The 2024 NCAA Tournament is off to an exciting start, and with the opening round now in the books, we look forward to the tournament’s second round, which begins this Sunday, March 23. Several big matchups are on the docket, including a pair of No. 4-seed vs. No. 5-seed games, while a few lower-seeded teams will look to continue what may be Cinderella runs. Let’s hit on a few of the bigger headlines before the third day of the tournament begins.
Fresh off 40-point performance, Iowa State’s Crooks takes on Brink, Stanford
History was made early in the tournament when the No. 7-seed Iowa State Cyclones completed a 20-point comeback over the No. 10-seed Maryland Terrapins, which was the second-largest comeback in women’s NCAA Tournament history. Iowa State freshman center Audi Crooks put on a spectacular performance, setting a record of her own by becoming the first player in tournament history to score 40 points in a game on 90 percent shooting from the floor, as Crooks shot 18-for-20 against Maryland.
Up next for Crooks and the Cyclones: the No. 2-seed Stanford Cardinal, who are led by three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Brink.
The Cardinal took care of business against No. 15-seed Norfolk State in the opening round of the tournament and will present a kind of challenge Iowa State may not be used to. Whereas the Cyclones were able to pound the ball inside with Crooks time and time again against an undersized Maryland frontcourt, the Cardinal have a considerable amount of length up front, with Brink (6-foot-4) and Kiki Iriafen (6-foot-3) each averaging double-digit rebounds and Brink blocking 3.6 shots per game. As a team, Stanford ranks second in Division I in total rebounding rate (58.5 percent; Her Hoop Stats) and helps keep pressure off its own defense by taking good care of the basketball (1.46 assist/turnover ratio).
That’s not to say a Cyclones upset is impossible. In typical Iowa State fashion, this season’s Cyclones often play four outside shooters at once and aren’t afraid to take 3-pointers in transition. Emily Ryan (39.6 percent 3-point shooting), Addy Brown (37.2 percent) and Hannah Belanger (38.6 percent) all are plenty capable of getting hot at the same time, and with Crooks demanding attention on the interior, it won’t be easy for Stanford to just run all of them off the 3-point line. If Brink gets in foul trouble against Crooks, Iowa State’s chances may be better than you’d expect.
Can Middle Tennessee pull off another upset against LSU?
Speaking of comebacks, the No. 11-seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders looked like a different team in the second half against No. 6-seed Louisville, ultimately overcoming an 18-point deficit in the first upset of the tournament. The Conference USA champs, who previously defeated Louisville in non-conference play in 2022, used a 23–9 advantage in made free throws to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2007.
Middle Tennessee will take on the reigning NCAA Champions, the No. 3-seed LSU Lady Tigers, next. LSU outlasted its first-round opponent, the No. 14-seed Rice Owls, though it was far from the Tigers’ best effort; LSU committed a season-high 24 turnovers and had trouble establishing and keeping momentum against a Rice team it had a sizable athletic advantage over.
Does this make LSU vulnerable against the upset-minded Blue Raiders? The Tigers will need a more efficient offensive performance from star forward and SEC Player of the Year Angel Reese, who grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds against Rice but also shot just 1-for-7 from the field and committed six turnovers. She’ll have her work cut out for her against Anastasiia Boldyreva, who is averaging 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game as a junior for Middle Tennessee.
North Carolina and South Carolina meet again
Back in late November, the No. 8-seed North Carolina Tar Heels were in a low-scoring slugfest against the No. 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks during the ACC/SEC Challenge, a game that looked like anyone’s to win just about the whole way through. Though South Carolina eventually prevailed, it was one of the few times this season the Gamecocks haven’t been able to outright blitz their opponents in the full court and win by double-digits.
The two teams will meet again in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. North Carolina most recently survived a defensive battle against No. 9-seed Michigan State—the type of ugly win the Tar Heels seem to have become comfortable prevailing in—while the Gamecocks easily handled No. 16-seed Presbyterian in what was the most lopsided result of the tournament’s first round (52 points).
South Carolina is widely expected to be a Final Four team, and the Gamecocks are the most-picked team to win the 2024 national championship according to ESPN Tournament Challenge users (35.6 percent have South Carolina winning their brackets), so it’s safe to say they’ll be favored against their cross-Carolina rivals. North Carolina has proved that it can hang with anyone, proven by November’s regular-season, non-conference matchup. But, you can bet that Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has more than a few adjustments in mind to ensure that the result won’t be as close this time around.
Game information
No. 7-seed Duke Blue Devils (21-11; 11-7 ACC) vs. No. 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes (26-5; 16-2 Big Ten)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 12 p.m. ET
Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH
How to watch: ESPN
No. 8-seed North Carolina Tar Heels (20-12; 11-7 ACC) vs. No. 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks (33-0; 16-0 SEC)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
How to watch: ABC
No. 5-seed Colorado Buffaloes (23-9; 11-7 Pac-12) vs. No. 4-seed Kansas State Wildcats (26-7; 13-5 Big 12)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
How to watch: ESPN
No. 11-seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (30-4; 16-0 CUSA) vs. No. 3-seed LSU Tigers (29-5; 13-3 SEC)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA
How to watch: ABC
No. 6-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers (23-11; 11-7 Big Ten) vs. No. 3-seed Oregon State Beavers (25-7; 12-6 Pac-12)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR
How to watch: ESPN
No. 8-seed Alabama Crimson Tide (24-9; 10-6 SEC) vs. No. 1-seed Texas Longhorns (31-4; 14-4 Big 12)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Moody Center in Austin, TX
How to watch: ESPN
No. 5-seed Baylor Bears (25-7; 12-6 Big 12) vs. No. 4-seed Virginia Tech Hokies (25-7; 14-4 ACC)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA
How to watch: ESPN
No. 7-seed Iowa State Cyclones (21-11; 12-6 Big 12) vs. No. 2-seed Stanford Cardinal (29-5; 15-3 Pac-12)
When: Sunday, March 24 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA
How to watch: ESPN
