The NCAA women’s tournament is in full swing on Saturday with the second day of first-round action.
There’s plenty to keep an eye on, including three of the four No. 1 seeds in action, two of the most exciting guards in the nation and a strong candidate for the biggest first-round upset of the tournament.
Game schedule (All times Eastern)
11:30 p.m.: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard (ESPN2)
Noon: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont (ESPN)
1 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Samford/Southern (ABC)
1:30 p.m.: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Virginia/Arizona State (ESPN2)
2 p.m.: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield (ESPN)
2:30 p.m.: No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison (ESPNU)
2:30 p.m.: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island (ESPN News)
3 p.m.: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 UTSA (ABC)
3:30 p.m.: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 USC, (ESPN2)
4 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN)
5 p.m.: No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio) (ESPNU)
5:30 p.m.: No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse (ESPN2)
7 p.m.: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point (ESPN News)
7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado (ESPN2)
10 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 California Baptist (ESPN)
Must-see: Both No. 11 Fairfield and No. 6 Notre Dame can light up the scoreboard. The underdog Stags actually rate higher in offensive efficiency (21st in the nation) than the Irish (31st). Fairfield also boasts the nation’s 13th most efficient defense and could give Notre Dame a game.
Fairfield leads the nation in made 3s (11.4 per game) and ranks 10th in success from long distance (37%). Notre Dame counters with two-time All-American Hannah Hidalgo. This one should be fun.
Must-skip: Judging by its 96-45 loss to UCLA in the Big Ten championship game, No. 2 Iowa is not a national title contender. It’s also not at reasonable risk of an upset to No. 15 FDU, which is a 30.5-point underdog. Unless you’re a fan of either team, it’s hard to find a reason to recommend tuning into this one.
Mostly likely upset: Picking 12-5 upsets in the women’s bracket isn’t the same game as in the men’s. But they do happen, roughly once per tournament. And No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Kentucky could be the 12-5 matchup to look at.
JMU is a balanced team that ranks 44th in the nation in offensive rating and 55th in defensive rating. Kentucky has the superior offense, which ranks 20th in offensive rating. But its 100th-ranked defense is vulnerable. The Dukes don’t do anything great, but they’re competent across the board in terms of shooting, rebounding and creating turnovers. If they get hot against a bad defense, Kentucky could be in trouble.
Players to watch
Notre Dame G Hannah Hidalgo vs. Fairfield
Hidalgo is a blast to watch. Nobody in the game does it quite like her on both sides of the court. The junior guard led the ACC in both scoring with 25.2 points per game and steals with a remarkable 5.4 swipes per contest. Her combination of relentless defensive pressure and offensive aggression is unmatched in college basketball.
UConn G Azzi Fudd vs. UTSA
Fudd needs no introduction. She’s the face of the 34-0 Huskies, and has led UConn to greater regular-season success than during last year’s championship run with Paige Bueckers as her backcourt mate. Now the team is hers, and she’s six wins away from a second straight title.
A fifth-year senior, Fudd shoots 44.6% from 3 while averaging 17.7 points per game. Her quest for a perfect national championship season starts in earnest on Saturday.
