Last Updated 9:09 PM, March 23, 2026

Live game by game updates for the 2026 NCAA women's tournament

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1:07 am, March 24, 2026

(2) Vanderbilt 75, (7) Illinois 57

No. 2 seed Vanderbilt pulled away from No. 7 seed Illinois for a 75-57 win, advancing to its first Sweet 16 since 2009. The Commodores took control early, turning a close start into a 21-8 lead by the end of the first quarter. Vanderbilt extended its advantage in the second quarter, building a double-digit cushion behind contributions from Justine Pissott and Aubrey Galvan.

Illinois battled through foul trouble, with multiple starters picking up two fouls in the first half, and trailed by 11 at the break. Berry Wallace led the Illini with eight points at halftime, but they were unable to close the gap in the second half.

Mikayla Blakes led Vanderbilt with a near triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, along with four steals. Pissott added 18 points as the Commodores knocked down 11 3-pointers in the win.

Perfect bracket tracker: Still just one perfect bracket remaining with only a few games left on the slate.

11:51 pm, March 23, 2026

(1) UConn 98, (9) Syracuse 45

UConn delivered a dominant performance, rolling past Syracuse 98-45 to advance to the Sweet 16, where it will face North Carolina in Fort Worth. The Huskies overwhelmed Syracuse from the start, taking a staggering 65-12 lead into halftime behind a suffocating defensive effort that forced 16 turnovers while allowing just six made field goals.

Azzi Fudd led the charge in her final home game, putting together a spectacular performance with 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range. She added five assists, four steals and three rebounds in a complete outing. Fudd scored 26 points in the first half alone, along with six 3-pointers, as UConn’s offense and defense clicked at an elite level.

Perfect bracket tracker: With the win, UConn moved on comfortably, and the lone remaining perfect bracket stayed intact.

11:18 pm, March 23, 2026

(5) Kentucky 74, (4) West Virginia 73

Kentucky outlasts West Virginia to reach the Sweet 16

Kentucky edged West Virginia 74-73 to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2016, surviving a late push by the Mountaineers in a tightly contested second-round matchup. The Wildcats led 20-15 after the first quarter and built an early advantage before West Virginia rallied to tie the game 36-36 at halftime. Teonni Key and Clara Strack led Kentucky in the first half with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Gigi Cooke paced West Virginia with 13.

Kentucky took control in the third quarter, outscoring West Virginia 26-14 to build a 62-50 lead entering the fourth. Asia Boone sparked the surge with nine points on three 3-pointers. Strack delivered a dominant all-around performance, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

West Virginia stormed back late behind 23-point efforts from Cooke and Sydney Shaw, cutting the deficit to one in the final minute and earning a chance to win at the buzzer. Kentucky held on, however, securing the 74-73 victory and a trip to the Sweet 16.

  • Perfect bracket tracker: Our lone perfect bracket is still going with four more games left to play today.
10:08 pm, March 23, 2026

(6) Notre Dame 83, (3) Ohio State 73

No. 6 seed Notre Dame picked up the big road win at Ohio State 83-73, advancing to the Sweet 16 and leaving just one perfect bracket remaining. The Fighting Irish took control in the second quarter, grabbing their first lead at 26-24 on a fast-break layup by Vanessa de Jesus and extending it with an 8-0 run.

Notre Dame carried that momentum into the second half, opening with a 7-2 run to build a 50-37 lead. Ohio State responded with a 10-0 surge, fueled by Jaloni Cambridge, who had 25 points and helped cut the deficit to 50-47 late in the third quarter. The Irish maintained a 58-54 edge entering the fourth.

In the final period, Hannah Hidalgo took over. She recorded a dominant all-around performance with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight steals, finishing just short of a triple-double. Notre Dame placed four players in double figures and pulled away late to secure the win.

Though Cambridge finished with 41 points, the Buckeyes' loss marked the third consecutive year Ohio State has been upset at home as a host site in the NCAA tournament.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: We're done to just one unblemished bracket: "" on ESPN.
" in ESPN's game.

Final 2026 women's March Madness perfect bracket

Here's the complete rundown of this last perfect bracket's final picks for Monday's games:

"Oschell17" on ESPN — Kentucky, UConn, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and UCLA

7:49 pm, March 23, 2026

🚨2OT UPSET🚨: (10) Virginia 83, (2) Iowa 75; 7 perfect brackets left

A women's basketball player screams in excitement.

Virginia is marching on.

No. 10 Virginia stunned No. 2 Iowa, 83-75, in double overtime, becoming the lone double-digit seed to win in the first round AND advance to the Sweet 16. It marks Virginia's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2000. The Cavaliers are also the first team in women's tournament history to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16. Only 2.19 percent of Women's Bracket Challenge Game entries had the Cavaliers in the Sweet 16.

It was an up-and-down day for both squads. Virginia led by as many as seven in the first half to take a 28-23 halftime lead. Then Iowa settled in, outscoring Virginia 25-11 in the third quarter and going up nine entering the final frame. But Virginia wouldn’t go down easily, outscoring Iowa 19-8 in the fourth quarter and tying the game at 57 with just over two minutes to go.

