Half of the Sweet 16 is set. The final eight spots are at stake on Monday with the conclusion of the second round of the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament.
We’re keeping an eye on every game, from regular season rematches to lower seeds looking for another upset.
Here’s ESPN’s guide to all the action from Day 4, which airs at noon ET on ESPN.
Monday’s schedule:
(6) Alabama vs. (3) Louisville, noon ET, ESPN
(10) Virginia vs. (2) Iowa, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
(6) Notre Dame vs. (3) Ohio State, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
(5) Kentucky vs. (4) West Virginia, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
(9) Syracuse vs. (1) UConn, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
(7) Illinois vs. (2) Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
(9) USC vs. (1) South Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
(8) Oklahoma State vs. (1) UCLA, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Noon ET, ESPN
How the Crimson Tide can advance to the Sweet 16: Alabama coach Christy Curry will have a lot to improve on in the matchup against Louisville. Although the Crimson Tide dominated Rhode Island in the paint in the first round, they had too many turnovers (14), leading to 18 Rhode Island points. Rhode Island also outshot Alabama 32-31 – including 13-5 on the offensive boards. Another area worth noting: Alabama missed six free throws, going 14-20 from the line. Having said all that, Louisville got off to a slow start in their game against Vermont. If the Crimson Tide can set the tone early and find ways to establish themselves as the attacker in the paint, it will give them a chance to pull off an upset. — andrea adelson
How the Cardinals can advance to the Sweet 16: Jeff Walz would like his team to get off to a better start after struggling to score, especially on the pass. The pace and style of the ball improved significantly in the second half. mckenley randolph Louisville has something to look forward to in its next game, having played in the last five games. Vermont provided a test the Cardinals can learn from as they move forward. –Andrea Adelson
2 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Cavaliers can advance to the Sweet 16: The Cavaliers are playing with confidence and belief right now. Even when they fell behind in the fourth quarter of the first round, they still remained calm and composed. like having a scorer helps Kimora JohnsonWho had 28 points in victory. sa’maiya smith He also had a big game this season with 23 points and 11 rebounds. roman levy Scored 14 runs and played excellent defense in the second half. If Virginia can avoid fouls and play more cleanly while defending, the Cavaliers have the scorers to help them going forward. –Andrea Adelson
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Sweet 16: The Hawkeyes need to shoot better from the perimeter than FDU (1-for-13, 8%) against the Cavaliers. Virginia has already won two games on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court: a 57-55 win over Arizona State in the First Four on Thursday and then an 82-73 overtime win over No. 7 seed Georgia in the first round on Saturday. Virginia Junior Guard Kimora Johnson Had a combined 45 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in those games, so the Hawkeyes will have to rely on their potent post offense to try to slow him down. –Michael Voepel
4 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Fighting Irish can advance to the Sweet 16: Notre Dame will enter its matchup with Ohio State strong, having won 10 of its last 11 games. As always, hannah hidalgo This will be the key to their success. In the first round, Hidalgo won the second NCAA Tournament game of his career with at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals – and no other player had ever had three points. If she accomplishes the feat against the Buckeyes, the Fighting Irish should make their fourth consecutive Sweet 16. — Kendra Andrews
How the Buckeyes can advance to the Sweet 16: Although the press is disruptive against any team, it is generally less effective the higher the level of competition. it is right here Jaloni Cambridge Comes inside. He is one of the best guards in the country. His ability to penetrate and fuel any offense that Ohio State runs. The Buckeyes’ hopes for their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2023 hinge on good play from Cambridge. He did so against Howard with 21 points, two steals and two blocks. The Buckeyes were also particularly effective from 3-point range (9 of 24) Chance GrayWho made 3 of 6 and finished with 11 points. — Charlie Cream
5pm ET, ESPN2
How the Wildcats can advance to the Sweet 16: Coach Kenny Brooks, whose Wildcats defeated his former team, James Madison, in the first round, won 337 games at JMU and took the Dukes to six NCAA Tournament appearances from 2002 to 2016. He probably would have preferred the urgency that his Wildcats showed in the first quarter to continue, but Kentucky did enough right that they may advance to Round 2. The Wildcats won the rebounding battle (46–38), securing the victory. JMU had great perimeter play (3 of 17 from 3-point range) and 16 assists on 24 field goals. — Charlie Cream
