The first weekend of the women’s NCAA Tournament is in the books, which means only 16 teams are still alive for national championship contention.
Numerous teams cruised through the first two rounds of March Madness, with No. 1 seeds UCLA, USC, Texas and South Carolina all securing double-digit wins in their respective two matchups to reach the Sweet 16. Other teams like No. 3 seed LSU are also trending up in March Madness, especially after the Tigers’ back-to-back wins of 55 and 30 points over San Diego State and Florida State, respectively.
Tennessee is also back in the Sweet 16 under first-year coach Kim Caldwell after defeating No. 4 seed Ohio State 82-67 in the second round. An in-state rivalry showdown between North Carolina and Duke also headlines the Sweet 16 schedule.
The Sweet 16 is dominated by power conference teams, as the round is made up of SEC (6), ACC (4), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (2) and Big East (1) programs.
Here are power rankings of the remaining 16 teams in women’s March Madness:
Women’s March Madness Sweet 16 rankings
Here are power rankings of the 16 teams still in contention in the women’s NCAA Tournament:
1. South Carolina
The defending national champions still look every bit as powerful this season, and the No. 1 seed Gamecocks are playing their best basketball at the right time.
South Carolina defeated Tennessee Tech 108-48 in the first round and beat Indiana 64-53 in the second round to cruise to the Sweet 16. Its pair of women’s NCAA Tournament wins comes after taking the SEC tournament crown by dismantling fellow No. 1 seed Texas 64-45 in the championship game.
Junior forward Chloe Kitts has led the charge down the stretch for the Gamecocks, scoring in double-figures in each of their last seven games paired with a strong interior presence.
South Carolina faces No. 4 seed Maryland in the Sweet 16 and should be a heavy favorite to reach the Elite Eight and potentially even further.
2. UConn
Star guard Paige Bueckers also looks like she’s at her best, as she tallied a whopping 34 points, four assists and four steals with no turnovers against the Jackrabbits. It hasn’t been all Bueckers, though, as No. 2 seed UConn has gained scoring production from other players, particularly Azzi Fudd.
Fudd scored 27 points against Arkansas State and 17 against South Dakota State, and her recent hot streak makes her and Bueckers perhaps the best back-court duo left in the tournament.
UConn should have no issues with No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.
3. UCLA
UCLA survived an early scare against Richmond in the second round, as the Spiders took a 20-18 lead over the Bruins into the second quarter. However, No. 1 overall seed UCLA locked in from there, eventually pulling away for an 84-67 win.
The Bruins still have one of the nation’s top players and perhaps the biggest mismatch left in the tournament, as 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts continues to dominant in the paint. Betts dropped 30 points with 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Richmond, making UCLA extremely hard to beat when she’s on her A-game.
UCLA faces No. 4 seed Ole Miss next.
4. LSU
There might not be a better offensive team left in the women’s NCAA Tournament, as the No. 3 seeded Tigers became the first team since Long Beach State in 1988 to score 100 points or more in consecutive tournament games.
LSU defeated San Diego State 103-48 and Florida State 101-71 in the first weekend, as their dynamic trio of scorers – Flau’jae Johnson (18.8 points per game), Aneesah Morrow (18.5 points) and Mikaylah Williams (17.4 points) – form a big three that can hang with anyone in March Madness.
The Tigers will face No. 2 seed NC State in the Sweet 16.
5. Texas
Texas falls just a tad in the rankings not because of its own performances, but mostly due to how UConn and LSU won their first weekend games.
The Longhorns are maybe still being slept on, especially after finishing 31-3 in the regular season. Texas handily defeated William & Mary and Illinois in its first two matchups, with first-team All-SEC forward Madison Booker pouring in 20 points apiece in each game.
While No. 1 seed Texas is certainly a contender, the Longhorns lack the high-end talent of the four teams ahead of them in the re-rank.
Texas takes on in-conference foe and No. 5 seed Tennessee next.
6. USC
USC takes a fall in the rankings, only because of the news of star guard Juju Watkins suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Trojans’ second-round win over Mississippi State.
It’s a huge blow for the No. 1 seeded Trojans’ national championship hopes, especially considering Watkins potentially being the national player of the year frontrunner.
