Women’s basketball is having itself a moment as March Madness arrives.
A year ago, 9.9 million people tuned in to see Angel Reese and LSU beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a national championship game made unforgettable by the two stars who backed up their talk with stellar play. The game was on a national network — ABC — for the first time since 1996.
Well, Clark and Reese are back for more and they aren’t alone as No. 1 overall seed in South Carolina again enters the tournament undefeated with a chance to become the 10th perfect national champion.
The Gamecocks and Clark’s Hawkeyes are the top seeds in the two Albany (N.Y.) regionals while Pac-12 Conference Tournament champ Southern California and Big 12 tourney champ Texas are the two top seeds at the Portland (Ore.) site.
Clark has been the talk of the sport all season, making a bid for a second straight Associated Press Player of the Year honor after becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I history and selling out venues wherever Iowa went.
Top games
No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Drake. The Buffaloes opened the season with a stunner when they defeated defending national champion LSU and are among seven Pac-12 teams in the tournament. Drake advanced on a last-second shot to beat Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference.
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Green Bay. Tennessee came within about a second of pulling off the season’s biggest upset when it lost to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semis on Kamilla Cardoso’s last-second three, her first-ever in college. Green Bay comes in with 27 victories.
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee. Cardinals were a Final Four team two years ago, but lost three of their final five games. Middle Tennessee went 29-4 this season and won its second straight Conference USA title.
No. 3 UConn vs. No. 14 Jackson State. The Huskies have had a difficult time staying healthy this year and their depth could be an issue as they move through the NCAA Tournament. Jackson State comes in off its ninth Southwestern Athletic Conference title.
How to watch
Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule that will be updated with matchups — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services with select games on ABC. While ESPN will air the Final Four, the title game will be back on ABC just like last season.
Betting guide
South Carolina is the overwhelming favorite to win its second title in three years and third overall, all since 2017. The top three betting favorites behind the Gamecocks (in order) are Iowa, LSU and Stanford, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Who is playing?
South Carolina will open against either Sacred Heart or Presbyterian, who compete in a First Four game. Same for Iowa, which awaits the winner of Holy Cross/UT-Martin. The other top seeds know their foes: USC will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas will face Drexel.
Defending national champion LSU, seeded third, opens against No. 14 seed Rice.
When are the games?
The First Four matchups (March 20-21) and first- and second-round games (March 22-25) are on campus, with sites announced late March 17.
Sweet 16 weekend ( March 29-April 1) will see games in two sites once again: Albany, New York, and Portland, Oregon.
The Final Four is in Cleveland on Friday, April 5, with the championship game on Sunday, April 7.
