The 2026 women’s NCAA tournament continued Saturday with the last four games of the Sweet 16. On Friday, we saw Hannah Hidalgo stealing dreams in Notre Dame’s win over Vanderbilt, before UConn muscled its way through UNC to return to the Elite Eight for the 30th time in program history. In Sacramento, UCLA took care of business against Minnesota before Duke outlasted LSU with a buzzer-beating three to steal the game. What did Saturday have in store?
Sports Illustrated had live updates throughout the Sweet 16 with analysis, score updates and more from around the bracket.
Saturday’s women’s Sweet 16 matchups
Final: No. 2 Michigan 71, No. 3 Louisville 52
Michigan blew out Louisville to advance to the second Elite Eight in program history. The Wolverines did not play well for the first 15 minutes and still easily beat a really good Louisville team. Michigan has won its three tournament games by 35, 29 and now 19 points. I don’t want to get all hot-take-y here, but I think at this point, Michigan is basically the fifth No. 1 seed. The Wolverines play the Texas-Kentucky winner Monday night. —Michael Rosenberg
Final: No. 1 Texas 76, No. 5 Kentucky 54
Wreaking havoc on the defensive end, the Longhorns helped force 24 turnovers, scoring 26 points off of them en route to the lopsided victory. Watching Texas win by 22 points and seeing Madison Booker score only 17 is a little bit like seeing the Death Star operate without some of its tractor beams. But that's a testament to how deep and talented this Texas team is. The backcourt duo of Jordan Lee, who had 18 points, and Rori Harmon, who was a disruptive force on defense, led the way for the Longhorns.
If there’s any cause for concern on the Longhorns side of things, it’s that they seemed to get a bit careless with the ball in the second half, opening the door for an 8–0 Kentucky run to make things semi-interesting. But for all intents and purposes, this Texas team has yet to be truly tested in the tournament. That's likely about to change in the Elite Eight against Michigan. —Tim Capurso
Final: No. 1 South Carolina 94, No. 4 Oklahoma 68
The Gamecocks rolled to a decisive victory thanks to its backcourt trio of Ta'Niya Latson, Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson, who combined for 60 of South Carolina’s points.
The three-point shooting disparity between the two teams—South Carolina knocked down 10 of 14 shots from beyond the arc while Oklahoma went 6-of-20—was also ultimately one of the deciding factors in the game. Playing suffocating defense and with the offense firing on all cylinders, the Gamecocks look like a formidable foe for either of TCU or Virginia in the Elite Eight. —Capurso
Final: No. 3 TCU 79, No. 10 Virginia 69
In TCU’s second-round win over Washington, Olivia Miles led the Horned Frogs in scoring, and she took twice as many shots as any other player. That’s a formula that has been familiar here this season, and it’s one that has often led to success. But it’s certainly not the only potential framework for TCU. Even if Miles is scoring at will and controlling the action, as she was again on Saturday, she does not have to be the primary shotmaker. Miles finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists … only to be matched by Marta Suarez, who had 33 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. The 6'3" forward can shoot from outside with a facility that belies her size, and if no one has a skillset exactly as well-rounded as Miles’s, she at least comes remarkably close. Saturday’s win was a showcase for just how much the two of them can do together.
Yet it also felt like a bit of a warning. Miles and Suarez either scored or assisted on every single bucket on Saturday. (No other teammate scored more than eight—Taylor Bigby and Clara Silva—and all of those baskets were assisted by either Miles or Suarez.) That’s striking. But it’s not a formula that’s likely to work against a more talented team like No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Elite Eight. It will be difficult to get much further without a little more help. —Emma Baccellieri
Live updates, analysis and highlights from Saturday’s games
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
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- Michigan vs. Tennessee Live Scores: Updates From Men’s March Madness Elite Eight
- Women’s March Madness Elite Eight: UConn Takes on Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
- Arizona’s Final Four Bid Came Down to One Thing: Figure It Out
- March Madness: Four Bold Predictions for Women’s Elite Eight
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Women’s Elite Eight Is Set: TCU Ends Virginia’s Cinderella Run, Texas and South Carolina Cruise.
