March Madness didn’t have any delay to the beginning of the madness, in the opening rounds of the women’s tournament, the chaos came in various forms, statement wins, explosive scoring and a level of dominance that made it clear this tournament was never going to be easy. From the LSU Tigers putting up 100 points to the South Carolina Gamecocks destroying their opponent, the message was sent: women’s college basketball has entered a new era, and it’s only growing.
The top seeds have already displayed their dominance in the opening rounds, showing exactly why they have been seeded at the top. All four No. 1 seeds, UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina, have advanced to the Sweet 16. No. 1 overall seed UConn defended their top spot by winning against No. 16 UTSA 90-52 in the first round and defeating No. 9 Syracuse 98-45 in the second round, extending their win streak to 52 games. UConn’s performance defended their place at top after some questioned their No. 1 overall seed over UCLA as some argued the Bruins had a stronger schedule. The Selection Committee ultimately gave the Huskies their spot on top due to a greater “observable component” throughout the season.
UCLA has defended their spot as the No. 2 overall seed, defeating No. 16 Cal Baptist 96-43 and later defeating No. 8 Oklahoma State 87-68. Lauren Betts displayed exactly why she is a finalist for Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year, putting up a career-high of 35 points in UCLA’s win against Oklahoma State to lead the team to a spot in the Sweet 16.
No. 1 seed of the Fort Worth 3 bracket, Texas and No.1 seed of the Sacramento 4 bracket, South Carolina have also overpowered the competition in the first rounds. Texas defeated No. 16 Missouri State 97-45 and No. 8 Oregon 100-58. South Carolina defeated No. 16 Southern University 103-34 and No. 9 USC 101-61. The Gamecocks will have their biggest test in the Sweet 16 and look for revenge against No. 4 Oklahoma, who handed South Carolina for its second loss of the regular season.
While top seeds have largely controlled the narrative of the opening rounds, one team has shown that seeding doesn’t truly matter in March. The LSU Tiger’s women’s college basketball, while not having a No. 1 seed, have played with the same intensity and have dominated their competition in the same fashion as the top seeds. LSU opened the tournament with 116-58 win over No. 15 Jacksonville and followed with another dominant win over No. 7 seed Texas Tech, 101-47.
While the top seeds have largely cruised through the opening rounds, the tournament has not been without its fair share of upsets. No. 10 Virginia has positioned themselves as an early Cinderella team, showing they can compete beyond expectations. The Cavaliers are truly underdogs in the tournament, finishing eighth in the ACC and making only their second NCAA tournament appearance since 2010. The team began their tournament run in the First Four, defeating Arizona State 57-55 and has not slowed down since. In the first round they clinched the win in overtime against No. 7 seed Georgia, 82-73. The team fought for a major upset in the second round, defeating No. 2 Iowa 83-75 in double overtime, punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. The Cavaliers will now look to continue their tournament run as they are set to face No. 3 seed TCU on Saturday, March 28.
No. 6 seeds Notre Dame has also been part of the upsets in the tournament so far, defeating No. 3 Ohio State 83-73 to advance to their fifth straight Sweet 16. The Fighting Irish’s star player, Hannah Hidalgo led the feat with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight8 steals, once again putting on a dominant performance.
The dominance has been clear, and the upsets have already begun in the opening rounds of the tournament. If the opening rounds have shown anything, it’s that the madness is already here and it’s only going to grow.