March Madness Elite Eight games ranked as Women’s NCAA Tournament nears Final Four
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March Madness Elite Eight games ranked as Women’s NCAA Tournament nears Final Four
Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY·USA TODAY Sports
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4 min read
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Eight teams remain in the Women's NCAA Tournament.
While the women's tournament typically has less upsets than the men's during the first and second rounds, the second weekend of March Madness is where things can get spicy and interesting. This year's tournament didn't disappoint.
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No. 3 Duke upset No. 2 LSU on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Ashlon Jackson, andHannah Hidalgodropped a triple-double to power No. 6 Notre Dame to a victory over No. 2 Vanderbilt. The Fighting Irish and Blue Devils are the only teams from the ACC remaining in the field, tied for the most left with the Big Ten and SEC.
Each of last year's Final Four teams — UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina — are all No. 1 seeds this season, and are all still alive after surviving their Sweet 16 matchups in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, California.
Can Hidalgo and Niele Ivey create more March Madness magic? Will Duke continue to avenge its non-conference losses? CanRaven Johnsonlead South Carolina to its sixth consecutive Final Four?
Four of the eight teams still dancing have won national championships, but Texas is aiming to end a long drought as it hasn't won it all since 1986. TCU and Michigan are trying to make the Final Four for the first time, while Duke hasn't been to the national semifinals since 2006 when it lost to Maryland in the national title game.
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Here's all of the Elite Eight games on tap for Sunday and Monday, ranked by watchability.
Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.
(SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK)
Denae Fritz #5 of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts after a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Forward Hannah Stuelke #45 of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts after a double overtime loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2026 in Iowa City, Iowa.
(Matthew Holst, Getty Images)
Forward Hannah Stuelke #45 of the Iowa Hawkeyes hugs her mother after the double overtime loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2026 in Iowa City, Iowa.
(Matthew Holst, Getty Images)
Chance Gray #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Kennedy Cambridge #3 sit on the bench as time runs down in the fourth quarter of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Second Round game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Jerome Schottenstein Center on March 23, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Notre Dame defeated Ohio Sate 83-73.
(Kirk Irwin, Getty Images)
Head coach Krista Gerlich of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Snudda Collins #0 of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of theWomen's NCAA Tournamentat Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.
(David Berding, Getty Images)
Audi Crooks #55 of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament against the Syracuse Orange at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 21, 2026 in Storrs, Connecticut.
(Joe Buglewicz, Getty Images)
The Vermont women's basketball team starters consoled each other as the Caramounts lost to Louisville at the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky, March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)
Rhode Island Rams head coach Tammi Reiss gives a hug to Rhode Island Rams guard Sophia Vital (15) in the waning moments of the Rams' loss to Alabama in the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky, March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)
Comari Mitchell #5 of the Jacksonville Dolphins reacts during the second half of the game against the LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 20, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Bailey Burns #11 of the Jacksonville Dolphins exits the court after the game against the LSU Tigers in first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 20, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
1/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.
(SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK)
1/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.
(SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK)
2/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Denae Fritz #5 of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts after a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
3/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Forward Hannah Stuelke #45 of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts after a double overtime loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2026 in Iowa City, Iowa.
(Matthew Holst, Getty Images)
4/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Forward Hannah Stuelke #45 of the Iowa Hawkeyes hugs her mother after the double overtime loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2026 in Iowa City, Iowa.
(Matthew Holst, Getty Images)
5/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Chance Gray #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Kennedy Cambridge #3 sit on the bench as time runs down in the fourth quarter of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Second Round game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Jerome Schottenstein Center on March 23, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Notre Dame defeated Ohio Sate 83-73.
(Kirk Irwin, Getty Images)
6/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Head coach Krista Gerlich of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
7/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Snudda Collins #0 of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
8/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of theWomen's NCAA Tournamentat Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.
(David Berding, Getty Images)
9/13
Audi Crooks enters transfer portal after 3 seasons at Iowa State
Audi Crooks #55 of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament against the Syracuse Orange at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 21, 2026 in Storrs, Connecticut.
(Joe Buglewicz, Getty Images)
10/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
The Vermont women's basketball team starters consoled each other as the Caramounts lost to Louisville at the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky, March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)
11/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Rhode Island Rams head coach Tammi Reiss gives a hug to Rhode Island Rams guard Sophia Vital (15) in the waning moments of the Rams' loss to Alabama in the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky, March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)
12/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Comari Mitchell #5 of the Jacksonville Dolphins reacts during the second half of the game against the LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 20, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
13/13
March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament
Bailey Burns #11 of the Jacksonville Dolphins exits the court after the game against the LSU Tigers in first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 20, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
1. UCLA vs. Duke
Time/TV:Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Duke has a pretty good record in run-it-back games this season. They won both meetings against Notre Dame and Louisville, beat Clemson in the ACC Tournament after losing to the Tigers in February, beat Baylor by double digits in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after losing to the Bears in Paris, and defeated LSU in the Sweet 16 after losing to Kim Mulkey's team at home in December. Now, Kara Lawson's Blue Devils will get the chance to correct the record against UCLA, after the Bruins beat them by 30 points in Las Vegas in November. UCLA is riding a 28-game winning streak and hasn't had a winning margin of less than double digits since Feb. 8. The Bruins look like a Goliath. Can Duke be a David?
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2. South Carolina vs. TCU
Time/TV:Monday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The Gamecocks looked unstoppable in a wire-to-wire win over Oklahoma on Saturday, coasting to a 94-68 victory. Aaliyah Chavez got her 21 points, but South Carolina largely neutralized the rest of the Sooners. With a sixth consecutive trip to the Final Four on the line, the Gamecocks will take on another team with a supremely talented point guard inOlivia Miles, the nation's leader in triple-doubles this season. Marta Suarez has emerged as the Robin to Miles' Batman, dropping 33 points in the Horned Frogs' win over Virginia. Expect SEC Defensive Player of the Year Raven Johnson to be tracking Miles.
3. UConn vs. Notre Dame
Time/TV:Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (ABC)
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No two teams in the history of women's college basketball have played more times in the NCAA Tournament than Notre Dame and UConn, who meet for the ninth time in the Big Dance on Sunday. The former Big East rivals played earlier this season with the Huskies taking a comfortable 85-47 win. Can Hannah Hidalgo engineer one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, or will undefeated UConn continue to roll in its quest to repeat as champions?
4. Texas vs. Michigan
Time/TV:Monday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
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. Texas has suffered three losses all season and is the only team to have beaten UCLA. Both teams are led by talented trios, withMadison Booker,Rori Harmonand Jordan Lee leading the Longhorns, while sophomoresSyla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway have powered the Wolverines.
