7 storylines to watch entering Sweet 16 of women's NCAA tourney
The second weekend of the women's NCAA Tournament should be a blockbuster affair.
All of the top seeds are safely through with no major upsets in any section of the bracket.
Here are seven storylines to watch when the Sweet 16 begins Friday:
UConn's scorching offense
UConn came out guns blazing to start the Big Dance, dropping 103 points in its opening-round rout of Arkansas State. Azzi Fudd became the first player with 20 points, five assists, and five steals in any half in the past six tournaments, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou. Meanwhile, freshman Sarah Strong was the only player over the last 25 seasons to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in an NCAA Tournament game.
It was pretty much the same story in the Huskies' next contest as Paige Bueckers tied a career high with 34 points in a 91-57 blowout win over South Dakota State. Sure, the competition level wasn't the greatest. But the precision UConn's operating with offensively, along with an improved supporting cast around Bueckers, gives the school its best shot at ending a nine-year national championship drought.
JuJu's absence
There's really no way to completely replace a player of JuJu Watkins' caliber. Everything the Trojans did revolved around her. The sophomore guard is a three-level scorer, an outstanding one-on-one and help defender, an unselfish playmaker, and the leader in USC's locker room. The Trojans must now fight on without their superstar.
That starts with running the offense through Kiki Iriafen. The projected top-five WNBA draft pick is more than capable of carrying the scoring load. Iriafen scored 41 points for Stanford in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament and rose to the occasion Monday following Watkins' exit with 36 points. She has a face-up game to compliment her post skills, she's a mismatch against opposing bigs off the bounce, and she punishes defenses in the pick-and-roll. Iriafen can also serve as a secondary facilitator out of the high post.
USC's top-ranked freshman class will need to step up, too, as it did against Mississippi State. The trio of Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell, and Kayleigh Heckel combined for 41 points, 13 assists, and seven steals.
South Carolina's title defense
No school has won back-to-back NCAA women's basketball titles since UConn completed a four-peat in 2016. South Carolina's looking to become the fourth program to repeat as national champion. The Gamecocks faced some adversity in the Round of 32 versus Indiana after a comfortable win over Tennessee Tech in their tourney opener. Dawn Staley's squad trailed the Hoosiers by as many as eight points early on, and the contest remained up for the grabs in the fourth quarter.
It wasn't South Carolina's most glamorous performance, but its experience in high-stakes matchups showed. The Gamecocks maintained their composure and didn't panic when Indiana refused to go away. That calm, cool, and collected demeanor stems from Staley's leadership.
"Proud of our team, the way they gutted up and didn't flinch," Staley told reporters postgame. "It wasn't pretty, but at this time, it doesn't have to be. You've just got to score more points than the other team and work the kinks out as we advance into the tournament."
UCLA's elusive Final Four chase
UCLA's having its best season in school history. The Bruins won a program-record 32 games, sat atop the AP Poll for most of the regular season, captured the Big Ten Tournament title, and entered the Big Dance as the No. 1 overall seed. Wooden Award candidate Lauren Betts is coming off a monster second-round performance, registering 30 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Her dominance in the paint created clean looks on the perimeter for her teammates, who collectively canned 11 triples.
That formula has been a key part of UCLA's success as no team outside of USC has found an answer for Betts. The Bruins certainly have the talent to make a maiden Final Four run, but they've only made the Elite Eight once during Cori Close's 14-year tenure. A cloud of doubt will continue to hang over the team until it makes that breakthrough.
Miles' ankle injury
Notre Dame star Olivia Miles sprained her ankle in the Fighting Irish's first-round win over Stephen F. Austin. While Miles played 28 minutes in the school's next contest against Michigan, the All-American guard said postgame that it was a 50-50 chance she'd suit up. Miles added that her body was operating at 45% and she was still dealing with serious swelling in her ankle, according to On3's Tyler Horka.
Miles gets five days of rest before Notre Dame takes on TCU, but it's fair to have some degree of concern. Her health is paramount in the Fighting Irish's chances of reaching their first Final Four since 2019. She's the primary facilitator and arguably their best 3-point threat, and she gives backcourt partner Hannah Hidalgo the freedom to play off the ball.
Texas on upset watch?
Texas went relatively untested in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Both William & Mary and Illinois lacked the long-distance firepower to truly threaten the Longhorns. That won't be the case this weekend in Birmingham. Their Sweet 16 matchup is against Tennessee, who ranks second and third, respectively, in threes made (10.2 per contest) and attempted (31.2).
Texas faces the same challenge if it advances to the Elite Eight. Notre Dame is shooting an NCAA-leading 39.3% from deep, while TCU ranks sixth in 3-point percentage (38%) and seventh in threes made (9.6). The Longhorns could be in trouble if any of these teams gets off to a hot start from beyond the arc. Vic Schaefer's group attempts and makes very few triples, which may prove disastrous if it's forced to play catch-up. Texas went 0-of-5 from downtown versus the Fighting Illini and 3-of-9 against the Tribe.
LSU back at full strength
The biggest question for LSU entering the Big Dance was the health of its star duo. Aneesah Morrow re-aggravated a mid-foot sprain in the SEC Tournament, while Flau'Jae Johnson hadn't played in nearly a month due to shin inflammation. Those doubts were quickly put to bed in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as both players hit the ground running. Morrow compiled two double-doubles, averaging 19 points and 11.5 boards. Johnson was a spark plug on both ends of the floor, tallying 17.5 points, 2.5 steals, and two blocks per contest. The Tigers' Big 3 is back in full force with Mikaylah Williams continuing to produce.
LSU is even getting secondary scoring from fellow starter Sa'Myah Smith and its reserve unit, which hasn't always been the case in marquee games this season. Its balanced attack has led to a pair of 100-point showings in the tourney.
"Yeah, we're the big three, but it’s going to take a big eight to get to where we want to go," Johnson said ahead of the tournament, according to The Athletic's Brody Miller.
LSU won its first national championship in 2023 as a 3-seed. Another Final Four run isn't out of the question, especially when the Tigers' offense is performing at this level. They won a neutral-site game against upcoming opponent NC State earlier this season and defeated the same UCLA core in last year's Sweet 16.