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How's your women's March Madness bracket doing? If you picked chalk, you should be in prime position.
The 2025 women's NCAA Tournament officially tipped off Friday and aside from a couple of upsets — like No. 7 Vanderbilt falling to No. 10 Oregon in overtime or No. 10 South Dakota State defeating No. 7 Oklahoma State —higher-seeded teams have taken care of business against lower-seeded teams in the opening round.
Three of the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament —UCLA, South Carolina, USC— comfortably cruised to the second round after defeating their first-round opponents by an average margin of victory of 48 points. The largest blowout in the first round belonged to No. 2 UConn, which tied the seventh largest margin of victory in women's March Madness history with a 103-34 win over No. 15 Arkansas State. (More on that later.)
The tournament record was set in 2017 when Baylor defeated Texas Southern by a whopping 89 points in an Elite Eight game that ended 119-30.
Before we set our sights on the second round of this year's tournament, lets that a look at the biggest blowouts in the opening round of 64:
MARCH MADNESS: Big upsets are rare in women’s NCAA Tournament. Is this the year that changes?
MORE: NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket breakdown, best games, players to watch
UConn is in pursuit of its first national championship since 2016 and the Huskies got off to a great start in the first round with a rout of Arkansas State. Azzi Fudd dropped 27 points (10-for-13 FG, 6-for-9 3PT) in her first tourney appearance since 2023 and had a career-high seven assists. Freshman Sarah Strong recorded her fourth straight double-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, the first player in 25 years to record that stat line. The Huskies scored 35 points off turnovers alone and held Arkansas State to 12-of-70 from the field.
WHO IS AZZI FUDD? UConn star dropped 21 points in first half vs. Arkansas State
The Blue Devils recorded their largest margin of victory this season, while holding Lehigh to the second-lowest point total in NCAA Women's Tournament history. Duke did so with both their offense and defense. Three Blue Devils scored in double digits, led by sophomore Oluchi Okananwa's 15 points (6-of-10 FG, 2-3 3PT), seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. The Mountain Hawks were held to single digits in each quarter in the game. "This is March. Doesn't matter who your opponent is. You address each and every one with the same intensity," Okananwa said after the win.
South Carolina entered Friday's first-round matchup with extra motivation after being snubbed for the No. 1 overall seed. The Gamecocks came out and made a statement with a 60-point victory over Tennessee Tech. Freshman Joyce Edwards had a team-high 22 points (9-of-12 FG), while MiLaysia Fulwiley added 15 points. South Carolina leads the nation in bench points per game (42.2) this season and showcased its depth on Friday. The Gamecocks' 66 bench points Friday marked the most in NCAA Tournament history.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Raven Johnson brings energy in March Madness beatdown of Tennessee Tech
DAWN STALEY:South Carolina women's basketball super fan Plies gifts head coach gem-studded chain
Notre Dame entered the NCAA Tournament losing three of its last five games, but the Fighting Irish corrected course with a dominant first-round win, which marked the second time in program history that Notre Dame surpassed 100 points in March Madness. Five players scored in the double digits, led by Sonia Citron (24) and Hannah Hidalgo (24). Notre Dame placed an emphasis on defense, swiping 18 steals and forcing 28 turnovers. It wasn't all smiles for Notre Dame —Olivia Miles' night ended early due to an ankle injury.
OLIVIA MILES INJURY UPDATE:Notre Dame guard exits Stephen F. Austin game after hurting ankle
The Trojans held the Spartans to the second-lowest point total in NCAA Women's Tournament history and their 46-point margin of victory marked the program's largest in a March Madness game. Sophomore JuJu Watkins led the way with a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals. She's scored double digits in every game this season. Senior Kiki Iriafen added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, marking her 12th of the season. The Trojans scored 32 points off of 23 turnovers and held the Spartans to 7-of-54 from the field.
JUJU WATKINS INJURY UPDATE: Rolled ankle in USC March Madness game today
Kansas State soundly defeated Fairfield by 44 points following the return of star center Ayoka Lee, who put up a double-double with 17 points (7-of-10 FG) and 10 rebounds in her first game in nearly a month. Guard Serena Sundell flirted with a double-double with 18 points (8-of-10 FG), nine assists and two steals. Kansas State out rebounded Fairfield 44-19 and held the Stags to 15-of-51 from the field.
The No. 1 overall seed opened the NCAA Tournament by setting a program record for the largest margin of victory in March Madness history. Six Bruins scored in double-digits, led by Lauren Betts' 14 points, six blocks, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Will this be the season UCLA women’s basketball breaks through? The Bruins have advanced as far as the Elite Eight twice (1999, 2018) and Sweet Sixteen nine times, most recently last season, but have never made it to the Final Four.
LAUREN BETTS:Stats, what to know of UCLA women's basketball star
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest blowouts in women's March Madness: UConn, Duke, South Carolina
Continue reading...
The 2025 women's NCAA Tournament officially tipped off Friday and aside from a couple of upsets — like No. 7 Vanderbilt falling to No. 10 Oregon in overtime or No. 10 South Dakota State defeating No. 7 Oklahoma State —higher-seeded teams have taken care of business against lower-seeded teams in the opening round.
