Women’s NCAA Tournament first round takeaways: Clemson falls in OT after controversial call

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The second day of the tournament is underway for the women’s NCAA Tournament.  Few upsets so far as Georgia has been the only higher seed to lose so far. But lots of strong performances have been on display.

Follow along for highlights from the day:

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No. 6 Notre Dame 79, No. 11 Fairfield 60

Up next: No. 3 Ohio State

One of the most highly-anticipated second-round matchups is officially set, as No. 3 seed Ohio State and No. 6 seed Notre Dame will meet in Monday’s second round in Columbus. It will pit two of the nation’s most elite point guards, Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, against each other.

Hidalgo, the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, put on a clinic in the Irish’s 79-60 victory over Fairfield with an NCAA Tournament program-record eight steals. That feat came on top of 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. She entered the tournament ranked second nationally with 807 points this season.

Meanwhile, Cambridge, a sophomore, ranked seventh nationally with 751 points this season. She reached the 1,000-point career mark this year in just 54 games, one of the fastest paces in program history. Cambridge had 21 points, two steals and two blocks in the Buckeyes’ first-round win Saturday morning over Howard.

Both reached All-America stature, though, because they are more than just scorers.

Cambridge’s speed is a difference-maker for Ohio State’s high-tempo offense and full-court press defense. She leads the Buckeyes in assists and ranks third as a rebounder, averaging 5.2 per game, the most among Ohio State guards.

Hidalgo exceeds any limits on the court. She leads the country with 173 steals and ranks second on the team in rebounding, as well.

The two aren’t strangers, either, playing with and against each other in the Team USA system.

“Another phenomenal guard like Jaloni, and to be able to go head-to-head with her, it’s going to be a fun game,” Hidalgo said. “Two quick guards too, she’s extremely fast, she ran track, so the foot speed is going to be crazy.”

This is the type of matchup the NCAA Tournament is known for, but it doesn’t often come this early in the tournament. It’s something, though, that Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said is good for the sport. “It’s great to grow the game,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “People want to watch women’s basketball, they want to see the great products on the floor. I think we have two of the best players on the floor.”

But Cambridge versus Hidalgo isn’t the only familiar matchup. Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff and Ivey have been linked together for years

McGuff, who spent time as an assistant at Notre Dame from 1996-2002, coached Ivey in her time playing for the Irish. Ivey called McGuff a mentor, but their lives have stretched beyond basketball. Ivey is the godmother to one of McGuff’s six children and is best friends with his wife Letitia. “He’s family,” Ivey said. “He’s somebody that I love, I love their whole family.”

That will bring a familiarity to Monday’s matchup, amplifying the intensity on the floor.

Notre Dame and Ohio State want to dictate the pace of play with their defense. Ohio State is 17th nationally with 706 turnovers forced, Notre Dame is 36th and forced Fairfield into 19 turnovers.

“I knew it was going to be an incredible game,” Ivey said. “Two dynamic guards and again a system that I’m familiar with.” — Cameron Teague Robinson

No. 9 USC 71, No. 8 Clemson 67 

Up next in Round 2: No. 1 South Carolina

Hello, Clemson-USC.

It took well into the second day of Round 1, but the Tigers and Trojans delivered the most exciting game of the tournament thus far thanks to an overtime thriller that now has the Trojans onto the second round, where No. 1 seed South Carolina awaits.

Much of the attention is trained on a controversial no-call at the end of regulation. Tied at 61-61 with 4.4 seconds to play, Clemson inbounded the ball just in front of the USC bench to senior guard Mia Moore, who drove the length of the court and heaved up a deep 3-pointer on the right side to potentially win. Her shot went in and the Clemson faithful in the stands immediately erupted.

On Moore’s shot, the nearest official also called a foul. After a lengthy review, officials determined that both her shot and the foul occurred just after time expired. USC still had a chance. Overtime ensued.

