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The women’s NCAA tournament rolls into the Sweet 16 with four games Friday, together with two prime seeds in motion. Undefeated South Carolina faces No. 4 Indiana forward of No. 1 Texas squaring off with No. 4 Gonzaga. No. 2 Notre Dame begins the day towards No. 3 Oregon State. Cameron Brink and No. 2 Stanford face No. 3 NC State in primetime.
Women’s March Madness video games are airing and streaming throughout ESPN’s household of channels. USA TODAY Sports will present the most recent information, scores, evaluation and extra all day. Follow alongside.
STREAM: March Madness on ESPN+ and Fubo
March Madness girls’s video games as we speak
Here is the total schedule for Friday’s NCAA women’s tournament games.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
How to look at girls’s NCAA Tournament video games
ESPN will broadcast all 4 of Friday’s Sweet 16 games.
Halftime rating: Oregon State 32, Notre Dame 31
Oregon State has the benefit in dimension, depth, rebounding and factors within the paint.
Where it’s struggling is caring for the ball.
Notre Dame, regardless of a poor capturing efficiency, has stayed on this recreation and is down one, 32-31 on the half. The Fighting Irish have gone simply 12-of-33 (36.4%) from the sector, however have scored 14 factors off of 12 Oregon State turnovers. Notre Dame, in the meantime, has dedicated only a single turnover.
The different space the place the Irish have a transparent edge: pushing the tempo. Notre Dame has shut out Oregon State in transition whereas scoring 12 factors on the break.
Oregon State Forward Raegan Beers leads all scorers with 12 factors on six-of-seven capturing and has added seven rebounds. Notre Dame has gotten 11 factors from guard Sonia Citron and 9 from ahead Maddy Westbeld. — Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State up 17-15 after 1st Q: Raegan Beers leads Beavers
The Beavers turned to the pick-and-roll with star sophomore ahead Raegan Beers to create mismatches and get Beers clear appears to be like on the basket.
The Fighting Irish have struggled to comprise Beers’ presence, permitting straightforward entry passes and stepping into early foul hassle. Notre Dame had tried to double Beers, however the foul points have pressured the Irish to play extra conservatively on protection.
Beers has eight early factors on four-of-five capturing and 5 rebounds, three of which had been offensive. Oregon State has an imposing six-to-one benefit on offensive rebounds and has a 12:4 edge on boards, general.
Oregon State takes a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.
Notre Dame ahead Maddy Westbeld leads the Irish with seven factors. – Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame ideas off, then stops
The Sweet 16 is formally underway — sort of.
No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Oregon have tipped off in Albany for the primary recreation of the regional semifinal spherical, although the motion slowed simply as shortly because it began. A shot clock difficulty instantly halted play simply 32 seconds into the motion.
Oregon State had received the tip however missed their first area aim try earlier than officers stopped play due to the clock difficulty. – Lorenzo Reyes
Oregon State mascot: Benny Beaver
Who is Oregon State’s lovely mascot, you ask? It’s Benny the Beaver. But wait… there’s additionally Bernice Beaver, who has recently returned from retirement.
Times Union Center now MVP Arena
Looking for the placement of the Oregon State vs. Notre Dame recreation? If you thought it was at Times Union Center, you are improper – sort of. The Albany venue internet hosting the Sweet 16 was known as Times Union Center, however was renamed MVP Arena in January, 2022.
Sweet 16 predictions
The madness is back today, and video games solely get sweeter from right here on out − that’s our prediction a minimum of. It appears like we’re due for some buzzer-beaters or time beyond regulation battles. Maybe each. This spherical of the women’s NCAA Tournament has just about all the pieces you could possibly need, from longtime powerhouses dancing deep for the umpteenth time to applications making an attempt to make the second weekend an everyday vacation spot. There’s savvy seniors, phenomenal freshmen and all the pieces in between. Here are some bold predictions for spherical 1 of the Sweet 16, which ideas off Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. — Lindsay Schnell
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame predictions
USA TODAY Sports consultants Nancy Armour and Lindsay Schnell are cut up on who will win this Sweet 16 matchup. Armour says Notre Dame will win whereas Schnell has Oregon State capturing the victory.
Notre Dame vs. Oregon State: What to look at for
The Irish are virtually enjoying on fumes at this level, having misplaced one other participant (ahead Kylee Watson) to a season-ending damage simply earlier than the NCAA Tournament. They’ve received a spectacular freshman level guard in Hannah Hidalgo, who has but to nicely, play like a freshman. Is that coming in some unspecified time in the future?
The Beavers, picked to complete tenth within the Pac-12 this season, have that all the time coveted inside-out assault and, in keeping with the numbers, are the second-best defensive group left within the match, behind solely South Carolina. They had been rolling in mid-February earlier than sophomore heart Raegan Beers broke her nostril and missed just a few video games, stalling their momentum. Can they get again to that degree of play? Read more on Notre Dame vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
What to find out about Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame’s freshman star and ACC rookie of the 12 months
Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo led the Fighting Irish to a 55-51 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack within the ACC championship recreation to safe Notre Dame an computerized bid into the NCAA match. Hidalgo, who scored 22 factors, six rebounds, six help and two steals within the win, was named the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP and named to the All-Tournament First Team.
The ACC match accolades are simply the tip of the iceberg for Hidalgo, whose stellar freshman marketing campaign has additionally earned her nationwide recognition. Here’s everything to know about the freshman standout.
NCAA girls’s match schedule
Here is the scoreboard and schedule for as we speak’s Sweet 16 games within the NCAA women’s tournament.
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame odds
Notre Dame is the favourite to defeat Oregon State in Friday’s March Madness matchup, in keeping with the BetMGM college basketball odds.
