Mar 28, 2026, 09:00 AM ET
The Sweet 16 is here! And after a thrilling start to the action on Friday, eight more teams are competing Saturday to seal their places in the next round.
Here is ESPN’s guide to all of Saturday’s action, which tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Be sure to come back after the games start for live updates!
12:30 p.m. ET, ABC
How the Cardinals can advance to the Sweet 16: Louisville faces a Michigan team that cruised in its first two tournament games, beating Holy Cross by 35 and NC State by 29. Sophomore standouts Olivia Olson (27 points against the Wolfpack) and Syla Swords (26) have posed challenges for defenders all season, and the Cardinals will need to figure out some way to keep them from taking over the game. The Cardinals didn’t guard the 3-point line against Alabama as well as they wanted to, and they can’t afford to give the Wolverines those kinds of looks. Louisville is looking for its ninth trip to the Elite Eight, while Michigan seeks its second. — Michael Voepel
How the Wolverines can advance to the Elite Eight: One word: press. Well, actually, three-word hyphenate: Full-court press. Michigan played its best ball Sunday when it pressed on NC State. The Wolfpack made 22 turnovers and seemed to crumble under the relentless defense. Scoring leaders such as Mila Holloway and Olson will look to continue to capitalize on opportunities in the paint. The home crowd Sunday seemed to infuse energy into the Wolverines; they need to carry that into Fort Worth. — Charlotte Gibson
3 p.m. ET, ABC
How the Wildcats can advance to the Elite Eight: Kentucky is advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 and has a chance to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2013. The Wildcats will face Madison Booker and the Longhorns in the third round of the tournament. To get past that group, Kentucky will have to use its size to its advantage. The Wildcats have four players listed at 6-foot-4 and taller and average 40 rebounds per game. This could help them work past the high-powered offense of Texas. — Kendra Andrews
How the Longhorns can advance to the Elite Eight: The combo of Rori Harmon and Booker can take Texas as far as it wants, with them combining to score or assist on 64 of Texas’ 100 points, more than Oregon’s 58 for the entire squad. The Longhorns’ relentless defense forced 15 turnovers and held the Ducks to just eight points in the third quarter. Offensively, their ball movement freed up teammates who shot 52% on assists from Harmon and Booker. The domination allowed Harmon and Booker both to get breathers, with Booker scoring her 40th point on a free throw with 3:10 left, drawing a raucous cheer from a Moody Center home crowd, before she hugged coach Vic Schaefer and took a seat. The showing was a fitting final home game for Harmon’s time with the Longhorns. — David Wilson
5 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Sooners can advance to the Sweet 16: Oklahoma already has experience in beating this No. 1 seed this season. Aaliyah Chavez put up 15 points in OU’s 94-82 overtime win versus South Carolina in January. She didn’t have the best shooting night against Michigan State — 18 points on 5-of-17 — but she distributed the ball well with six assists and collected five rebounds. (In the January victory over South Carolina, Chavez shot 4-of-14 from the field in regulation before hitting all five of her field goals in the extra time.) To get to the Elite Eight, the Sooners will have to clean up their turnovers: They committed 23 against Michigan State, including 14 in the first half. — Brooke Pryor
How the Gamecocks can advance to the Elite Eight: South Carolina has won its first two games of the tournament by a combined 109 points and scored at least 100 points in both games — the first time it has scored 100 twice in the same tournament. With the Gamecocks’ size, quickness, defense and depth, teams are challenged to slow them down. But Oklahoma was one of the three teams that beat South Carolina during the regular season. In that January matchup, Chavez scored 15 of her 26 points in the extra period. Raegan Beers also had a strong showing, with 18 points and 14 rebounds. South Carolina built a comfortable lead heading into halftime, but its offense was disrupted when it took its foot off the gas in the third. The Gamecocks cannot become complacent after the early success they’ve had in the tournament. — Kendra Andrews
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
How the Cavaliers can advance to the Elite Eight: The Cavaliers seemed to feel at home at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, winning three games there to advance to the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2000. Each game went down to the wire — Virginia beat Arizona State 57-55 in the First Four and No. 7 seed Georgia 82-73 in overtime before the marathon 83-75 win over Iowa. The Cavaliers are the first team since the First Four began for the women’s tournament in 2022 to advance from that round to the Sweet 16. Kymora Johnson had a combined 73 points in the three games and will face off with TCU superstar guard Olivia Miles in the regional final. The Cavaliers must continue their stellar guard play and defense, which will give them a chance to knock off the Horned Frogs. — Michael Voepel
How the Horned Frogs can advance to the Elite Eight: TCU made a trip to the Elite Eight a season ago, and it will of course rely on Miles to get there again. As important as her scoring is at 19.4 points per game, her playmaking is just as crucial. She is seventh in the nation in assists (6.6 per game), but Miles will need offensive support going forward, much like what transpired Sunday. TCU features the tallest roster in the tournament, so it will want to create mismatches. Scoring in the paint has worked well for the team through the first two contests. — Kendra Andrews