Forward Kiki Iriafen stepped up in a huge way after Watkins went down, scoring 36 points with nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the 96-59 win.
USC faces No. 5 seed Kansas State next for a spot in the Elite Eight.
7. TCU
The Horned Frogs have plenty of experience between guard Hailey Van Lith and forward Sedona Prince. Van Lith led No. 2 seed TCU to the Sweet 16 after it defeated Louisville, Van Lith’s former team, 85-70 in the second round.
TCU now matches up with Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, and it looks to take down the Fighting Irish once more, like it did in nonconference play in November.
8. Notre Dame
No. 3 seed Notre Dame and No. 2 seed TCU make for one of the best matchups of the Sweet 16, and both teams appear evenly matched, especially after their nonconference battle in November.
TCU defeated the Fighting Irish 76-68 in the Cayman Islands, despite 27 points from Notre Dame star guard Hannah Hidalgo.
Notre Dame will always have a chance, though, with a player of Hidalgo’s caliber on the floor.
9. NC State
NC State has a tough matchup with No. 3 seed LSU in the Sweet 16 but is more than capable of beating Kim Mulkey and the Tigers.
The No. 2 seeded Wolfpack earned a pair of double-digit wins after beating Vermont 75-55 and Michigan State 83-49 in the first two rounds. Led by backcourt duo Aziaha James (18.1 points per game) and Zoe Brooks (14.2 points per game), NC State’s stars will look to outduel LSU’s trio of high-end scorers.
10. Duke
The Blue Devils had one of the most impressive first-round wins of the tournament, defeating Lehigh 86-25 while holding the Mountain Hawks to single-digit scoring in each quarter.
No. 2 seed Duke looked beatable in the second round, however, nearly conceding defeat to No. 10 seed Oregon before hanging on for a 59-53 win.
Duke needs to look more like the team it was in the first round than the second in order to beat in-state rival North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
11. Oklahoma
Oklahoma forward Raegan Beers, who took Oregon State to the Elite Eight last season, has been elite in the post. Beers, who played only 18 minutes in the blowout win over Iowa, still managed to grab 13 rebounds and block four shots.
Beers and starting guard Peyton Verhulst will be important for the Sooners as they look to take down UConn.
12. North Carolina
North Carolina’s stout defense looks to hold rival Duke in check in the Sweet 16.
Three-seed North Carolina held both Oregon State and West Virginia to under 50 points in its pair of first-weekend wins. The Mountaineers didn’t score their first points of the fourth quarter until there were 39 second remaining.
North Carolina-Duke should be a big defensive battle, and North Carolina will look to win with ACC Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Donarski.
13. Tennessee
First-year coach Kim Caldwell has brought No. 5 seed Tennessee back to the Sweet 16 after a one-year hiatus last season. The Lady Vols’ chances of advancing further seem stacked against them, however.
Tennessee must get past SEC foe and No. 1 seed Texas in its third matchup of the tournament, but the Lady Vols hung tough with the Longhorns in Texas’ 80-76 win earlier this season.
Tennessee’s defense caused 23 turnovers in a dominant win over Ohio State and will look to continue the pressure against the Longhorns.
14. Kansas State
Kansas State is a different team with center Ayoka Lee in the lineup, and it showed with the Wildcats upset 80-79 upset of No. 4 seed Kentucky in the second round.
If No. 5 seed K-State can shoot like it did against Kentucky (14 of 35 from 3-point range), the Wildcats have a chance against USC, which will be without Juju Watkins.
15. Ole Miss
Ole Miss narrowly missed out on hosting a regional, as it was ranked No. 17 by the NCAA selection committee. Nonetheless, the Rebels made the Sweet 16 anyway after beating Baylor 69-63 in the second round.
Ole Miss boasts a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging over nine points per game but none scoring more than 13 per contest.
The No. 5 seed Rebels have a tough task ahead against No. 1 seed UCLA.
16. Maryland
Maryland was down 17 points in the third quarter but mounted a comeback to set up a matchup against No. 1 seed South Carolina. Maryland allowed 60 points in the paint, though, including 45 total points from Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker.
The Terrapins’ poor defensive showing will be one that South Carolina looks to take advantage of in the Sweet 16.
