Eight women’s Sweet 16 berths locked in ahead of second day of Round of 32 action

March 24, 2025

The Madness is in full swing swish with the women’s second round halfway done. That’s right, eight of the Sweet 16 squads are already locked in, and today’s show-stopping matchups will determine the other eight.

Sports News Basketball

Eight women’s Sweet 16 berths locked in ahead of second day of Round of 32 action

Source: Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The GIST: The Madness is in full ~~swing~~ swish with the women’s second round halfway done. That’s right, eight of the Sweet 16 squads are already locked in, and today’s show-stopping matchups will determine the other eight. May the odds be ever in your team’s — and bracket’s — favor.

No. 5 seed Kansas State punch first Sweet 16 ticket since 2002: Wildcats senior Temira Poindexter may have missed her first six shots of the game, but she nailed the biggest of the night — a game-winner to top No. 4 Kentucky 80–79 in overtime (OT), one of her season-high eight three-pointers in the contest. Cue Hilary.

And the ’Cats weren’t the only No. 5 seed causing a second-round raucous: No. 5 Ole Miss stunned No. 4 Baylor 69–63 on the Bears’ home court, and No. 5 Tennessee toppled No. 4 Ohio State 82–67.

Top teams keep rolling: The rest of the second-round slate went according to plan…though some games were much closer than expected. No. 2 Duke, who were without freshman standout Toby Fournier, eked out a 59–53 win over No. 10 Oregon, while defending champs No. 1 South Carolina had to fend off yet another Hoosier onslaught to beat No. 9 Indiana 64–53.

In contrast, No. 3 Notre Dame looked virtually unstoppable, easily dismantling No. 6 Michigan 76–55 yesterday. The Fighting Irish are looking more and more like the squad that won 19 straight regular-season games. Future opponents be warned.

Up next: Twelve straight hours of second-round women’s hoops. The first game, No. 2 NC State vs. No. 7 Michigan State, tips off at 12 p.m. ET, and the last — No. 1 USC (led by resilient sophomore sensation JuJu Watkins) against No. 9 Mississippi State — hits the hardwood at 10 p.m. ET. That’s a lot of buckets.

If Monday is Mondaying and you only have time for one tilt, commit to No. 3 UNC vs. No. 6 West Virginia at 7 p.m. ET. This matchup boasts two elite but very different defenses: The Tar Heels thrive in the half court while the Mountaineers’ full-court press is nightmare fuel.