We’ve made it to the final 16 teams in the women’s NCAA tournament—and these matchups sure do look sweet.
While chalk dominated for most of the first two rounds, there were a few pleasant surprises, headlined by No. 10 Virginia powering from the First Four into the Sweet 16 for a date with No. 3 TCU. The Cavaliers don’t exactly scream Cinderella, which may actually be good news for those hoping for a fourth straight thrilling game for the Hoos.
Elsewhere, No. 6 Notre Dame cruised into a matchup with No. 2 Vanderbilt, which features two of the premier scorers in all of women’s basketball. Plus, all four No. 1 seeds are still alive—whether or not they get tested in this round or the next remains to be seen.
With the women’s schedule being spread out throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, Sports Illustrated recognizes you may not be able to dedicate yourself to 12 straight hours of basketball for the second weekend in a row. So if you’re looking to prioritize the action, here are SI’s rankings of the women’s Sweet 16 games.
8. No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Kentucky
Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
When these two teams met in early February, Madison Booker had perhaps her worst game of the year (eight points on 1-of-6 shooting)—and the Longhorns still won by 11. And the Texas star has gone to another level in the NCAA tournament, dropping a career-high 40 points against Oregon in the second round. Kentucky’s defense is one of the best in the SEC (fourth behind just Texas, South Carolina and LSU), but it’s hard to imagine that the Wildcats can slow Booker down enough—or frankly, score enough points to match her—to stay in this game.
7. No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 North Carolina
Friday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
Based purely on what UConn has done in the first two rounds, including a 31–0 run against Syracuse and a combined margin of victory of 101 points in two games, it’s safe to project that this might be the least competitive matchup of the bunch. North Carolina just hasn’t held up well this year against the other top teams in the country, going 1–6 against top ACC finishers Louisville and Duke as well as fellow Sweet 16 competitors UCLA, Texas and Notre Dame. It’s never a bad time to watch Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, both of whom are tearing through the tournament thus far and should be able to do so once again, even against UNC’s stout defense.
6. No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 Minnesota
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Another rematch of a regular-season game, this time between Big Ten foes could have some juice because of how Minnesota’s length could affect Lauren Betts. The senior center was unstoppable against Oklahoma State, a team without as much size, scoring a career-high 35 points to get into the Sweet 16. But the last time the Bruins met the Golden Gophers, it was actually Kiki Rice who took over, dropping a season-high 25 in the 18-point win. It’s an element of UCLA that somehow almost goes underdiscussed because of Betts’s greatness; the guard trio around her (Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens) is sensational and perhaps the key to a Final Four run.
5. No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
Though South Carolina has the clear depth advantage in this matchup, it’s important to remember that the Sooners actually got the better of the Gamecocks during the regular season. Aaliyah Chavez went nuclear in overtime, scoring 15 of her 26 points in the extra period and sending the home crowd in Norman into absolute pandemonium in the process. But Chavez didn’t do it alone. Payton Verhulst added 19, Zya Vann connected on three threes and Raegan Beers and Sahara Williams each grabbed 10+ rebounds. Plus the Sooners overcame 21 (!!!) turnovers to steal the game. Giveaways nearly cost Oklahoma in the round of 32 against Michigan State, so ball security will be a necessity this go-around. And you can maybe “fool” Dawn Staley once, but doing so a second time will require a mammoth effort from the Sooners.
4. No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Louisville
Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Michigan is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022 and playing some of its best basketball at the right time. The Wolverines scored 64 second-half points to put the rout on NC State and the sophomore guard trio of Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway is firing on all cylinders. Louisville will counter without the star power, but a deep rotation that can all get in on the action—considering four different Cardinals have led the team in scoring across the team’s last five games. This should be a high-scoring affair, with Michigan ranking 10th in the country in offense and Louisville coming in at 18th.
3. No. 3 TCU vs. No. 10 Virginia
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Can Virginia keep the magic alive? As the only First Four team to ever make a run to the Sweet 16, and the only team in the field that can claim Cinderella status, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the Hoos. Kymora Johnson may be the most compelling player to watch still left in the tournament coming off consecutive 28-point performances. It’s not so much her scoring ability, but the fact that she played 39 minutes in the First Four, 44 minutes in the first round and then all 50 (!!!) minutes in the round of 32 Iowa upset. Do she and the Cavaliers have anything left in the tank? If so, it’s probably not a whole lot, which makes this a brutal matchup against Olivia Miles and the tenacious TCU defense.
2. No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Duke
Friday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
We didn’t get the Kim Mulkey vs. Baylor matchup that some might have been anticipating, but the result should be a much more competitive game between the Tigers and the Blue Devils. LSU’s offense has been frightening through the first two rounds, racking up more than 100 points in each game and an average margin of victory of 56 points. The guard duo of Mikaylah Williams and Flau’jae Johnson is in postseason form and obviously Mulkey has earned a reputation for what she’s accomplished in March. But don’t overlook Duke. This isn’t the Blue Devils team that lost to LSU by 16 on its home floor to drop to 3–6 on the year. Duke has since gone 23–2 and did so by boasting the best defense in the ACC. If any team might be able to slow down the red-hot Tigers, it might be these Blue Devils.
1. No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Without a doubt, this game has the best individual matchup of the Sweet 16: Mikayla Blakes vs. Hannah Hidalgo. Blakes leads the nation in scoring (27.0 points per game) and hasn’t scored less than 24 points in a game since mid-January. In the tournament she’s been masterful on both ends, ending the second-round win over Illinois just an assist shy of a triple-double. For the Irish, Hidalgo is third in the country in scoring (25.2 points per game)—and she genuinely might be a better defender than she is scorer. She snatched eight steals in each of Notre Dame’s two NCAA tournament wins, while also carrying the Irish on the glass. Hidalgo is a true do-everything player and will likely be matched up on Blakes all afternoon long, making for some of the highest level one-on-one basketball you’ll see in either tournament this March.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- March Madness: Five Bold Predictions for Men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
- Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd Addresses Being Linked to North Carolina’s Coaching Job
- Will Wade and LSU Seem Destined for a Reunion Four Years After Messy Firing
- March Madness Brackets: Expert Predictions for the 2026 Men’s Sweet 16
- Hubert Davis’s Son Elijah Reacts to Firing With Cheeky Dig at UNC in Instagram Post
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking Every Women’s March Madness Sweet 16 Game.
