The initial stage of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament is in progress, with participating teams aiming to progress within the tournament framework.
We are documenting how each team secured victory on Friday, covering unexpected triumphs, decisive victories, and standout displays.
Presented here is ESPN’s comprehensive overview of the initial day’s outcomes, featuring journalists’ insights into how every match concluded successfully, alongside our specialists’ perspectives on the likelihood of each victor reaching the Sweet 16.
Duke’s Path to Victory: Duke established dominance from the outset, hindering Charleston from finding any offensive flow. The Cougars managed only a 19% shooting accuracy in the initial half, facing a 45-26 deficit. However, during the latter half, Charleston surpassed Duke’s score 38-36. On one occasion, Duke’s coach, Kara Lawson, flung her whiteboard in annoyance, as the Blue Devils were not exhibiting the exactitude she deems necessary for the remainder of the competition.
Nonetheless, significant commendation is due to Charleston’s third-year guard Taryn Barbot, the Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year. She amassed 36 points, marking her fourth game exceeding 30 points this season and the tenth of her professional tenure. This represents the highest point total conceded by the Blue Devils to any single player this season — despite their challenging fixture list.
Ultimately, the ACC champion Blue Devils exhibited an overwhelming offensive output of their own, spearheaded by second-year forward Toby Fournier’s 24 points from 11-of-18 shooting. Delaney Thomas contributed 19 points, and Jordan Wood, entering as a substitute, added 17.
Blue Devils’ Path to the Sweet 16: The Blue Devils have maintained among the nation’s premier defensive units, which was more evident during Friday’s opening half compared to the latter. This is an area where Duke requires greater consistency during the subsequent round. The Blue Devils distributed the ball effectively, achieving 25 assists; however, a source of Lawson’s vexation stemmed from turnovers, with Duke accumulating 20. The Blue Devils prevailed in the rebounding contest 47-39, yet Lawson desires greater command in that aspect too. — Michael Voepel
TCU’s Victory Narrative: As throughout much of the season, Olivia Miles was instrumental in TCU’s triumph over UC San Diego. While she was below her 19.6 points per game average, Miles nonetheless exerted significant influence and achieved a triple-double, contributing 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists. This accomplishment marks her as the third athlete to log multiple triple-doubles in NCAA tournament play, placing her alongside Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu and Stanford’s Nicole Powell. The Horned Frogs converted 14 of 20 shots for 36 points directly from Miles’ assists, representing the highest point total generated by a single player’s assists in an NCAA tournament game since 2021.
TCU established a commanding 15-4 advantage early on and faced no real challenge from the Tritons, who managed only 23.0% shooting accuracy overall.
With Miles orchestrating the majority of the plays, three other Horned Frogs achieved double-digit scoring, spearheaded by final-year player Taylor Bigby’s 27 points on 7-of-9 3-point shooting. Clara Silva contributed 13 points and Marta Suarez added 11, with all occurring in the initial half.
Horned Frogs’ Route to the Sweet 16: The Horned Frogs managed a mere 53 points in the Big 12 tournament final match against West Virginia. TCU notched 48 points in the initial half against UC San Diego, obliterating recollections of their second-lowest offensive production of the season. The Tritons are unquestionably not the Mountaineers, but such an offensive performance aids in rebuilding TCU’s confidence. The pick-and-roll offense appeared crisp once more, with the Horned Frogs logging 23 assists for their 32 successful field goal attempts. The 13 successful 3-pointers out of 26 attempts also represented TCU’s highest tally since early December. Possessing that shooting prowess against either Georgia or South Dakota State in the second round will prove crucial. — Charlie Creme