Women's March Madness live updates: Previews, action from Monday's second round
ESPN • • general
Key Points:
- The second round of the 2026 women's NCAA tournament concludes Monday, with eight games determining the final Sweet 16 spots, starting at noon ET on ESPN.
- Key matchups include (6) Alabama vs. (3) Louisville, where Alabama must reduce turnovers and improve free throws to upset Louisville, and (10) Virginia vs. (2) Iowa, with Virginia relying on strong scorers and Iowa needing better perimeter shooting.
- Notre Dame (6) faces Ohio State (3), with Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo pivotal, while Ohio State depends on guard Jaloni Cambridge's offensive impact to advance.
- Other highlighted games feature Kentucky (5) vs. West Virginia (4), Syracuse (9) vs. UConn (1), and USC (9) vs. South Carolina (1), with favorites like UConn and South Carolina aiming to maintain dominance despite some areas needing improvement.
- The late games include Illinois (7) at Vanderbilt (2), where Vanderbilt's unbeaten home record and top scorer Mikayla Blakes pose challenges, and Oklahoma State (8) vs. UCLA (1), with Oklahoma State striving to overcome last year's first-round exit.
