Current:Home > InvestFirst Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams. -Secure Growth Academy
First Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams.
View
Date:2025-04-16 15:48:27
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! (3)
Related
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- 18 Bikinis With Full-Coverage Bottoms for Those Days When More Is More
- Long Phased-Out Refrigeration and Insulation Chemicals Still Widely in Use and Warming the Climate
- Arctic Bogs Hold Another Global Warming Risk That Could Spiral Out of Control
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- 2 adults killed, baby has life-threatening injuries after converted school bus rolls down hill
- 86-year-old returns George Orwell's 1984 to library 65 years late, saying it needs to be read more than ever
- Standing Rock Tribe Prepares Legal Fight as Dakota Oil Pipeline Gets Final Approval
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- John Stamos Shares the Heart-Melting Fatherhood Advice Bob Saget Gave Him About Son Billy
Ranking
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Obama Unveils Sharp Increase in Auto Fuel Economy
- This $35 2-Piece Set From Amazon Will Become a Staple in Your Wardrobe
- Does drinking alcohol affect your dementia risk? We asked a researcher for insights
- Sam Taylor
- Khloe Kardashian Slams Exhausting Narrative About Her and Tristan Thompson's Relationship Status
- Kim Zolciak Shares Message About Love and Consideration Amid Kroy Biermann Divorce
- California child prodigy on his SpaceX job: The work I'm going to be doing is so cool
Recommendation
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Tennessee becomes the first state to pass a ban on public drag shows
Study Finds Rise in Methane in Pennsylvania Gas Country
Woman arrested after allegedly shooting Pennsylvania district attorney in his office
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Dakota Access Pipeline: Army Corps Is Ordered to Comply With Trump’s Order
Comedian Andy Smart Dies Unexpectedly at Age 63: Eddie Izzard and More Pay Tribute
Hidden Viruses And How To Prevent The Next Pandemic