March brings madness, and for the Women’s side of the bracket, the March Madness tournament came with a huge amount of hype. Teams like the University of Connecticut (UConn), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of South Carolina, and the University of Texas were some of the most hyped teams, especially since they were all the number one seeds of their respective regions.
But only one team can come out on top in March, and with another exciting tournament in the books, here is a recap of it all.
For the most part, during the round of 64, the top teams all earned big wins, having no problems in the first round. But that would not be the case for all, as teams such as the University of Southern California (USC), Virginia, and Syracuse all pulled off upsets to advance to the second round.
The ten seeded Virginia Cavaliers were able to pull off their upset against the seven seeded Georgia Bulldogs thanks to big performances from guard Kymora Johnson and forward Sa’Myah Smith.
For Syracuse, the number nine seed, they were able to take down a strong eight seed Iowa State, thanks to a big second quarter they were able to capitalize off. Despite a 37-point performance from center Audi Crooks of Iowa State, Syracuse had four players in double digits, which in the end helped them gain the win.
The most interesting game of the first round was, most definitely, the nine seed USC versus the eight seed Clemson. With the game tied up and seconds remaining, Clemson’s Mia Moore hit a last second circus shot that appeared to win Clemson the game, until the referees decided it was right to review it. As they looked back on the shot, it was revealed that the clock did not properly start, which waved off the final shot and sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, star freshman guard Jazzy Davidson of USC ultimately helped uplift the Trojans to victory. Davidson had a game-high thirty-one points and played all possible forty five minutes of the game for her squad.
With those being the most interesting games, they would only get more intense, and the stakes would only become higher in the round of thirty two.
Coming off a strong round one victory, Virginia looked to continue their run as they took on the number two seed Iowa. From the jump, this game was very intriguing as both teams were neck and neck. Iowa was able to build a decent lead as it headed into the fourth quarter of this game, but Virginia never let up. The game would eventually end up going into double overtime, where it would be Virginia who would come out victorious. Securing a big upset victory to help them keep dancing and head to the Sweet Sixteen.
This would not be the only big upset of the round of thirty two, as the six seed Notre Dame would take on the three seed Ohio State. Led by star guard Hannah Hidalgo, who had an impressive 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight steals, which ultimately helped her team get the big upset win.
Two other notable games that came down to the wire were the four seed Minnesota squeezing out a close victory over the five seed Ole Miss. Along with five seed Kentucky pulling off the one point upset against the four seed West Virginia.
With the bracket slimming down to the remaining 16, a familiarity with the tournament continued as the four number one seeds continued to dominate their opponents by large margins. But for some of the other top seeds, this would not be the case for them. After a ten point victory over the three seed Ohio State, Notre Dame looked to continue its run against the two seeded Vanderbilt. Thanks to the firepower of star Hannah Hidalgo once more, Notre Dame would come out victorious thanks to her night of a triple double.
Another big matchup was the three seeded Duke versus the two seed Louisiana State University (LSU). This game from the start was very entertaining with tons of scoring from both teams. As the game came down to the wire, Duke trailed by one point with two point six seconds left and had one last opportunity to win the game. As they took the inbound from their own baseline, Duke would run an elevator screen for guard Ashlon Jackson. Jackson would immediately step back behind the arc, pump fake, then take the shot for the win. The ball rolled around the rim until it finally went in, and secured Duke a ticket to the Elite Eight.
With the Elite Eight now here, all the number one seeds showed no mercy for any team as each of them won their respective game by double digits, with Texas even winning their game by 36 points.
The Final Four was now set, and all four number one seeds arrived one step closer to winning a National Championship. Four teams that had crushed their competition throughout the tournament, but only one could come out victorious.
The first matchup would be South Carolina versus UConn, a rematch of the previous National Championship, where UConn came out victorious. UConn once more came in as the favorites, notably being on an insane 54 game winning streak. But this did not faze South Carolina. With a balanced attack, which included four players with double-digit points and a great defensive game, South Carolina pulled off a huge upset to advance to the National Championship.
The second matchup included Texas versus UCLA. Two of the best defensive teams in the country, and in the spotlight, showed exactly why they each deserve their flowers. Each team battled for points throughout the game as their solid defenses prevented tons of scoring. As the game neared the end, UCLA center Lauren Betts blocked a crucial shot on Texas star Madison Booker. Which later, UCLA got to the free throw line and helped them advance to the National Championship game.
The stage everyone had been waiting for, the National Championship, was finally set between South Carolina and UCLA. A very anticipated game, but from the start, one team blew their opponent out of the water. UCLA had a strong twenty-one-point first quarter and never looked back one bit. UCLA’s entire starting five had double digit points, with guard Gabriela Jaquez leading the charge with twenty one points and ten rebounds. In the end, UCLA reigned victorious, winning 79-51, to clinch their first Women’s National Championship win. Fast forward to now, UCLA had five of its players selected in the first round of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft.
As the season concludes, it will be another crucial offseason for these teams as they look to strengthen their rosters to compete for next year’s National Championship.