How the Mountaineers can advance to the Sweet 16: The Mountaineers are advancing to the second round for the third consecutive year, but their aspirations go even further. West Virginia looks to make the second weekend for the first time since 1992. That year was the last time West Virginia hosted the first two rounds of the tournament, which it is doing again this year. To get back to the Sweet 16, the Mountaineers will have to go through Kentucky. –Andrea Adelson
6pm ET, ESPN
How the Orange can advance to the Sweet 16: The Orange would need to pull off an epic upset. UConn has made the Sweet 16 in every tournament from 1994 to 2025, and has defeated Syracuse 27 consecutive times, dating back to the days when both schools were in the old Big East. Overall, UConn is 39-4 against the Orange. Their last meeting was a 72–64 UConn victory in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
With ACC Rookie of the Year Uche Izoje and another 6 foot 3 inch player, forward journey thompsonOrange have some size to grow against UConn star forward sarah strong. But seeing what Iowa State’s Audie Crooks (37 points) was able to do against Syracuse, the Orange will need Strong and better defense against the Huskies. — vopel
How the Huskies can advance to the Sweet 16: UConn has advanced to at least the regional semifinals every season since 1993, when they lost in the first round. So the Huskies are favorites to advance in Fort Worth, but there are a few things they would like to do better than in the first round. That includes 3-point shooting – the Huskies were 7 of 33 (21%) from behind the arc against UTSA – and avoiding foul trouble that limited minutes. azy fad And keke arnold On Saturday. — Michael Voppel
7pm ET, ESPN2
How the Illini can advance to the Sweet 16: The Illini have made the regional semifinals only twice: in 1997 and 1998 under coach Theresa Grentz. To do it again, they would have to beat Vanderbilt on their home court, which no team has done this season. The Commodores are 17-0 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, including Saturday’s 102-61 win over High Point. Illinois will have to try to slow down Vandy Star Mikayla BlakesLeading scorer in Division I this season with 30 points in the season opener. — Michael Voppel
How the Commodores can advance to the Sweet 16: The Commodores have reached the round of 32 for the first time since 2013, where they were then seeded no. 1-seeded UConn. This year, they will face Illinois – a chance to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 2009. After losing to Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament a few weeks ago, the Commodores believe they have more in them than they showed. Blakes, who were behind only UConn sarah strong In ESPN’s national player of the year debateLeads the nation in scoring this season (27.1 ppg). — kendra andrews
8 pm ET, ESPN
How the Trojans can advance to the Sweet 16: The Trojans face one of the toughest tests in the bracket — and they’ve already lost once to the Gamecocks this season. South Carolina defeated USC 69–52 on November 15 in LA. Just 12 days into the season, USC is still playing without its reigning Player of the Year. juju watkins -Challenged the lead briefly in the second quarter, as South Carolina struggled to hit shots. After the break, the Gamecocks’ size and frontcourt took over and they defeated the Women of Troy 56–32. usc star freshman jazzy davidsonwho had eight points (4 of 11 shooting), three assists and four turnovers in that game, has had a huge impact as the season has progressed and leads USC in scoring with 18.0 ppg. — espn
How the Gamecocks can advance to the Sweet 16: It was an impressive way for the Gamecocks to start the NCAA Tournament, but a blowout win here was also a necessary step towards the bigger goal of a national championship. The 69-point margin in the first round was the largest in program history. If Don Staley had to find something to address in film sessions, it might be 3-point shooting. South Carolina improved as the game went on, finishing 8 of 28 from beyond the arc after starting 1-13 in the first half, but this remains an area of improvement for a team that ranked eighth in the country at 37.1% during the season. — charlie cream
10 pm ET, ESPN
How the Cowgirls can advance to the Sweet 16: Oklahoma State was a good team this season, with five players averaging 10 or more points per game. According to ESPN Research, it was the only team in the Big 12 to have five players average double figures in scoring. On Saturday against Princeton, Oklahoma State got close to that number, with four players in double figures and a guard with eight points. steely herd. Oklahoma State lost to South Dakota State in the first round of the tournament a year ago, and that loss stuck with the team. At his pre-tournament press conference, the guard micah gray He said he felt the team was “hungry” to get a win and get out of the first round. Oklahoma State wraps it up on Saturday and will face UCLA on Monday. — Sara Barshop
How the Bruins can advance to the Sweet 16: Despite winning by 53 points in the first round, UCLA allowed 34 points in the first half, the most points the team had allowed in a first half since January 18 against Maryland. The Bruins will look to compete against Oklahoma State as they did in the second half, when they held California Baptist to nine points. The biggest discrepancy between the teams appeared on the glass. In the regular season, UCLA averaged 15.6 second-chance points per game. He had 17 second-chance points in the first half against California Baptist on Saturday. The Bruins used their size advantage over the Lancers to outclass CBU 62–21. — barshop
