The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournament is scheduled to kick off with Selection Sunday on March 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The tournament will feature several rounds, including the First Four on March 20-21, the first round on March 22-23, the second round on March 24-25, the Sweet 16 on March 29-30, and the Elite Eight on March 31-April 1. The Final Four will take place on Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. ET, with the second semifinal starting 30 minutes after the first game ends, both events will be broadcast on ESPN and hosted at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The NCAA championship game is scheduled for Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, also at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
The tournament will feature two “super” regionals, with four Sweet 16 and two Elite Eight games at each site, Albany, New York, and Portland, Oregon. The Final Four will be played in Cleveland, with the national semis tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 5.
South Carolina, undefeated and looking to return to the Final Four, is considered a strong contender, along with Iowa, which also has a tougher path to return to the Final Four with a possible matchup against LSU in the regional final. LSU, the defending national champion, is a No. 3 seed in its quest to repeat.
The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournament features a wide range of teams from various conferences. Here’s a breakdown of the teams by conference:
- Pac-12: Arizona Wildcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Oregon State Beavers, Southern California Trojans, Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins.
- Southeastern Conference (SEC): Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, Vanderbilt Commodores.
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC): Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Louisville Cardinals, NC State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Syracuse Orange, Virginia Tech Hokies.
- Big Ten: Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio State Buckeyes.
- Big 12: Baylor Bears, Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns, Utah Utes, West Virginia Mountaineers.
Additionally, there are teams from other conferences and independent programs, including A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, Arizona Wildcats, Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, California Baptist Lancers, Chattanooga Mocs, Colorado Buffaloes, Columbia Lions, Creighton Bluejays, Drake Bulldogs, Drexel Dragons, Duke Blue Devils, Eastern Washington Eagles, Fairfield Stags, FGCU Eagles, Florida State Seminoles, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Green Bay Phoenix, Holy Cross Crusaders, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, Jackson State Tigers, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Kent State Golden Flashes, Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, Maine Black Bears, Marquette Golden Eagles, Marshall Thundering Herd, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, NC State Wolfpack, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Norfolk State Spartans, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, Oregon State Beavers, Portland Pilots, Presbyterian Blue Hose, Princeton Tigers, Rice Owls, Richmond Spiders, Sacred Heart Pioneers, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Southern California Trojans, Stanford Cardinal, Syracuse Orange, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, UC Irvine Anteaters, UCLA Bruins, UConn Huskies, UNLV Lady Rebels, UT Martin Skyhawks, Utah Utes, Vanderbilt Commodores, Virginia Tech Hokies, West Virginia Mountaineers, and more.
To preview the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournament, here are some key insights from the sources provided:
The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament has officially begun with a First Four matchup on the men’s side.
The tournament features top teams like South Carolina, Iowa, LSU, UConn, Stanford, and Texas as favorites to win.
South Carolina enters as the favorite with undefeated status and the best odds to win at -135.
The tournament includes notable players like Caitlin Clark from Iowa and Paige Bueckers from UConn.
Expert predictions suggest potential Final Four teams such as South Carolina, Stanford, Iowa, and USC.
The tournament schedule includes Selection Sunday on March 17, First Four on March 20-21, First Round on March 22-23, Sweet 16 on March 29-30, Elite Eight on March 31-April 1, Final Four on April 5, and the Championship Game on April 7 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The teams predicted to win the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament include South Carolina, Iowa, LSU, Texas, Stanford, and UConn.
These teams are among the top contenders for the championship title based on expert predictions and tournament analysis from various sources. South Carolina enters as a favorite with an undefeated status and strong odds to win.
Iowa, led by standout player Caitlin Clark, is also a top contender with a potent offense and impressive performance throughout the season.
Other notable teams like LSU, Texas, Stanford, and UConn are expected to put up strong competition in the tournament as well.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Top Contenders:
South Carolina:
Strengths: Undefeated status, strong defensive play, improved offensive attack, depth in the team.
Weaknesses: Showed some vulnerability in the SEC tournament, potential close calls in games.
Iowa:
Strengths: Led by standout player Caitlin Clark with exceptional offensive skills, high-scoring ability, and playmaking prowess.
Weaknesses: Relatively weaker defense, dependency on Clark’s offensive dominance for success.
UConn:
Strengths: Healthy Paige Bueckers as a difference-maker, balanced scoring, playing best basketball towards the end of the season.
Weaknesses: Short rotation due to injuries, previous struggles in marquee matchups, reliance on key players like Bueckers.
Texas:
Strengths: Strong defense allowing only 58 points per game on average, Final Four favorites, balanced scoring.
Weaknesses: Potential challenges against defensive-minded opponents like Duke, reliance on specific players for success.
USC:
Strengths: Hottest team in a tough conference, led by star player JuJu Watkins with impressive stats, balanced scoring from starters and reserves.
Weaknesses: Need to close out tight games for advancement in the tournament.
Stanford:
Strengths: Impressive performance by players like Cameron Brink with dominant post play and leadership, experience from previous successful seasons.
Weaknesses: Potential challenges due to loss of key players to graduation and portal, need for young pieces to step up for a deep March run.