The Madness continues! The second rounds have been completed and we are off to the Sweet 16. There have been many exciting games so far–March Madness always brings out the best in college basketball, and reaching the Sweet 16 is a great accomplishment for the remaining teams.
The Sweet 16 is where things start to get really exciting, as the remaining teams battle it out for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight and ultimately the Final Four. These teams have already proven themselves to be among the best in the country, and the games are sure to be intense and full of drama. Find out which teams made it to the next round!
Louisville vs. Texas
The Louisville Cardinals (25-11) defeated the Texas Longhorns (26-10) 73-51 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hailey Van Lith's 21 points were instrumental in showcasing the Cardinals' dominance from start to finish. The Cardinals limited Texas' standout point guard Rori Harmon all night, expanding their 14-point halftime lead to 21 by the end of the third quarter. Harmon was limited to 10 points after a strong first quarter by the opposing team's defense. Mykasa Robinson, Van Lith and Chrislyn Carr's impenetrable defense only allowed Harmon three assists in the first quarter. Harmon racked up five turnovers before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury.
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After sitting for nearly the entire first quarter due to an early foul, DeYona Gaston scored 12 points to lead Texas in scoring.
Louisville grabbed control of the game with a 9-0 run to open the second quarter, highlighted by 6-foot-5 center Josie Williams' 3-pointer from the top of the arc. The Cardinals were ahead by 14 at the half.
Texas reduced the deficit to less than 10 points early in the third quarter, but Van Lith and Louisville then went on a 9-0 run. While on a fast break, Robinson saw Carr in the corner and passed her the ball for a 3-point shot that put the Cardinals up 49-31.
Louisville will face off against Ole Miss in the Sweet 16.
Colorado vs. Duke
The Colorado Buffaloes (25-8) beat the Duke Blue Devils (26-7) in overtime 61-53 in the second round.
Quay Miller had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh made two baskets in the lane after picking up her fourth foul, assisting No. 6 seed Colorado in its victory over third-seeded Duke.
The Buffaloes won and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years, with Jaylyn Sherrod having 14 points and Vonleh finishing with 12. Despite not sinking a single field goal in overtime, Duke managed to come back from 13 points down to win the game. This was thanks in large part to Elizabeth Balogun and Reigan Richardson, who respectively scored 14 and 10 points.
Sherrod drove to the basket with 33.9 seconds left in regulation and scored, but missed a free throw which would have put her team ahead by one. The game ended up tied at 50 points apiece. Balogun hit a corner three, and Vanessa de Jesus scored on a fast break to give Duke a 48-46 lead with 3:34 remaining.
Celeste Taylor's layup increased Duke's lead to 50-46, before Sherrod's drive finally got Colorado on the board again. The Buffaloes got a defensive stop and called timeout, setting up Sherrod for the tying basket. Richardson's 3 tied the game in the third quarter with only 3:30 remaining. Taylor's steal and layup gave Duke their first lead 2 minutes after that. Frida Formann's 3-pointer put Colorado back in front after the team failed to score during a drought lasting more than 6 minutes spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. At the half, Colorado was up 32-26 due in large part to Miller's 15 points. The teams combined for 24 first-half turnovers, with Duke giving the ball away 13 times.
It was coach Kara Lawson's third season with the Blue Devils and they finally made it to the NCAA tournament, but their journey ended on a sour note. The team unraveled offensively, shooting 31.7% from the field and turning the ball over 21 times.
The Buffaloes will play against Iowa on Friday in the Sweet 16.
Toledo vs. Tennessee
The Toledo Rockets (29-5) fell to the Tennessee Volunteers (25-11) 94-47 in the second round.
Sara Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead, both reserves, led five Volunteers in double figures with 13 points apiece.Tennessee has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 36th time–more than any other men's or women's team. They are also the only program to have participated in all 41 NCAA Tournaments.
Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell racked up 12 points each, Horston had a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds,and Puckett went 5-for-7 from the field , nailing all three of her 3s. The Volunteers hit 11 3-pointers (52.4%), just one shy of their season high. Seven players made at least one 3-pointer. The Volunteers clamped down on the quick Rockets, holding them to 29% shooting (18 of 62).
Toledo's 17-game winning streak came to an end, preventing the team from making it to what would have been the program's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance. It was the Rockets' first loss since their last streak of victories came to an end on Jan. 18 at Bowling Green, which they later avenged in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship to secure their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017.
19 points from Quinesha Lockett saw her top the scoring charts for Toledo.