That’s when USC freshman guard Jazzy Davidson — who poured in 31 points — essentially called game and hit two more 3-pointers to boost the Trojans past the Tigers 71-67. Davidson, who was just one point shy of tying her career high for points, was sensational for the Trojans and played all 45 minutes. Davidson finished with six rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Kara Dunn added 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 shooting on 3-pointers.

The Tigers’ early exit, especially in this manner, will be tough to swallow in the coming days. They no doubt would have loved another crack at rival South Carolina on Monday, playing in the two teams’ home state as the Gamecocks earned hosting duties.

Clemson coach Shawn Poppie has the program moving in the right direction. The Tigers’ NCAA Tournament berth was their first appearance in seven years and just their second in the past 25. Last month, Poppie signed a contract extension through 2030-31, and the Tigers just signed their best recruiting class in program history, a top-five class, per 247Sports.

USC will see South Carolina again Monday. Without JuJu Watkins, who has sat out this season after suffering an ACL tear in last season’s tournament, the Trojans didn’t have enough answers for the Gamecocks when they met in November. South Carolina won by 17.

Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb isn’t focusing on who she doesn’t have.

“We’re really invested in this season and what we can do. And I still believe our team has yet one more level that we can get to,” she said at the end of the regular season. “We can ruin someone else’s party on their home floor and I think that’s what we’re trying to do.” — Grace Raynor

No. 10 Virginia 82, No. 7 Georgia 73 (OT)

Up next in Round 2: Winner of No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson

It took 20 games, but the 2026 NCAA Tournament finally produced its first upset: No. 10 Virginia took down No. 7 Georgia to keep one double-digit seed alive. It took a seven-point comeback in the fourth quarter, a midrange jumper that was just short at the regulation buzzer and an entire extra session for the Cavaliers to pull away and advance to the second round for the first time since 2018.

Virginia is the second First Four team to win a game in the Round of 64, joining No. 11 Mississippi State in 2023, but the Cavaliers were also the highest-seeded First Four team in the 68-team era, earning a slightly easier first-round matchup.

No Virginia player had ever suited up in the NCAA Tournament in a Cavaliers uniform, but they had plenty of experience at previous stops. LSU transfer Sa’Myah Smith won a national championship as a freshman and was a starter on an Elite Eight team last season (she missed the 2024 tournament with a knee injury). She was a steadying force for Virginia with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds and three assists. Smith had five points in the overtime as the Cavaliers pulled away.

Tabitha Amanze, who has played in the tournament twice for Princeton, and Romi Levy, who made her NCAA Tournament debut in 2025 for South Florida, had important defensive efforts for Virginia on Mia Woolfolk and Riley Theuerkauf. Levy also hit the game-tying 3 in regulation on an absurd banker.

That veteran presence should help the Cavaliers in the second round, likely a road game against No. 2 seed Iowa. Smith is no stranger to facing the Hawkeyes, and a familiar foe from 2023, Hannah Stuelke, awaits.

But the leader for Virginia was the homegrown Kymora Johnson, who has dazzled in her first March Madness. Johnson had the game-winning 3-pointer in the First Four against Arizona State to top off a 17-point, 10-rebound, five-assist night. The junior followed that up with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists against the Bulldogs with only one turnover. It has been a star turn for the Charlottesville, Va., native who hasn’t had the opportunity to play on national television much but has certainly made some new fans over the last three days.

The Cavaliers had outscored the Bulldogs 13-6 over the final seven minutes of regulation, then finished the game on a 7-0 run.

Record-breaking temperatures soared to 88 degrees in Iowa City, which brought a little extra warmth to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The building does not have air conditioning and was built 43 years ago inside a local crater. Courtside temperature approached the mid-70s at game’s end.

