Current:Home > InvestFirst Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams. -Infinite Profit Zone
First Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams.
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:01:46
For the women, March Madness ramps up one day after the men with their own First Four matchups.
The expanded field is fairly new to the women's game, which started the First Four round in 2022. It was one of a handful of changes that the NCAA began making in the wake of a gender equity report showing vast disparities between the men's and women's basketball tournaments.
Unlike the men, who stage all four games in one place, the women play each game at a different location, picking four sites out of the top 16 national seeds.
Here is what you need to know about the women's teams in this year's First Four.
First Four teams for women's March Madness
- Arizona (17-15): Went into the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 7 seed and was eliminated by top-seeded USC in the conference quarterfinals.
- Auburn (20-11): Finished in a sixth-place tie with Mississippi State in the SEC and was routed by LSU in the conference quarterfinals.
- Columbia (23-6): Finished tied with Princeton for the top seed in the Ivy League before going on to beat the Tigers 75-58 in the conference championship game.
- Holy Cross (20-12): Was the top seed in the Patriot League and went on to win the conference championship against Boston University 61-55.
- Presbyterian (20-14): Finished in a tie for fourth place in the Big South, but went on to beat Radford in the conference title game.
- Sacred Heart (24-9): Only lost one game in the NEC and ran away with the conference championship. The Pioneers have won 15 consecutive games.
- UT Martin (16-16): Was one of three teams to finish in second place in the OVC and made it to the conference championship game before losing to top-seeded Southern Indiana.
- Vanderbilt (22-9): Finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the SEC tournament, where they were ousted by Florida in the first round.
IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
When is First Four for women?
The women's First Four will take place with two games on Wednesday, March 20 and two games on Thursday, March 21.
First Four games for women
Wednesday, March 20
- Sacred Heart (24-9) vs. Presbyterian (20-14), 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in Albany Regional 1 and face No. 1 South Carolina.
- Vanderbilt (22-9) vs. Columbia (23-6), 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will be the No. 12 seed in Portland Regional 3 and face No. 5 Baylor.
Thursday, March 21
- Auburn (20-11) vs. Arizona (17-15), 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The winner will be the No. 11 seed in Portland Regional 3 and face No. 6 Syracuse.
- Holy Cross (20-12) vs. UT Martin (16-16), 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in Albany Regional 2 and face No. 1 Iowa.
Where is First Four for women?
The sites of the women's First Four games will be: Blacksburg, Virginia; Columbia, South Carolina; Storrs, Connecticut; and Peoria, Illinois.
How to watch women's First Four
The women's First Four games will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN2.
Have any First Four teams won the women's national championship?
No, in fact Mississippi State is the only team to ever win a first-round game after advancing out of the First Four. Last season the Bulldogs beat Creighton in the Round of 64 before losing to Notre Dame 53-48 in the second round.
USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner contributed to this report.
veryGood! (5394)
Related
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Michigan Supreme Court decision will likely strike hundreds from sex-offender registry
- The 25 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought This Month: Viral Beauty Products & More
- International Human Rights Commission Condemns ‘Fortress Conservation’
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Belly Up
- The top prosecutor where George Floyd was murdered is facing backlash. But she has vowed to endure
- Landslides caused by heavy rains kill 49 and bury many others in southern India
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Stores lure back-to-school shoppers with deals and ‘buy now, pay later’ plans
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Maserati among 313K vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Artificial turf or grass?: Ohio bill would require all pro teams to play on natural surfaces
- Steals from Lululemon’s We Made Too Much: $29 Shirts, $59 Sweaters, $69 Leggings & More Unmissable Scores
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Erica Ash, 'Mad TV' and 'Survivor's Remorse' star, dies at 46: Reports
- UCLA ordered by judge to craft plan in support of Jewish students
- Artificial turf or grass?: Ohio bill would require all pro teams to play on natural surfaces
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Michigan Supreme Court decision will likely strike hundreds from sex-offender registry
How Harris and Trump differ on artificial intelligence policy
Orioles pay pretty penny for Trevor Rogers in MLB trade deadline deal with Marlins
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
USAs Regan Smith, Katharine Berkoff add two medals in 100 backstroke
Cardinals land Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham in 3-way trade with Dodgers, White Sox
US golf team's Olympic threads could be divisive. That's the point