The first round of NCAA Women’s March Madness is underway, and each of the top seeds is proving exactly why they have earned the top spots in their respective regions.
From 60-plus point wins to massive bench performances, teams have proved they all have different weapons that set them apart and will pave their potential path to the Final Four.
Every No. 1 and No. 2 seed advanced to the Round of 32, but their seeding has nothing to do with what made each team dominant in their first round victories.
Here is one x-factor from some of the top teams in the first round.
South Carolina: Three-point shooting
The defending national champions have a lot that set them apart. That was evident in their 108-48 rout of Tennessee Tech. Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson all scored in double digits, but it wasn’t just their offensive production that made the difference.
The Gamecocks went 12-19 (63.2 percent) from behind the arc, breaking this season’s high for made three-pointers in a game. Johnson shot 75 percent from three while Te-Hina Paopao hit 50 percent of her shots from long range. Fulwiley added two threes, with Bree Hall and Raven Johnson both successfully hitting both three-point attempts taken.
During the SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks struggled from the three-point line, making 25.6 percent. They had their worst three-point performance of the season against Oklahoma, missing 13 of 15 attempts. Getting into rhythm from long range makes an already dangerous team even more of a threat.
Duke: Defense
The Blue Devils comfortably won their first round matchup against Lehigh by 61 points, but the margin was largely thanks to Duke’s defensive efforts. The Mountain Hawks scored just 25, the second-fewest points in the history of the tournament.
Lehigh finished the first half with just 10 points, and Duke grabbed 13 steals along with forcing 30 turnovers. Those miscues translated into 35 points for the Blue Devils.
Not only did Duke hold Lehigh’s offense 44 points below its season average, they held the Mountain Hawks without a point for the first 4:49 of the third quarter, and limited Lehigh to single digits in all four quarters (8, 2, 7, 8).
Kara Lawson’s team, which faces No. 10 seed Oregon in the second round, proved its defense will be the difference.
UCLA: Rotation
What has set UCLA apart is its depth and ability to put talent on the floor no matter which five players are on the court.
The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Bruins defeated the Southern Jaguars 84-46 with six different players scoring in double digits. Janiah Barker, a 6-foot-4 forward forard Janiah Barker a “perfect 10” double-double – 10 points, 10 rebounds. Barker, the Big Ten sixth player of the year, joined Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Londynn Jones, Kiki Rice and Elina Aarnisalo as double digit scorers.
And while not scoring in double figures, 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Angela Dugalic tallied a near double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Nine of the 10 UCLA players who saw action scored.
N.C. State: Offensive rebounding
Despite the final score, North Carolina State had to sweat out a 75-55 win over Vermont. The Wolfpack led just 35-33 at halftime, before dominating the offensive boards to score 11 second chance points while holding the Catamounts to just three.
The Wolfpack outscored UVM 21-8 in second chance points in the game, and outrebounded their opponent 18-9 on the offensive glass. Madison Hayes and Saniya Rivers controlled the boards with 12 grabbing 12 rebounds. Three other players had at least four offensive rebounds and outrebounded Vermont 18-9 on the offensive glass.
Their second half efforts on the glass helped to make up for shooting just 20 percent from the three-point arc, and set them up for a second round matchup against No. 7 seed Michigan State.
USC: Resilience
While resilience may not be a traditional x-factor that can be quantified through a specific statistic, USC showed that is has the ability to overcome adversity.
Star player JuJu Watkins appeared to hurt her left hand early in the second quarter, and then in the third quarter injured her left leg. She hit a three-pointer and then sat out the final 3:39 of the quarter. She briefly returned in the fourth.
Despite the injuries, Watkins still managed to deliver 22 points as they defeated UNC Greensboro 71-25. Kiki Iriafen had 13 points and 13 rebounds in a supporting role. Senior center Rayah Marshall keyed the Trojans’ defense with seven blocked shots.
With Watkins limited, freshman guard Kennedy Smith and fellow freshman took over in Watkins’ absence. Those performances showed that the Trojans have grit.
TCU: Second half play
TCU claimed its first NCAA tournament win since 2006 with a 73-51 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Frogs trailed 17-14 early but they proved their second-half effort on both ends of the court sets them apart.
TCU shot less than 36 percent in the opening 10 minutes, committing four turnovers and allowed the Knights to shoot 50 percent from the field, as 6-foot-2 center Teneisia Brown notched eight points on 4-5 shooting.
But Madison Conner, 5-foot-11 senior guard, scored 10 second quarter points and 23 total points to help the Frogs get back in front, knocking down four three-pointers in the win. Hailey Van Lith, a 5-foot-9 graduate senior, added 13 points and seven assists.
Sedona Prince, 6-foot senior center, also posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, bouncing back from two early fouls, and TCU’s defense held FDU without a second half made three-point attempt as they shot just 31 percent from the field.
