March Madness Sweet 16 games ranked as Women’s NCAA Tournament nears Final Four

The Women’s NCAA Tournament’s second weekend begins Friday as the Sweet 16 gets underway.

Each of last year’s Final Four teams — UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina — are all No. 1 seeds this season, but there’s obviously no guarantee that they’ll all survive the regional rounds in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, California.

Can Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame create more March Madness magic? Will Kentucky be the second team that Kenny Brooks takes to a Final Four? Can Kara Lawson win big in the same city she brought a WNBA title to? Can 10-seed Virginia continue its Cinderella story?

Ten of the 16 teams still alive in the Big Dance are seeking that elusive first title, but it’s been a long time since others in the field have raised a banner. North Carolina hasn’t won it all since 1994, while Texas is aiming for its first national championship since 1986.

Here’s all of the Sweet 16 games on tap this weekend, ranked by watchability.

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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.

1. Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt

Time/TV: Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Two of the most entertaining players in the country, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, will go head-to-head in this one in potentially the best backcourt battle of the tournament. Both natives of New Jersey, Hidalgo and Blakes used to square off often in AAU games.

2. Duke vs. LSU

Time/TV: Friday, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Grab a coffee and stay up late for this one. The Blue Devils and Tigers will meet in a rematch of a December non-conference clash, where LSU won by double-digits in Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. The very next game after that loss, Duke broke off a 17-game winning streak and went on to win its second consecutive ACC Tournament title. Kara Lawson will be coaching in an arena that still hangs a banner for the 2005 WNBA title she won with the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs.

3. Kentucky vs. Texas

Time/TV: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Texas beat Kentucky by 11 points in early February in the only regular season meeting between the two SEC teams, but that result requires a bit of context. Teonni Key was coming off an elbow injury, Tonie Morgan — who ranks second nationally in assists — uncharacteristically turned the ball over six times, and Kentucky starters Amelia Hassett and Jordan Obi combined for just three points. It seems unlikely that Kentucky will put forth a performance like that again.

4. North Carolina vs. UConn

Time/TV: Friday, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Tar Heels are in the Sweet 16 for the third time under Courtney Banghart, but standing in their way of advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014 are the undefeated and top-seeded UConn Huskies. Powering Geno Auriemma’s war machine this season is Sarah Strong, who went to high school miles south of Chapel Hill and was aggressively recruited by Banghart. Will she be the first coach to figure out a recipe for slowing down the superstar sophomore this season?

5. Louisville vs. Michigan

Time/TV: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Michigan is the team that came the closest to beating UConn this season, losing by just three points in a neutral site game in November. They take on a Louisville squad coached by Jeff Walz, who has taken the Cardinals to four Final Fours. The Wolverines are powered by three stellar sophomores, while Louisville has taken a ride-the-hot-hand approach this season with a deep bench highlighted by ACC Sixth Player of the Year Imari Berry.

6. South Carolina vs. Oklahoma

Time/TV: Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Freshman phenom Aaliyah Chavez steered the Sooners to an upset win over the Gamecocks earlier this season by piling up 26 points and eight assists. It seems unlikely that Dawn Staley’s team will allow that to happen twice, especially on a stage where the stakes are much higher. Expect SEC Defensive Player of the Year Raven Johnson to shadow Chavez in this game.

7. Virginia vs. TCU

Time/TV: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

This will be the final game of the Sweet 16 and it features a Virginia team playing with house money and nothing to lose. The Cavaliers are playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000 after beating Arizona State, Georgia and Iowa in the first weekend — becoming the first team in the Women’s NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 out of the First Four. They’ll take on a TCU team led by Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez, two former ACC stars familiar with the Cavaliers.

8. Minnesota vs. UCLA

Time/TV: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Bruins beat the Big Ten rival Gophers by 18 points in Minneapolis earlier this season behind 25 points from Kiki Rice and a double-double from Lauren Betts. Minnesota, which ranks 245th nationally in 3-point defense, is likely going to have trouble in keeping up with UCLA’s high-powered offense again.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness Sweet 16 games ranked as Women’s NCAA Tournament nears Final Four

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March Madness Sweet 16 games ranked as Women’s NCAA Tournament nears Final Four

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

1. Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt

2. Duke vs. LSU

3. Kentucky vs. Texas

4. North Carolina vs. UConn

5. Louisville vs. Michigan

6. South Carolina vs. Oklahoma

7. Virginia vs. TCU

8. Minnesota vs. UCLA

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