March Madness has officially arrived. Selection Sunday delivered one of the most intriguing women’s NCAA tournament brackets in recent memory, and with it a number of must-watch games in the opening round.
Whether it’s star players looking to power their teams on a tournament run, contrasting styles of play meeting for the first time or frisky mid-majors looking to take down power conference foes, there’s a lot to like about the slates on Friday and Saturday. Though it’s worth trying to fit in every single one of the 32 first-round matchups, here are 10 of the best games to prioritize watching:
No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones/No. 11 Princeton Tigers vs. No. 6 Michigan Wolverines
11:30 a.m. ET Friday (ESPN2)
You may ask why a matchup that hasn’t been determined leads off this list, but this opener to the round of 64 should be a treat regardless of which team comes out of the First Four. Sophomore center Audi Crooks (23.2 points per game) powers the Cyclones and will present a real challenge to the backcourt-led Tigers. Either team faces a tall task against Michigan, led by freshman guards Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. The Wolverines’ two leading scorers are poised for breakout performances on a national stage, but a lack of postseason experience may hurt their chances.
No. 13 Grand Canyon Antelopes vs. No. 4 Baylor Bears
3:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNU)
The longest winning streak in the country belongs to the Lopes, who rattled off 30 straight victories to close the season, which included posting a perfect 16–0 record in the WAC. Though strength of schedule will be called into question, Grand Canyon took down two Big 12 teams and smashed Liberty (another autobid recipient) in nonconference play. Baylor is a tough draw with its depth and balanced scoring ability, but Grand Canyon’s three-point shooting (38.1%, sixth nationally) could surprise the Bears.
No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores
5:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNNews)
A few teams on the list are required viewing because of a single player and Mikayla Blakes is exactly that for Vanderbilt. The freshman has dropped 50 points on two separate occasions this season, single-handedly willing the Commodores to victory against Florida and Auburn. Not to mention the fact that she has a running mate in 6' 2" forward Khamil Pierre who also averages more than 20 points per game to round out the team’s formidable offense. Oregon doesn’t have the firepower to stick with Vanderbilt in a shootout, but may be pesky enough defensively to compete.
No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. No. 8 Richmond Spiders
7:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNNews)
Richmond is the most efficient team in the country (58.1 EFG%) and rode that steady shooting to an at-large bid. In order to get those open shots, the Spiders play at a glacial pace, ranking 327th in the country in tempo—a style which caught up with them in the 50–49 A-10 semifinal loss to St. Joe’s. Richmond does get a Georgia Tech team that’s limping into the NCAA tournament, having lost five of its last six games. However, the Yellow Jackets’ trio of standout guards (Kara Dunn, Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie) nearly upset NC State in the ACC quarterfinals, giving them some newfound momentum going into the first round.
No. 11 Murray State Racers vs. No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes
12 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN)
The Hawkeyes lost one of the best players in college basketball history in Caitlin Clark, saw legendary coach Lisa Bluder retire and still managed to comfortably make the Field of 68 under first-year head coach Jan Jensen. Plus, Iowa stormed its way into the NCAA tournament, winning 10 of its last 13 and playing much better than it did in January. The only issue for the Hawkeyes has been perimeter defense—an area where the Racers can make them pay. Murray State’s nation-leading offense (87.8 points per game) is a result of having shooters all over the floor and a willingness to get up as many shots as possible. Expect this game to be one of the highest-scoring matchups of the first round.
No. 12 Green Bay Phoenix vs. No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide
1:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN2)
Two excellent three-point shooting teams with some of the best sharpshooters in the country, led by Alabama’s Aaliyah Nye (45.5%), will take the floor in Tuscaloosa. The Tide have tons of experience in the backcourt, which tends to be a recipe for success in March, with seniors Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green and Nye. The Phoenix similarly shot the cover off the ball, which helped them win 22 straight to close out the season and get back into the tournament for the second year in a row. Led by first-year coach Kayla Karius, who was a member of Green Bay’s first and only Sweet 16 appearance in 2011, the Phoenix have a veteran team poised to make some noise.
No. 10 South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys
3:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN2)
One of the most dangerous double-digit seeds in the field this season, South Dakota State is a physical team that rebounds really well. The Jackrabbits polished off their Summit league schedule by going undefeated and virtually untested, winning 14 of 16 league games by 10 or more points. Another physical opponent awaits in Oklahoma State, which boasts wins over Baylor, TCU and Kansas State this season. Cowboys’ sophomore Stailee Heard racked up 59 points and 25 rebounds across two games in the Big 12 tournament—playing some of her best basketball at the right time.
No. 10 Harvard Crimson vs. No. 7 Michigan State Spartans
4:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPNNews)
The Ivy league nabbed three bids this year, a testament to the league’s growing legitimacy among mid-major conferences. Harvard won the autobid on the back of senior Harmoni Turner, who scorched Princeton for 44 points in the semifinals of the tournament before scoring another 24 in the final against Columbia. The Crimson had the fifth best turnover margin in the country this season, which doesn’t bode well for a Michigan State team that coughs up more than 15 turnovers a game. The Spartans do force an average of 22 turnovers themselves, which gives this contest an unrivaled chaos factor among first-round matchups.
No. 9 Creighton Bluejays vs. No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini
7:15 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPNNews)
Two teams on vastly different trajectories meet in the Birmingham 3 region. The Illini lost four in a row to close the year, stumbling their way into the field of 68. Creighton, on the other hand, hasn't lost to a team other than UConn since Dec. 20. The veteran Bluejays’ guard duo of Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly has pretty much dominated every other opponent outside of the best teams in the country, setting them up well against a reeling Illinois team.
No. 11 George Mason Patriots vs. No. 6 Florida State Seminoles
7:45 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN2)
An excellent close to the first-round features a first-time tournament team in George Mason. The reward for winning the A-10’s autobid is a date with Florida State and the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’niya Latson. The junior guard is coming off her worst two-game stretch of the season, in which she shot 6-for-35 from the field, but there’s no reason to expect that to continue. She’s been a dominant force all season long, averaging 24.9 points per game, and could boost her team into a second-round matchup vs. LSU if she returns to form.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Top 10 Games to Watch in First Round of Women’s NCAA Tournament.