It’s been one of the wildest weather weeks in the region. On Selection Sunday, a blizzard gripped Eastern Iowa, sending temperatures to near zero with extra wind and several inches of snow. Virginia plays either second-seeded Iowa or 15th seed Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, which has an expected high temperature of 53 degrees. – Sabreena Merchant and Scott Dochterman

No. 3 Louisville 72, No. 14 Vermont 52

No. 6 Alabama 68, No. 11 Rhode Island 55

Up next in Round 2: Louisville vs. Alabama

Louisville and Alabama haven’t seen each other since 2023 in the regular season, but the teams will meet Monday in Louisville with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Behind Mackenly Randolph’s 20 points, the third-seeded Cardinals cruised past No. 14 seed Vermont 72-52 just before No. 6 seed Alabama took care of business 68-55 against No. 11 Rhode Island.

The stakes are high for the Cardinals and Crimson Tide … for two completely different reasons.

Jeff Walz has led the Cardinals to the Sweet 16 a dozen times since taking over the program before the 2007-08 season. The Cardinals have been a staple in the NCAA Tournament with eight trips to the Elite Eight, four Final Four berths and two national title game appearances. Alabama, meanwhile, is looking to make its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1998.

Playing without guard Skylar Jones for the first time this season (Walz announced she is no longer with the program Friday), the Cardinals still looked the part against Vermont on Randolph’s big day, with Laura Ziegler and Tajianna Roberts adding 12 points, and Imari Berry chipped in 10. The Cardinals challenged the Catamounts both inside and out, shooting 42 percent from 3 and finishing with 38 points in the paint.

Jessica Timmons’ 21 points led the way for Alabama on a day when Essence Cody also scored 19 and Diana Collins added 16.

Priority No. 1 on Alabama’s scouting report? Find a way to contain Randolph, who in addition to taking it to Vermont in the paint, finished 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

“I think with Mack right now, it’s her consistency and ability to shoot the ball from the outside,” Walz said. “She’s extremely strong in the post. She does a great job of finishing on post-ups, but at the beginning of the year she wasn’t shooting the ball with as much confidence.” — Grace Raynor 

Zoe Brooks’ availability uncertain

NC State coach Wes Moore said it was “hard to say at this point” whether junior Zoe Brooks will be available for the seventh-seeded Wolfpack’s second-round game against second-seeded Michigan on Sunday. The guard injured her foot midway through the third quarter in a first-round win over Tennessee on Friday evening and didn’t return to the game.

“Some of it may come down to just how she feels tomorrow,” Moore said on Saturday. “She won’t be practicing today. Taking all precautions with a boot, crutches, trying to keep weight off it.”

Brooks is the Wolfpacks’ second-leading scorer, and their leader in assists,  steals free throws. The junior has started 72 games during her career and has the highest usage of any NC State player this season.

If Brooks is unable to go, Moore will likely turn to freshman Destiny “Ky’She” Lunan as a ballhandler. Moore called on her after Brooks’ injury against Tennessee, and she played 23 minutes, the fourth-most of her career. Lunan has appeared in 30 games this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.2 assists per game in 17 minutes of play.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in her, and I think the other players do as well,” Moore said of Lunan. “Still not the same as having Zoe out there, a junior with her experience and all that she’s done, but either way we’ll be ready to play.”

With the hit to its backcourt, NC State would likely try emphasizing the paint more, highlighting senior Khamil Pierre and exposing a potential mismatch against Michigan forward Sofilkanich. Pierre, a Vanderbilt transfer, has led the Wolfpack in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Especially with a homecourt advantage, the Wolverines already had the edge going into Sunday but given Michigan’s talent and depth across its backcourt — Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and Brooke Quarles Daniels — replacing a veteran like Brooks with any freshman dampens the Wolfpacks’ chances at an upset. — Chantel Jennings

Day 1 highlights

You can read our first-day takeaways here. The most noteworthy events of the day included:

• Tennessee’s futile effort to extend its season, leaving the tournament on an eight-game losing streak of historic proportions.

• Minnesota’s 30-9 fourth quarter comeback at The Barn.

• Skylar Jones’ departure from Louisville.

• Duke withstanding a 36-point scoring barrage from Charleston’s Taryn Barbot.

How to watch

Here’s Saturday’s guide for watching the rest of the first-round games.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

USC Trojans, Virginia Cavaliers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Women's College Basketball

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