March Madness games today: Ranking the 8-game Women's NCAA Tournament schedule for Sunday

March Madness games today: Ranking the 8-game Women's NCAA Tournament schedule for Sunday

The third day of theWomen's NCAA Tournamentgets underway Sunday with matchups across the country. Eight games will be held across eight sites as we get down to the round of 32. The winners of Sunday's games will advance to the Sweet 16.

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Odds say we'll see a repeat Final Fourwith UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. There are now 28 other teams remaining who want to have a say in that.

The opening day of the tournament didn't see any upsets, butNo. 6 Baylor did have a close call with No. 11 Nebraska, while No. 5 Michigan State narrowly defeated No. 12 Colorado State.

The times listed can vary slightly if preceding contests run long, but there should always be something happening throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Here's the ranking of all the games and everything you need to know about how to watch Sunday's contests.

UConn's Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness. Here's the best players in women's college basketball: It's hard to believe Sarah Strong could top her record-breaking freshman season, but she's one-upped herself. Strong has career highs in points (18.5), assists (4.1), steals (3.4), field goal percentage (60.1%) and free throw percentage (87.3%). She leads UConn in nearly every statical category, including points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Expect Strong to have a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament. She set the freshmen points record in an NCAA Tournament (114) last season. UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts' stats are slightly down from last season, but she's no less dominant. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game and has 11 double-doubles. Her efforts earned her Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to earn both in the same season. Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker has reached new heights this season earning first-team All-SEC after recording career highs in points (18.9), steals (2.3) and field goal percentage (51.6%), which she raised from 46.1% last season. Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring and has been in double-digits for all but two games this season. She's only a junior, but she's already climbed to No. 6 on Texas' all-time scoring list with 1,873 points career points entering March Madness. UConn Huskies senior guard Azzi is shooting lights out from the 3-point line. She's averaging a career-high 44.6% from beyond the arc and her 104 3-pointers rank second in the nation. Her field goal percentage (48.9%) also marks a career-high. Fudd has also helped anchor UConn's top-ranked scoring defense. She's one of three Huskies to have at least 85 steals this season, joining Sarah Strong (111) and KK Arnold (93). Fudd is also flirting with the 50-40-90 stat line — 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line. Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 27-win regular season in program history. Blakes leads the nation in scoring averaging 27.0 points per game, including 12 games of 30 or more points. Ten of those 12 games came in conference play. Blakes has recorded double-digit points in every game this season and is currently riding a 50 game double-digit scoring streak, the longest active streak in the SEC and third longest in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Blakes is the second Vanderbilt star to win SEC Player of the Year and the first sophomore since South Carolina's A'ja Wilson in 2016. Olivia Miles' transfer from Notre Dame to TCU has been seamless if you look at her stat line. Miles is the centerpiece of the Horned Frogs' offense and has upped her scoring average from 15.4 points last season to a career-high 19.6 points. Miles tops the nation with five triple doubles and has done so efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (48.7) and free throw percentage (84.4%). Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks ended the regular season with a bang, dropping 41 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas State — shooting an efficient 16-of-19 from the field. That marked Crooks' fourth 40-point game of the season and 12th double-double. Crooks has scored in double digits every game this season, extending her streak to 97 straight career games — the longest active streak in the nation. She became the fastest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 points on Jan. 28 and picked up an unanimous first-team All-Big 12 nod. Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge has arrived! The sophomore guard is in midst of a breakout season. She upped her points per game from 15.4 last season to 22.8, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her field-goal percentage also increased by nearly eight points to 49.0%. She's scored double-digit points in every game this season and became the 40th Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career points on Feb. 8 against Oregon. She's only the fifth Ohio State player to record 700 points in a season. South Carolina Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards has taken a large step this season. The 6-foot-3 forward slid into the starting lineup after senior forward Chloe Kitts was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in her right knee. Edwards has powered South Carolina to the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation (86.3 points per game). She's averaging a team-high 19.6 points in 34 starts, up from 12.7 points and one start her freshman year. Her stat line is rounded out by 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo has been a walking highlight reel. Hidalgo turned in career highs in points, steals, rebounds, field-goal percentage and made ACC history by winning both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals in a game and scored a school-record 44 points in Notre Dame's 85-58 win over Akron on Nov. 12. She leads the nation in total steals (173), which set a single-season ACC record.

Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament

1. No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 4 North Carolina

Time/TV:12 p.m. ET, ESPN

An old ACC rivalry will be renewed when the Terps take on the Tar Heels in the first game of the day on Sunday. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the 2014 ACC Tournament, where UNC handed Maryland a 73-70 loss in the Terps' final game in the league before bolting for the Big Ten. Maryland coach Brenda Frese beat UNC in the 2006 Final Four en route to winning her only national championship. UNC coach Courtney Banghart twice lost to Frese and the Terps in the NCAA Tournament when she was the head coach at Princeton.

2. No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 3 Duke

Time/TV:4 p.m. ET, ESPN

This is a rematch of the season-opener for both teams, as Baylor took a 58-52 win over Duke in November in Paris, France. The Blue Devils are a little bit different now. That loss was one of six they endured in non-conference play before breaking off a 17-game winning streak. One significant change to Duke's lineup was inserting Riley Nelson for Jadyn Donovan. For Baylor, Taliah Scott led them in scoring with 24 points in that win over Duke while Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had a double-double. They'll need similar production from their two stars to upset the Blue Devils.

3. No. 5Ole Missvs. No. 4 Minnesota

Time/TV:2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Minnesota avoided an upset on Friday as the Gophers trailed Green Bay by four points entering the fourth quarter before breaking off a 30-9 run to win by 17. Meanwhile, Ole Miss nearly led wire-to-wire in a comfortable double-digit win over Gonzaga where the Rebels flexed their athleticism, scoring 23 points off turnovers and 40 points in the paint. Under Yolett McPhee-McCuin, Ole Miss has been to the Sweet 16 twice in the past three years by winning their second-round game as the lower-seeded team.

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4. No. 7 NC State vs. No. 2 Michigan

Time/TV:1 p.m. ET, ABC

Zam Jones powered Wes Moore's Wolfpack over Tennessee on Friday with 30 points and five steals. There's a possibility that NC State will have to play without starting guard Zoe Brooks, who suffered a foot injury in the Wolfpack's first-round win. Michigan will be the favorite here with homecourt advantage, and the Wolverines' trio of star sophomores combined for 45 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists in a first-round win over Holy Cross.

5. No. 6 Washington vs. No. 3 TCU

Time/TV:10 p.m. ET, ESPN

Choosing South Dakota State over Washington in the first round was a trendy upset pick for many heading into the NCAA Tournament, but Tina Langley's Huskies coasted to a comfortable 18-point win behind 30 points from Avery Howell, who did her best Kelsey Plum impersonation by swishing seven 3-pointers. Now, Washington will be tasked with pulling off an upset over Olivia Miles and the Horned Frogs on their home floor.

6. No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

Time/TV:8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Michigan State had a close call with its first round opponent as the Spartans narrowly beat No. 12 Colorado State by three points on Friday. Oklahoma, which trounced Idaho by 30 points behind double-doubles from Raegan Beers and Sahara Williams, will be a much tougher opponent for the Spartans.

7. No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 LSU

Time/TV:3 p.m. ET, ABC

Texas Tech won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2005 on Friday by outlasting Villanova by five points. Now, the Red Raiders face an LSU team eyeing its fourth straight trip to the second weekend of March Madness under Kim Mulkey. The Tigers topped 100 points for the 15th time this season in their first-round win over Jacksonville.

8. No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas

Time/TV:6 p.m. ET, ESPN

Kate Fiso powered the Ducks with 22 points in its first-round victory over Virginia Tech. They'll now face No. 1 Texas for the chance to go to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021. A No. 1 seed hasn't failed to advance to the second weekend of the tournament since 2023, when Indiana and Stanford both lost on their home floors in the second round.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness games today: Ranking the 8-game Women's NCAA Tournament schedule for Sunday

 

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