The Sweet 16 has arrived! And some of the game’s most renowned teams are competing this Friday, with UConn challenging North Carolina and Notre Dame contending with Vanderbilt. In the evening contests, No. 1 seed UCLA confronts Minnesota before Duke’s esteemed attack clashes with LSU’s potent offensive players.
ESPN presents this overview for all the Friday matchups, which commences at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Be sure to return once the games have started for real-time coverage!
2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Fighting Irish can advance to the Elite Eight: Notre Dame is on a streak and will be a formidable opponent for any rival. Yet, that was not their narrative earlier in the season. The Irish recorded a 3-6 record in January — after suffering a defeat at Cal on Jan. 29, they stood at 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the ACC. Then, their season began to shift Feb. 1 following a triumph over Stanford. Since then, the Irish have only suffered two defeats: 81-70 at Virginia on Feb. 8 and 65-63 to Duke on March 7 in the ACC tournament semifinals. Hannah Hidalgo has served as the cornerstone of the Irish squad. Cassandre Prosper’s development and the enhanced cohesion among transfers Iyana Moore (from Vanderbilt) and Vanessa de Jesus (from Duke) have contributed to the Irish becoming perhaps the most transformed squad in the country since the season’s midpoint. — Michael Voepel
How the Commodores can advance to the Elite Eight: Vanderbilt had not progressed beyond the second round of the tournament since 2009. The Commodores are set to confront Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame. Mikayla Blakes is the country’s top point-getter, but Hidalgo is the third-highest point-scorer in the country. She is also a tenacious defender. The Commodores commit merely 13.1 turnovers on average per game, but they will have to exhibit greater ball security. Vanderbilt displayed strong perimeter shooting in the first round of the tournament, sinking 11 long-range attempts. Blakes made more baskets from beyond the arc than Illinois. Vanderbilt attempts 26.3 three-pointers per game on average and successfully makes 36.3% of those attempts. — Kendra Andrews
5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Tar Heels can advance to the Elite Eight: Having returned to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, the Tar Heels will have significant areas for enhancement if their initial journey to the Elite Eight since 2008 can materialize. They permitted Maryland 21 offensive boards and committed 16 turnovers. North Carolina cannot rely on UConn failing to convert the same open opportunities Maryland did. An effective adjustment involved altering their approach of attempting 40 shots from beyond the arc in the first round against Western Illinois. North Carolina attempted merely 11 three-pointers against Maryland, converting four of them, opting instead to consistently drive to the hoop, amassing 44 points from close range. Enhanced ball movement and creating more unobstructed perimeter shots represents a key focus area. — Charlie Creme
How the Huskies can advance to the Sweet 16: If the Huskies continue performing at this level, they will have no difficulty progressing to the Elite Eight. That’s no disrespect to North Carolina, but the Huskies are simply that proficient. Geno Auriemma will want to make certain his squad avoids becoming overconfident after initial triumphs or that it starts to sense the strain of a 40-0 season as the Huskies progress further in the competition. No coach in the country is more adept at guiding athletes through such circumstances than Auriemma. And possessing a roster predominantly experienced in prior NCAA tournaments — not to mention having triumphed as titleholders — will undoubtedly be advantageous. — Alexa Philippou
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Gophers can advance to the Elite Eight: The most recent occasion the Gophers reached the Sweet 16, they were spearheaded by the talent of eventual WNBA top draft selection Janel McCarville at center. The year before that, McCarville and point guard Lindsay Whalen guided Minnesota to the 2004 Final Four. Whalen undertook the role of the Gophers head coach from 2018 to 2023, after she concluded a distinguished playing career worthy of the Hall of Fame in the WNBA. But Minnesota failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament with Whalen at the helm, and her position was filled by Dawn Plitzuweit for the 2023-24 season. Plitzuweit guided the Gophers to victory in the WBIT championship last season. To progress deeper into this year’s NCAA competition, they will need to defeat No. 1 seed UCLA. — Michael Voepel
How the Bruins can advance to the Elite Eight: In the initial two games of this tournament, the Bruins have demonstrated their ability to be overwhelming at times, and they can draw upon their Final Four background for fortitude. On Monday night, the Bruins weathered the Cowgirls’ 9-0 scoring spree in the third quarter, preventing them from closing the gap to fewer than ten points during that period. As the Bruins progress through the competition, they must not offer opponents opportunities to re-enter the contest. — Sarah Barshop
10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Blue Devils can advance to the Elite Eight: Duke will bring its defensive prowess — that much is assured. The primary worry stemming from the Baylor match was witnessing the Blue Devils’ premier athlete, Toby Fournier, plagued by foul issues. Fournier had 15 points but played only 22 minutes after accruing her third personal foul early in the third period before ultimately being disqualified due to fouls. Fournier was likewise ejected from the ACC championship game and the regular-season finale against North Carolina. The level of challenge escalates from this point, and Duke must avoid being deprived of Fournier’s presence for extended periods henceforth. — Andrea Adelson
How the Tigers can advance to the Elite Eight: A repetition of their initial two NCAA tournament displays would be ideal. When LSU is performing optimally, the Tigers are among the nation’s premier squads because of their capacity to net points both inside and beyond the arc. It was nearly overlooked in the contest against Texas Tech, but LSU converted 7 of 18 attempts from three-point territory in the game. Their interior play is their strength, and so far in two tournament games, LSU is achieving a 72% success rate in the painted area — the highest figure through two games by any team in the past six NCAA tournaments, according to ESPN Research. Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams are top-tier athletes, and when they are both performing at their peak concurrently, that is a challenging duo to contain. All participants who entered the game on Sunday registered points. If the Tigers can steer clear of the errors that have previously led to their defeats, they will place themselves advantageously to continue their journey in this competition. — Andrea Adelson