting with the 50-40-90 stat line — 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.

Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 27-win regular season in program history. Blakes leads the nation in scoring averaging 27.0 points per game, including 12 games of 30 or more points. Ten of those 12 games came in conference play. Blakes has recorded double-digit points in every game this season and is currently riding a 50 game double-digit scoring streak, the longest active streak in the SEC and third longest in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. Blakes is the second Vanderbilt star to win SEC Player of the Year and the first sophomore since South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson in 2016.

Olivia Miles’ transfer from Notre Dame to TCU has been seamless if you look at her stat line. Miles is the centerpiece of the Horned Frogs’ offense and has upped her scoring average from 15.4 points last season to a career-high 19.6 points. Miles tops the nation with five triple doubles and has done so efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (48.7) and free throw percentage (84.4%).

Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks ended the regular season with a bang, dropping 41 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas State — shooting an efficient 16-of-19 from the field. That marked Crooks’ fourth 40-point game of the season and 12th double-double. Crooks has scored in double digits every game this season, extending her streak to 97 straight career games — the longest active streak in the nation. She became the fastest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 points on Jan. 28 and picked up an unanimous first-team All-Big 12 nod.

Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge has arrived! The sophomore guard is in midst of a breakout season. She upped her points per game from 15.4 last season to 22.8, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her field-goal percentage also increased by nearly eight points to 49.0%. She’s scored double-digit points in every game this season and became the 40th Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career points on Feb. 8 against Oregon. She’s only the fifth Ohio State player to record 700 points in a season.

South Carolina Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards has taken a large step this season. The 6-foot-3 forward slid into the starting lineup after senior forward Chloe Kitts was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in her right knee. Edwards has powered South Carolina to the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation (86.3 points per game). She’s averaging a team-high 19.6 points in 34 starts, up from 12.7 points and one start her freshman year. Her stat line is rounded out by 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo has been a walking highlight reel. Hidalgo turned in career highs in points, steals, rebounds, field-goal percentage and made ACC history by winning both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals in a game and scored a school-record 44 points in Notre Dame’s 85-58 win over Akron on Nov. 12. She leads the nation in total steals (173), which set a single-season ACC record.

he first day of the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament is the books.

The Madness continues Saturday with No. 1 overall seed UConn, South Carolina and UCLA in action.

UConn’s Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here’s the best players in women’s college basketball:

Women’s March Madness schedule: NCAA Tournament games, TV listings for Saturday, March 21

No. 14 Howard at No. 3 Ohio State, 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2
No. 14 Vermont at No. 3 Louisville, Noon | ESPN
No. 16 Southern U./Samford at No. 1 South Carolina, 1 p.m. | ABC
No. 10 Virginia/Arizona State vs. No. 7 Georgia, 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 11 Fairfield vs. No. 6 Notre Dame, 2 p.m. | ESPN
No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Kentucky, 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU
No. 11 Rhode Island vs. No. 6 Alabama, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN News
No. 16 UTSA at No. 1 UConn, 3 p.m. | ABC
No. 9 USC vs. No. 8 Clemson, 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 15 FDU at No. 2 Iowa, 4 p.m. | ESPN
No. 13 Miami (OH) at No. 4 West Virginia, 5 p.m. | ESPNU
No. 9 Syracuse vs. No. 8 Iowa State, 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 15 High Point at No. 2 Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. | ESPN News
No. 9 Princeton vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 7 Illinois, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

March Madness games Friday: Women’s NCAA Tournament results so far, first-round scores

March Madness bracket: Sunday second round game times, schedule

Sunday, March 22

All times Eastern

Maryland vs. UNC – 12 p.m. ESPN
NC State vs. Michigan – 1 p.m. ABC
Texas Tech vs. LSU – 3 p.m. ABC
Duke vs. Baylor – 4 p.m. ESPN
Oregon vs. Texas – 6 p.m. ESPN
Washington vs. TCU – 8 p.m. ESPN

Where is Women’s March Madness this year?

First & Second Rounds:
- Duke, Durham, North Carolina | Cameron Indoor Stadium
- Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena
- LSU, Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Pete Maravich Assembly Center
- Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky | KFC Yum! Center
- Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan | Crisler Center
- Minnesota, Minneapolis | Williams Arena
- North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Carmichael Arena
- Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio | Value Center Arena
- Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center
- South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena
- TCU, Forth Worth, Texas | Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena
- Texas, Austin, Texas | Moody Center
- UCLA, Los Angeles | Pauley Pavilion
- UConn, Storrs, Connecticut | Gampel Pavilion
- Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee | Memorial Gym
- West Virginia, Morgantown | Hope Coliseum
Sweet 16 & Elite 8: Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, California
Final Four & National Championship: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Women’s March Madness live: Highlights and scores for NCAA games

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2026 Women’s March Madness live: Highlights and scores for NCAA games

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Players to watch in 2026 women’s NCAA basketball tournament

Women’s March Madness schedule: NCAA Tournament games, TV listings for Saturday, March 21

March Madness games Friday: Women’s NCAA Tournament results so far, first-round scores

March Madness bracket: Sunday second round game times, schedule

Where is Women’s March Madness this year?

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