Three of the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament —UCLA, South Carolina, USC— comfortably cruised to the second round after defeating their first-round opponents by an average margin of victory of 48 points. The largest blowout in the first round belonged to No. 2 UConn, which tied the seventh largest margin of victory in women's March Madness history with a 103-34 win over No. 15 Arkansas State. (More on that later.)
The tournament record was set in 2017 when Baylor defeated Texas Southern by a whopping 89 points in an Elite Eight game that ended 119-30.
Before we set our sights on the second round of this year's tournament, lets that a look at the biggest blowouts in the opening round of 64:
MARCH MADNESS: Big upsets are rare in women’s NCAA Tournament. Is this the year that changes?
MORE: NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket breakdown, best games, players to watch
69 points — No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State
- Final score:UConn 103, Arkansas State 34
- Largest lead: 72 points
UConn is in pursuit of its first national championship since 2016 and the Huskies got off to a great start in the first round with a rout of Arkansas State. Azzi Fudd dropped 27 points (10-for-13 FG, 6-for-9 3PT) in her first tourney appearance since 2023 and had a career-high seven assists. Freshman Sarah Strong recorded her fourth straight double-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, the first player in 25 years to record that stat line. The Huskies scored 35 points off turnovers alone and held Arkansas State to 12-of-70 from the field.
WHO IS AZZI FUDD? UConn star dropped 21 points in first half vs. Arkansas State
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61 points — No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh
- Final score:Duke 86, Lehigh 25
- Largest lead: 61 points
The Blue Devils recorded their largest margin of victory this season, while holding Lehigh to the second-lowest point total in NCAA Women's Tournament history. Duke did so with both their offense and defense. Three Blue Devils scored in double digits, led by sophomore Oluchi Okananwa's 15 points (6-of-10 FG, 2-3 3PT), seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. The Mountain Hawks were held to single digits in each quarter in the game. "This is March. Doesn't matter who your opponent is. You address each and every one with the same intensity," Okananwa said after the win.
60 points — No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech
- Final score:South Carolina 108, Tennessee Tech 48
- Largest lead: 63 points
South Carolina entered Friday's first-round matchup with extra motivation after being snubbed for the No. 1 overall seed. The Gamecocks came out and made a statement with a 60-point victory over Tennessee Tech. Freshman Joyce Edwards had a team-high 22 points (9-of-12 FG), while MiLaysia Fulwiley added 15 points. South Carolina leads the nation in bench points per game (42.2) this season and showcased its depth on Friday. The Gamecocks' 66 bench points Friday marked the most in NCAA Tournament history.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Raven Johnson brings energy in March Madness beatdown of Tennessee Tech
DAWN STALEY:South Carolina women's basketball super fan Plies gifts head coach gem-studded chain
MOVING ONpic.twitter.com/s5tvd5OXcU
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 21, 2025
52 points — No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin
- Final score:Notre Dame 106, Stephen F. Austin 54
- Largest lead: 55 points
Notre Dame entered the NCAA Tournament losing three of its last five games, but the Fighting Irish corrected course with a dominant first-round win, which marked the second time in program history that Notre Dame surpassed 100 points in March Madness. Five players scored in the double digits, led by Sonia Citron (24) and Hannah Hidalgo (24). Notre Dame placed an emphasis on defense, swiping 18 steals and forcing 28 turnovers. It wasn't all smiles for Notre Dame —Olivia Miles' night ended early due to an ankle injury.
OLIVIA MILES INJURY UPDATE:Notre Dame guard exits Stephen F. Austin game after hurting ankle
dominance is more fun in March#GoIrishpic.twitter.com/V2p7MKKosY
— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) March 21, 2025
46 — No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro
- Final score: USC 71, UNC Greensboro 25
- Largest lead: 46 points
The Trojans held the Spartans to the second-lowest point total in NCAA Women's Tournament history and their 46-point margin of victory marked the program's largest in a March Madness game. Sophomore JuJu Watkins led the way with a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals. She's scored double digits in every game this season. Senior Kiki Iriafen added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, marking her 12th of the season. The Trojans scored 32 points off of 23 turnovers and held the Spartans to 7-of-54 from the field.
JUJU WATKINS INJURY UPDATE: Rolled ankle in USC March Madness game today
44 — No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield
- Final score:Kansas State 85, Fairfield 41
- Largest lead: 44 points
Kansas State soundly defeated Fairfield by 44 points following the return of star center Ayoka Lee, who put up a double-double with 17 points (7-of-10 FG) and 10 rebounds in her first game in nearly a month. Guard Serena Sundell flirted with a double-double with 18 points (8-of-10 FG), nine assists and two steals. Kansas State out rebounded Fairfield 44-19 and held the Stags to 15-of-51 from the field.
38 — No. 1 UCLA, No. 16 Southern
- Final score: UCLA 84, Southern 46
- Largest lead: 38 points
The No. 1 overall seed opened the NCAA Tournament by setting a program record for the largest margin of victory in March Madness history. Six Bruins scored in double-digits, led by Lauren Betts' 14 points, six blocks, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Will this be the season UCLA women’s basketball breaks through? The Bruins have advanced as far as the Elite Eight twice (1999, 2018) and Sweet Sixteen nine times, most recently last season, but have never made it to the Final Four.
LAUREN BETTS:Stats, what to know of UCLA women's basketball star
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest blowouts in women's March Madness: UConn, Duke, South Carolina
Continue reading...