The first overtime had unobserved fouls on both sides, saw the lead change hands, Virginia tie the game on a seven-foot floater from Virginia’s Kymora Johnson and a potential game-winning 3-pointer from Iowa’s Taylor Stremlow go in-and-out in the final seconds. But the result was the same — another overtime.

If we learned one thing this tournament, Virginia is comfortable in close games. Virginia beat Arizona State in the First Four by two and then beat No. 7 Georgia in overtime in the first round.

The Cavaliers jumped ahead in the second overtime and never looked back. The two-headed attack of Paris Clark and Kymora Johnson pulled Virginia ahead. Clark hit an and-one to give Virginia a 70-67 lead and Johnson was fouled on a 3-point attempt, going 2 of 3 to put the Cavaliers up five, a lead Iowa would see grow to nine and only be able to cut down to six down the final stretch.

The Cavaliers had four double-digit scorers. Johnson, who never left the court, led the way with 28 points and four assists. Clark and Romi Levy finished with 20 and 13 points, respectively, while senior Caitlin Weimar finished with 12 coming off the bench.

Iowa was led by Ava Heiden, who went 11 for 22 for 26 points, followed by Chazadi Wright (21 points) and a double-double from senior Hannah Stuelke (15 points, 19 rebounds and six assists).

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: With Virginia's stunning win, there are now just seven perfect brackets remaining across major online games: five on ESPN and one in both the Women's Bracket Challenge Game and Yahoo.
5:56 pm, March 23, 2026

(3) Louisville 69, (6) Alabama 68; More than 200 perfect brackets left

A women's basketball player points her finger up in the air.

What a start to Monday's second round action. ;

No. 3 Louisville survived against No. 6 Alabama, 69-68, in a back-and-forth thriller that featured a tournament-most 18 lead changes and eight ties.

Alabama held a 35-34 halftime lead and almost the entirety of the second half was no more than a two possession game. The Crimson Tide, who went 7 for 13 from 3-point range in the first half, finished 46% from behind the arc (12 for 26), led by junior Diana Collins, freshman Ace Austin and senior Karly Weathers, who scored a combined 44 points and connected on a total of 12 3-pointers. Weathers hit a 3 in the final seconds to pull the Crimson Tide within one, but they would fall just short of their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1998.

The Cardinals, normally a strong free throw shooting team, struggled from the line, going 8 for 16 (50%) as a team. But sophomore Imari Berry hit the two biggest free throws of the day with 8.2 seconds left to give Louisville a four-point lead, enough to fend off one last push from Alabama. Louisville had a trio of double-digit scorers, led by an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double from junior Elif Istanbullluoglu, an 18-point performance from sophomore Tajianna Roberts and a nine-point, 13-rebound showing from sophomore Mackenly Randolph.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: Most of the remaining perfect brackets had Louisville advancing to the Sweet 16. With the Cardinals' win, there are 215 perfect brackets remaining.
3:52 pm, March 23, 2026

2nd round action continues NOW!

The other the remaining Sweet 16 spots will be clinched today. We'll be here tracking every game along with the 235 remaining perfect brackets. The higher seeds have continued to prevail throughout most of the women's tournament, but does that mean we're due for some upsets? Games start at noon EST, so stay tuned here for updates throughout the day.

Monday, March 23 (Second Round)

4:39 am, March 23, 2026

We're halfway through 2nd round; 235 brackets remain perfect

We're halfway to knowing the look of the Sweet 16.

Duke's Tobi after round two win

The higher seeds were perfect, going 8-0 on the day. There were some close calls, like No. 6 Washington nearly besting No. 3 TCU, but the Horned Frogs came back to win in overtime. Fourth-seeded Oklahoma was also on the ropes to Michigan State before pulling away behind an 18 point, 10 rebound performance from Raegan Beers.

The most impressive performance belonged to Texas' Madison Booker, who dropped 40 points on the Oregon Ducks in the afternoon.

We started Sunday with around 1,700 perfect brackets, so let's see how the day shook out.

Here's how Sunday's action impacted perfect brackets:

We’ll continue to follow all games — and the remaining perfect brackets — with the second round continuing Monday with another eight-game day.

4:12 am, March 23, 2026

(3) TCU 62, (6) Washington 59 (OT)

TCU came back to beat Washington in overtime in the nightcap and advance to the Sweet 16. Olivia Miles took over in extra time, scoring or assisting on every basket during a decisive final period to lead TCU to a 62-59 comeback victory over Washington on Friday.

The Horned Frogs appeared to be in trouble late in regulation before Miles ignited a late surge. After trailing for much of the fourth quarter, TCU closed the gap behind Clara Silva and Miles, whose layup with 1:39 remaining in the fourth cut the deficit to two. Washington's Brynn McGaughy came through with a layup to make it 51-5 and then TCU failed to convert in the closing seconds, sending the game to the extra frame.

