The NCAA women’s tournament continues with second-round action on Monday to determine the rest of the teams that will advance to the Sweet 16.
Three of the tournament’s No. 1 seeds take the court with UConn, South Carolina and UCLA each playing on their home floor. No. 2 seeds Iowa and Vanderbilt also play. Virginia, the lone No. 10 seed to advance to the second round, faces the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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Noon: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Louisville (ESPN)
2 p.m.: No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 2 Iowa (ESPN)
4 p.m.: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Ohio State (ESPN)
5 p.m.: No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 4 West Virginia (ESPN)
6 p.m.: No. 9 Syracuse vs. No. 1 UConn (ESPN)
7 p.m.: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt (ESPN)
8 p.m.: No. 9 USC vs. No. 1 South Carolina (ESPN)
10 p.m.: No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 1 UCLA (ESPN)
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Must-see: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Any time two of the most prominent programs in college athletics face off, it’s worth noting. Both the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes faced rugged competition in their respective conferences and struggled against top teams. (Each team lost to UConn by more than 30 points.) This game also features a star matchup between Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge.
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Must-skip: USC vs. South Carolina
Fans of the Trojans and Gamecocks may argue over who is the real “SC” between Southern Cal and South Carolina. But No. 9 USC needed overtime to get past No. 8 Clemson while Dawn Staley’s No. 1 seed demolished No. 16 Southern by 69 points. Jazzy Davidson scored 31 for USC, but will have to contend with Joyce Edwards in this contest. Tessa Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson also figure to give the Trojans major problems on the Gamecocks’ home floor.
Most likely upset: Virginia vs. Iowa
As a No. 10 seed that had to win a First Four game to join the field of 64, Virginia might look like an unlikely upset winner. Especially against No. 2 Iowa on the Hawkeyes’ home court. Yet the Cavaliers have already pulled off one upset, defeating No. 7 Georgia in the first round.
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Meanwhile, Iowa struggled early in its first-round matchup versus Fairleigh Dickinson before eventually finishing with a 10-point win. Virginia’s Kymora Johnson is coming off a 28-point performance in the win over Georgia, while the Cavaliers’ frontcourt combo of Sa’Myah Smith and Tabitha Amanze presents matchup problems for Iowa’s Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke.
Players to watch
Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo vs. Ohio State
Hidalgo appeared to be on her way to a quadruple-double against Fairfield before finishing with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 steals. That was arguably the best performance of the NCAA women’s tournament thus far. She appears to be getting even better as the season progresses, ready to give the Buckeyes far more than they can handle defensively.
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Vanderbilt G Mikayla Blakes vs. Illinois
Could it be possible this late in the season that many fans still don’t realize how good Vanderbilt is? The Commodores finished the regular season at 27-3 and ranked No. 6 in the AP poll before earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Blakes is a major reason for that success. She scored 30 points in Vanderbilt’s first-round win over High Point and has scored 30 or more in eight of her past 10 games.