Tennessee was ahead the entire game and has now improved their record to 30-3 in the second round and 24-1 on the court named for late Pat Summitt. Tennessee took an early lead and never looked back, winning the game 19-8. The Lady Vols have now won at least 25 games in 38 consecutive seasons.
Karoline Striplin hit two 3-pointers within the first 50 seconds of the second quarter, and Tennessee made 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc in that period. Puckett hit a shot with 41.7 seconds left to put them up 50-21, which ended up being their biggest lead of the game before going into halftime ahead 50-22.
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Tennessee took a commanding 72-40 lead into the fourth quarter. They then proceeded to outscore Toledo 22-7 in the final frame, not allowing the Rockets to score a single point over the last 6:11 of play.
Tennessee, who lost to Virginia Tech 59-56 on Dec. 4, will have a chance at redemption as the two teams will square off in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
North Carolina vs. Ohio St.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (27-7) beat the North Carolina Tar Heels (22-11) 71-69 to advance to the Sweet 16.
With 1.8 seconds left, Jacy Sheldon made an incredible jumper from the lane to break the tie.
Then, after evening up the score Sheldon accepted a pass from Eboni Walker and effortlessly put up the game-winning shot. North Carolina fumbled away their last opportunity to win with two seconds left on the clock, securing the win for the Buckeyes.
Prior to the thrilling finish, Ohio State's lead had dwindled to 12 points with 7 minutes remaining in the game, as North Carolina went on a 13-2 run during the fourth quarter. North Carolina sustained that lead for the majority of the game without star Deja Kelly, who exited due to a leg injury in the fourth quarter. She went to get treatment, but returned to play shortly afterwards.
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Kelly made two free throws, narrowing the deficit to 66-63. Paulina Paris then scored on a layup in transition, giving Tar Heels its first lead at 2:09 left. Sheldon gave the Buckeyes the lead back at the 1:07 marker. She made a free throw 29 seconds after the first one to make it a two-point game. Kelly led North Carolina in scoring with 22 points. She also hit a jumper to tie the game at 69 with 9 seconds left.
Ohio State never trailed in the first half, going up by as many as nine points in the first quarter. They shot 46% from the field and Taylor Mikesell hit 3 out of 6 three-pointers in the first half. Sheldon tallied 16 points, Walker had 15, and Cotie McMahon scored 14. Taylor Mikesell led the team with 17.
It was only the third time all season and first since December that an opposing team shot at least 50%. North Carolina let Ohio State shoot 54.2% in the second half.
Ohio State will move on to play No. 2 seed UConn in the Sweet 16 round.
Baylor vs. UConn
The Connecticut Huskies (31-5) defeated the Baylor Bears resoundingly in the second round by a score of 77-58, for their 29th straight trip to the Sweet 16. The Huskies haven't been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the first or second round since 1993, going 44-0 in Gampel Pavilion since then and 16-0 in other arenas.
The game was tight early on, with Baylor barely ahead 24-18 after the first quarter. The Huskies tightened up their perimeter defense and went on a 17-2 run to start the second quarter, taking a 35-26 lead.
Azzi Fudd is gradually returning to peak condition after missing 22 games due to injuries this season. After a poor shooting start to the game, the sophomore guard bounced back in a big way–she scored 16 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter to lead her team to victory.
Aaliyah Edwards led the Huskies with 19 points, Aubrey Griffin had 12 rebounds and Nika Muhl tallied 10 assists as well. Dorka Juhasz scored 11 points while Caroline Ducharme followed close behind, tallying 10 points.
Ja'mee Asberry and Jaden Owens led Baylor with 15 points apiece. Bella Fontleroy put up a total of 12 points for the Bears.
The Huskies were overwhelmingly superior, outscoring the Bears 36-12 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 42-31. Muhl's half-court shot put the Huskies up by five points at halftime. Edwards, who had accumulated 12 points in the first half, committed her fourth foul less than three minutes after halftime.
Asberry's steal and layup reduced UConn's lead to 44-43, and then Owens hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 46. Fudd then took charge by making seven of her 12 shots in the third, sparking UConn's powerful 16-2 run that secured the victory. The Huskies led Baylor by twelve points after three quarters, and then outscored them 15-8 in the fourth quarter.
UConn is set to face Ohio State in the regional semifinals.
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Image Credit: The Fayetteville Observer/The Columbus Dispatch
* Originally published on March 23, 2023, by Ashton Grenon
