In the women’s NCAA Tournament, the top four seeds in each region host the first and second rounds. It’s a topic of conversation every season because it differs from the structure of the men’s tournament. The argument against host teams is that it makes exciting, attention-grabbing upsets more unlikely and gives the hometown teams an unfair advantage. The counter argument is that it adds extra incentive for the regular season by rewarding teams for stacking wins.
“Every other sport, that’s what they do,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “You have a great year, you play the regular season so you can have a home game. Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL, every sport you can imagine. NCAA, every sport except men’s basketball. It’s a reward for the kind of season you have.”
But that reward doesn’t always lead to victory. And when a higher seed wins in true road-game fashion, it makes the upset all the more exciting. On Sunday, as teams battled for their spot in the Sweet Sixteen, three host schools went down. No. 5 seeds Kansas State, Ole Miss and Tennessee got to celebrate in enemy territory, defeating No. 4 seeds Kentucky, Baylor and Ohio State. Elsewhere, No. 2 seed TCU defeated Louisville to earn its first Sweet Sixteen in program history. That feat was accomplished in front of a home crowd.
Day one of the round of 32 proved that having host schools is a feature, not a flaw.
Kansas State Heads to the Sweet Sixteen for the First Time Since 2002
There is plenty of basketball left to be played, but Kansas State’s 80-79 victory over Kentucky is an early frontrunner for the game of the Tournament. It had all the makings of a classic. Twenty lead changes, overtime, record-breaking performances and the winning team reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over two decades.
Serena Sundell, a 6-foot-2 senior point guard, led Kansas State with 19 points and 14 assists – school single-game record. She also played all 45 minutes. Four years ago, Sundell had just one Power Five offer coming out of high school. She was nervous to commit to Kansas State, because she wondered if her skills were good enough to play at that level. What followed was an impressive four-year career in which Sundell started every season and helped take her program to new heights. But Sundell isn’t thinking about personal accomplishments.
“It doesn’t compare (to winning this game),” she said. “I would choose the Sweet Sixteen every single day over getting that record.”
Luckily for Sundell, she doesn’t have to choose. She also wasn’t the only Kansas State player to break a record. Senior forward Temira Poindexter had a career-high eight three-pointers, which came after she started the game 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Her final three provided K-State’s winning points. Poindexter, a transfer from Tulsa, had never played in an NCAA Tournament before this season. When she transferred, Poindexter told head coach Jeff Mittie that she wanted to finish her career by playing in March Madness.
“She said, ‘Coach, I want to go to an established locker room. I want to go to a group that wants to go further,’” Mittie said. “And to see her step up in the biggest moments after a start like that is pretty special.”
Ole Miss Advances for Second Time in Three Seasons
Madison Scott and Ole Miss have history with Waco, Texas. In 2022, the seventh-seeded Rebels played 10-seed South Dakota in the first round, hosted by Baylor in Waco. Ole Miss lost 75-61 and Scott struggled, scoring just three points. That performance was on her mind during her team’s first two March Madness games this season. As a fifth-year senior, Scott knew she wouldn’t get another chance and this time, she wanted to leave Waco with a win.
“It definitely was in the back of my head that I wanted to come and lead my team to victory,” Scott said. “I wanted to come and have it be a different story this time. So, I’m really, really grateful that we were able to come down here and be successful and get two wins.”
The Rebels got their second win of the weekend, beating Baylor 69-63 on its homecourt. In her seven years at the helm, Ole Miss coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin has led the program to four NCAA Tournaments, with three second round appearances and two Sweet Sixteens. Now, the Rebels are trying to get to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2007. Then, they want to take a trip to Tampa.
“This team has had a goal that they want to go to the Final Four, ”McPhee-McCuin said. “We don’t get to stop tonight. We will be one of the remaining 16 teams that will be competing. It was really gratifying when the buzzer sounded and we had the victory.”
Kim Cadwell’s Successful First Season with Tennessee Continues
At the start of the season, Caldwell set a goal for her players: Make the Sweet Sixteen. That looked like an easy feat after the Vols beat UConn 80-76 on February 6, the first time Tennessee defeated the Huskies since 2007. But after losing three of their last four games heading into March Madness, it started to look less likely. Still, Caldwell believed in her team. But just in case, she added a little extra incentive.
“I told them if we make it to the Sweet Sixteen, they can wear whatever shoes they want, and they remembered that,” she said. “They were telling me that when there was still time on the clock.”
Tennessee has been to the Sweet Sixteen three times since 2022, but the Elite Eight has been more elusive. The Vols haven’t made it that far since 2016. Caldwell and her squad are looking to break that streak. If they do it will be because of Tennessee’s unique style of play, which has overwhelmed opponents all season.
Caldwell’s Vols sub five at a time and run a press defense with all-out intensity. Against Ohio State, they forced 23 turnovers and sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper came off the bench to secure a team-high seven steals. Ohio State also runs an intense press defense, but Tennessee was able to keep things relatively clean, committing 14 turnovers. The Buckeyes typically force 22.1 per game.
“We wanted to turn the pressure up,” Caldwell said. “I thought we did a really good job of playing through our mistakes. Any time you have two teams that press and pressure and there’s a lot of possessions, you’re going to have some empty ones. And it’s just making sure that the other team doesn’t capitalize off of it.”
Hailey Van Lith Leads TCU Past her Former Team
Last season TCU was so injury-riddled that the team had to host open tryouts part way through the season just to put five players on the court. Now, the Horned Frogs are in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history with an 85-70 victory over Louisville.
Fifth-year senior guard Hailey Van Lith has been a big part of the team’s success. The Big 12 Player of the Year is averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. Van Lith faced an unusual challenge in TCU’s round of 32 game. Van Lith played three years at Louisville before transferring to LSU last season and then choosing to play her final season at TCU. Two of her former teammates, Merissah Russell and Olivia Cochran, are still on roster at Louisville.
Van Lith said several times before facing Louisville that she was treating it like any other game. Whether or not she felt any extra emotion didn’t seem to matter, as Van Lith finished with 16 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
“I’m so connected to them,” Van Lith said of her former team. “I have love for them. At the end of the day, it’s a sport. We have to compete a hundred percent, and it’s my job to go out there and win.”
