The tournament is officially one weekend down – with the entire first round and half of the second round in the book, and with a few exceptions, it's been a good weekend for the higher-seeded teams.

 Overall, No. 1 South Carolina looked elite, rolling through No. 16 Presbyterian, 91-39 in the first round, even without 6-7 Center Kamilla Cardoso, who was suspended for one game after an ejection during the SEC Championship. The next night, the Gamecocks beat No. 8 UNC, 88-41, officially booking a ticket to the round of 16. They will play the winner of No. 4 Indiana versus No. 5 Oklahoma. Also in the region, No. 3 Oregon State is officially moving to the round of 16 after defeating a talented No. 6 Nebraska team, 61-51.

 In the first round, No. 11 Middle Tennessee State upset No. 6 Louisville, 71-69, ending the chance for LSU's Haley Van Lith to face her old team. Then, after a close first half, No. 3 LSU defeated Middle Tennessee State, 83-56. The Tigers are officially back in the round of 16. In a more minor upset, No. 5 Colorado beat No. 4 Kansas State in the second round. Both teams have shown glimpses of brilliance during the season, peaking in the top 5 at one point. In a physical first-round game, No. 1 Iowa defeated No. 16 Holy Cross, 91-65.

 No. 7 Duke also booked its ticket to Portland by upsetting No. 2 Ohio State, 75-63. The Buckeyes entered the Big Ten tournament as the first seed and the No. 2 team in the country but also suffered an early second-round exit there. This time, Ohio State had a 16-point lead at the half, but Duke chipped away and solidified a lead by the end of the third quarter. Also in the region, No. 5 Baylor defeated No. 4 Virginia Tech, which was without ACC Player of the Year, Elizabeth Kitley. Kitley tore her ACL at the end of the regular season and watched her time as a Hokie come to an end on her home court.

 The bracket has gone chalk in this region, but it’s been hard fought. No. 7 Iowa State Freshman Audi Crooks had 40 points and 12 rebounds against No. 10 Maryland in the first round. The Cyclones erased a 20-point deficit to win, the second-largest comeback in tournament history. In Austin, No. 1 Texas beat No. 8 Alabama, 65-54, to also secure a spot in the round of 16. On Sunday night, No. 2 Stanford ground out a win over No. 7 Iowa State. The teams were tied 66 all at the end of regulation before an eventual 87-81 win. Kiki Iriafen, who had 41 points, and Brooke Demetre, who hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime, stole the show and sent the Cardinal back to the round of 16 for the first time since 2022.

Stay tuned for a deep dive into the round of 16 matchups later this week. All games are on Monday, March 25, and all times listed in ET.

No. 2 Notre Dame vs No. 7 Ole Miss: 2:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 4 Indiana vs No. 5 Oklahoma: 6:30 p.m on ESPN2

No. 1 Iowa vs No. 8 West Virginia: 8:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 7 Creighton: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2

No. 3 UConn vs No. 6 Syracuse: 6:00 p.mn on ESPN

No. 1 Southern California vs No. 8 Kansas: 10 p.m. on ESPN

No. 3 NC State vs No. 6 Tennessee: 4:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 4 Gonzaga vs No. 5 Utah: 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2

women's basketball tournament weekend one recap

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Tournament weekend one is in the books

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