The Sweet 16 field in both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments will be complete by the end of Monday night.
With the second week of the men’s NCAA tournament set after Sunday, we’ll find out the next eight teams advancing in the women’s tournament on Monday. It’s another day full of basketball for over 12 hours and there should be some fantastic games. Four of the eight games on the schedule have spreads that are less than seven points.
Monday’s schedule
Noon — No. 2 NC State vs. No. 7 Michigan State (ESPN)
2 p.m. — No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Illinois (ESPN)
4 p.m. — No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Iowa (ESPN)
5 p.m. — No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 5 Alabama (ESPN2)
6 p.m. — No. 3 LSU vs. No. 6 Florida State (ESPN)
7 p.m. — No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 West Virginia (ESPN2)
8 p.m. — No. 2 UConn vs. No. 10 South Dakota State (ESPN)
10 p.m. — No. 1 USC vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (ESPN)
Must-see: Can we interest you in a game that features a higher-seeded underdog at home? No. 3 North Carolina is a 1.5-point underdog to No. 6 West Virginia. The Mountaineers force nearly 24 turnovers per game and No. 11 Columbia had 25 in the first round. North Carolina, meanwhile, averages fewer than 13 turnovers per game and is one of the best teams in college basketball at protecting the ball.
Must-skip: South Dakota State would pull off an incredible upset if it beat UConn. The Huskies are 26.5-point favorites over the Jackrabbits following their huge 103-34 win over Arkansas State in the first round. SDSU upset Oklahoma State, 74-68, and hasn’t lost since a 103-57 defeat to Texas — a No. 1 seed in the tournament — on Dec. 22.
Most likely potential upset: Iowa is just a 4.5-point underdog at Oklahoma. The Hawkeyes finished 10-8 in Big Ten play after a five-game losing streak left them at 2-6 in the conference. Iowa isn’t the juggernaut it was with Caitlin Clark, but Lucy Olsen has taken over as the offensive focal point as she’s averaging 18 points per game and shooting 44% from the field.
Player to watch: Texas forward Taylor Jones is one of the most efficient players in the country. Jones is averaging over 12 points and six rebounds a game for the second straight season but plays just 21 minutes per game. She had 19 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes in the Longhorns’ easy first-round win over William & Mary.