Will Notre Dame’s accidents lastly meet up with them?
You need to be impressed with the second-seeded Irish, who misplaced level guard Olivia Miles to a season-ending damage final 12 months. Everyone knew she wouldn’t be able to go originally of the season and a freshman, Hannah Hidalgo, must step in. But may anybody have anticipated Hidalgo would play like a first-team All-American? But that’s hardly been the one damage difficulty for Notre Dame. Guard Cass Prosper has missed a lot of the season, not enjoying since November, and the Irish misplaced ahead Kylee Watson to a torn ACL throughout the ACC match. At some level, these accidents meet up with the Irish − and we’re considering it occurs within the Sweet 16, vs. Oregon State. — Lindsay Schnell
Iowa’s Molly Davis damage replace: ‘Doubtful’ for Sweet 16
ALBANY, N.Y. — Molly Davis was at Iowa’s follow Friday, sporting exercise gear and a compression brace. But she solely stretched and didn’t run or take part in drills throughout the portion that was open to the media.
“Molly is doubtful for tomorrow,” Bluder mentioned afterward. “I really thought she’d be back by now. I really did. I have no idea how long it’s going to take for her to completely heal, but we’re not going to put her out there when it’s unsafe for her to be out there.”
Women’s March Madness gamers to look at as we speak
- Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo (23.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.6 spg), essentially the most annoying on-ball defender within the nation who can get to the rim each time she needs
- Indiana F Mackenzie Holmes (20.0 ppg, 66.7% FG), a drive within the paint
- USC G Mckenzie Forbes (13.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), who just about solely hits massive photographs in massive moments
- N.C. State guard Saniya Rivers (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), whose athleticism is often good for a minimum of one jaw-dropping spotlight per recreation
- Gonzaga twin Gs Kayleigh (11.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Kaylynne Truong (11.6 ppg, 5.9 apg), whose stats, like them, are almost similar.
- South Carolina G Te-Hina Paopao (47.1% from 3), essentially the most impactful switch of the 2023-24 season
- Oregon State G Talia von Oelhoffen (10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.7 apg), among the finest defensive guards within the nation who hit one of many greatest photographs within the common season.
- Stanford F Cameron Brink (17.8 ppg, 12.0 rpg), the projected No. 2 decide within the 2024 WNBA Draft who’s a handful at each ends of the ground
NCAA girls’s March Madness bracket
You can discover the whole women’s March Madness bracket here.
Women’s basketball wants faces of future to be Black. Enter JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo
It’s comprehensible why JuJu Watkins, the front-runner for nationwide freshman of the 12 months, sparks response each time she’s on the ground. The 6-foot-2 rookie from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, has a silky clean jumper, a veteran’s poise and a mix of ability, energy and physique management not often seen.
With Caitlin Clark headed to the 2024 WNBA draft, the place she’s projected No. 1 general, Watkins, the nation’s second main scorer this season behind Clark, is positioned to turn out to be the face of girls’s basketball. She’ll be joined by Notre Dame level guard Hannah Hidalgo, the opposite favourite for freshman of the 12 months.
Not misplaced on any of the powerbrokers within the recreation: Both of those gamers are Black. And in a recreation constructed by Black girls, it issues that the faces of the longer term appear like the faces of the previous. Read Lindsay Schnell’s full feature here.
LSU’s Angel Reese on Baltimore bridge collapse: ‘I’m praying for Baltimore’
Shocking because it was for anybody to see the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, it was significantly so for Angel Reese. The LSU star is a Baltimore native, and mentioned her aunt used to drive on the Key bridge day-after-day to get to work.
“And we drive over it to get to her house,” Reese said Friday. “So I’m not sure the route she’s taking right now or if she’s been able to go to work since then, but my prayers are to everyone that hasn’t been found yet and the ones that are found and are still suffering from injuries.”
The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a cargo ship that had misplaced energy. The ship was in a position to radio forward, permitting site visitors onto the bridge to be stopped, however eight constructions plunged into the river. Two had been rescued however six died. Four of the workers remain missing.
“I’m praying for Baltimore right now, and I hope everything gets resolved,” Reese mentioned. — Nancy Armour
No. 2 UCLA delayed in attending to Sweet 16
The UCLA Bruins’ physique clocks are actually going to be tousled. UCLA, the No. 2 seed within the Albany 2 regional, was already going to need to cope with a three-hour time change. Then the Bruins’ flight was delayed, inflicting them to get to Albany, N.Y., greater than two hours later than scheduled Thursday. UCLA was first up for media interviews Friday morning, too.
“I’ve got some red eyes and those kinds of things,” mentioned coach Cori Close, whose group faces No. 3 LSU on Saturday. “But the reality is that we’re playing in the Sweet 16. We’ve got a chance to do amazing things. So I’m not going to let two and a half hours get in the way of that.
“I just think it’s a reality, and if you’re focused on things that are out of your control, as Coach Wooden will say, it will adversely affect the things that are under your control,” she mentioned, referring to legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. “That’s part of sports and life, and the tougher more together team wins, and I’m not going to let something like travel get in the way.”
Her gamers agreed.
“Just a little adversity,” Lauren Betts mentioned. “We’ll be fine.” — Nancy Armour
Reseeding the Sweet 16 within the girls’s NCAA match
There wasn’t a lot insanity within the first two rounds of the ladies’s match. Does a scarcity of upset motion imply chaos is coming in the next four days? One can solely hope — except you’re rooting for the overall top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks. In that case, you’re in all probability crossing your fingers that all the pieces will go chalk. We can argue at a special time if that’s enjoyable or not. For now, let’s re-seed the match based mostly on which groups are left. — Lindsay Schnell
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