March Madness women’s tournament analysis: Top teams and players

Connecticut forward Sarah Strong, right, shoots over Villanova forward Denae Carter during the championship game of the Big East tournament on March 9.

(Jessica Hill/Associated Press)

No. 1 in Connecticut: The top-seeded Huskies (34-0) rank near the top in the nation in most offensive categories (second at 88.8 points per game, first at 52.5 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three-point range) and have arguably the nation’s best player in Sarah Strong. The Huskies haven’t lost since February 6, 2025.

No. 2 Vanderbilt: The Commodores (27-4) didn’t lose a game until late January. They fell to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament, but will still host an NCAA tournament game, behind the nation’s leading scorer, Mikayla Blakes.

Ohio State #3: The Buckeyes (26-7) lost in the Big Ten semifinals to UCLA, but they can field a dominant offensive attack behind Jaloni Cambridge (22.8 points per game).

No. 4 North Carolina: The Tar Heels, 26-7, were narrowly named a top-16 seed after losing to Louisville in the ACC semifinals. Their 26 wins are the program’s most since 2019.

SEARCH CINDERELLA

Fairfield received an 11 seed after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and got a fascinating first-round matchup with No. 6 seed Notre Dame. The Stags (28-4) love shooting three-pointers and have flirted with the top 25 all season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: The ACC Player of the Year leads the nation with 5.4 steals per game and is known as one of the nation’s dynamic playmakers.

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt: He led the nation with 27 points per game as a sophomore and was named SEC Player of the Year.

Audi Crooks, Iowa State: Is second in the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game and a 64.7% field goal percentage. Crooks has established herself as one of the most dominant offensive players in the game this season.

RIM SHOTS

• Fairfield’s 51.6 percent shooting from behind the three-point arc leads the nation.
• Syracuse (23-8) has an offensive rebound rate of 42.2 percent, fourth-best in the country, which has helped its slower offense succeed.
• Colorado (22-11) is 14-0 when scoring more than 70 points, but just 8-11 when held to fewer than that.