In overtime, TCU ripped off a 9-0 run to seize control. Silva started the spurt with a layup, and Taylor Bigby followed with a jumper off a Miles assist to push the lead to five. While Washington's Sayvia Sellers hit a jumper to bring the Huskies within three with 42 seconds left, TCU’s defense held firm. Miles finished the night with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Huskies struggled with late-game turnovers that thwarted their upset bid.

2:16 am, March 23, 2026

(4) Oklahoma 77, (5) Michigan State 71

Oklahoma rallied past Michigan State to secure a Sweet 16 berth, winning in front of a lively home crowd in Norman. The game was tightly contested early, with both teams struggling with turnovers and Michigan State taking a 21-16 lead after the first quarter behind a perfect start from Rashunda Jones. Oklahoma responded in the second quarter, but the Spartans carried a 42-37 lead into halftime as Jones led all scorers with 16 points.

The Sooners found their rhythm in the second half behind dominant play from Raegan Beers in the post and a surge from Aaliyah Chavez, who rebounded from a scoreless first quarter to finish with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Payton Verhulst delivered the game’s turning point with a transition 3-pointer that ignited the crowd and gave Oklahoma a 66-58 lead with just over six minutes remaining.

Oklahoma held on from there to advance to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances. Beers finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Sooners will meet either No. 1 South Carolina or No. 9 USC in the Sweet 16.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: With this 4-over-5 result, we estimate there are around 250 perfect brackets left.
12:10 am, March 23, 2026

(1) Texas 100, (8) Oregon 58

Texas rolled past Oregon 100-58 to advance to the Sweet 16, fueled by a dominant second half performance and a historic outing from Madison Booker. The Longhorns closed out their home slate with authority, sending senior guard Rori Harmon off in style in her final game in Austin.

Booker delivered a record-setting performance by scoring 40 points — the most ever by a Texas player in an NCAA tournament game — as the Longhorns outscored the Ducks 55-24 in the second half.

Leading by 11 at halftime, Longhorns took complete control after the break, capitalizing on Oregon’s mistakes and turning turnovers into points — 34% of Texas’ scoring came off giveaways.

Oregon was led by Katie Fiso with 16 points.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: Only a handful of brackets picked Oregon, leaving the number of perfect brackets essentially unchanged and more than 400 remaining nationally.
10:13 pm, March 22, 2026

(3) Duke 69, (6) Baylor 46

No. 3 seed Duke dominated from the start in a 69-46 win over Baylor in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16. The Blue Devils set the tone early with a 9-0 run and never looked back, building a 28-12 lead midway through the second quarter as Baylor struggled to generate offense.

Duke’s defensive pressure overwhelmed the Bears, who managed just one assist compared to 15 turnovers in the first half. Baylor’s offense never found a rhythm, falling behind early and unable to recover.

Four Blue Devils scored in double figures, led by Delaney Thomas with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Duke’s balanced attack and control on both ends secured the comfortable win and set up a showdown with LSU in the Sweet 16.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: The result eliminated a few more brackets, leaving just over 400 perfect entries remaining.
9:09 pm, March 22, 2026

(2) LSU 101, (7) Texas Tech 47

No. 2 seed LSU rolled past No. 7 seed Texas Tech 101-47 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. The Tigers set the tone early, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and taking a 19-14 advantage after the first quarter. Texas Tech tried to battled back after an early deficit to keep it close, while LSU worked through a slow start from Mikaylah Williams.

LSU took control as the game progressed behind dominant performances from Flau’jae Johnson and Williams, with each scoring 24 points. A massive 33-7 third quarter broke the game open and turned it into a rout. Jada Richard’s 3-pointer pushed LSU past the 100-point mark, marking the program’s 16th 100-point game of the season — setting a new DI record.

LSU will play the winner of Duke-Baylor in the Sweet 16.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: The number of perfect brackets remained steady at around 450 following the LSU rout.
8:15 pm, March 22, 2026

(4) Minnesota 65, (5) Ole Miss 63

No. 4 seed Minnesota outlasted No. 5 seed Ole Miss in a dramatic 65-63 finish, advancing to the Sweet 16 on a game-winner by Amaya Battle. The game opened slowly, with Ole Miss holding an early 6-2 lead, but Minnesota settled in and took a 17-12 advantage after the first quarter. The Gophers carried that into the second, building a 27-22 lead as Ole Miss struggled from the field and dealt with early foul trouble to Cotie McMahon.

Ole Miss responded with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Minnesota 25-14 to take a 54-46 lead entering the fourth. McMahon and Sira Thienou led the charge, with McMahon becoming just the fourth player in program history to surpass 700 points in a season. Despite McMahon fouling out late, the Rebels battled back to tie the game at 63-63 with 3.5 seconds remaining on a basket by Latasha Lattimore.

But Minnesota had the final possession, and Battle delivered, knocking down a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to lift the Gophers to a 65-63 win and a spot in the Sweet 16.

  • Perfect Bracket Tracker: The matchup split the vote, leaving around 450 perfect brackets remaining with five more to play on Sunday.