For the second straight year, North Carolina and Duke will both dance in the Sweet 16.
Duke, the three seed in the Sacramento 2 bracket, took care of its home court with two double digit wins in the first weekend.
The Blue Devils’ frontcourt carried the load in their 81-64 first round victory over Charleston. Toby Fournier scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Delaney Thomas contributed 19 points and nine boards. Forward Jordan Wood was perfect off the bench, logging 17 points while shooting 6 for 6 from the floor (five 3s).
With eight assists, Taina Mair passed Olivia Miles and Georgia Amoore for the seventh-most assists in ACC history.
Duke outscored Charleston 44-20 in the paint while holding Charleston to a 26.1% shooting clip.
The second round began the Blue Devils’ revenge tour.
In a rematch of its season-opening loss to Baylor, Duke dominated the six-seeded Bears 69-46, punching a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.
The Blue Devils stifled Baylor’s offensive production, holding the Bears to 16 first half points and an 0-for-14 showing from beyond the arc. Baylor also committed 23 turnovers which turned into 7 points for the Duke.
Thomas and Fournier once again led the offensive attack with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Ashlon Jackson poured in 12 points, and Arianna Roberson scored 10, making it four Blue Devils in double digits despite the team shooting at a 39.1% (18.2% from 3) clip.
Duke will look to avenge another regular season loss when it faces No. 2 LSU at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California Friday. The Tigers had six players score double figures when they defeated Duke 93-77 in the ACC/SEC Challenge in December.
“We have different personnel now than we did in that game,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “I think that’s probably one of the biggest changes for us. We have different players playing different roles than the first game of the year.”
On the other side of the bracket, UNC began its defense of Carmichael Arena with an 82-51 blowout over No. 13 Western Illinois.
Nyla Harris led the way with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, leading the charge in the Tar Heels’ 38-10 advantage in the paint. Lanie Grant knocked down four threes in a 15-point performance, and although freshman Nyla Brooks, making her NCAA Tournament debut, didn’t shoot the ball well, she still contributed 14.
UNC faced a tougher task in its 74-66 second round win over Maryland.
The Tar Heels led 42-33 at halftime, but a 17-8 run by the Terrapins in the third quarter tied the game heading into the final period.
UNC shot 7 for 11, and Grant scored seven points in the final 10 minutes to close the game. Elina Aarnisalo, who scored four points in the Tar Heels’ fourth-quarter surge, ended the night with a team-high 21 points. Grant poured in 20.
The Tar Heels will take on the No. 1 overall seed UConn in Fort Worth, Texas Friday.
“We’re a young team, and there’s a lot of trust in that locker room,” UNC women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart said. “Going to a Sweet 16 is so hard. I know it’s harder than it even is put into words, and these guys just really embraced hard this whole year.”
No. 7 NC State used a hot start and a career night from Zamareya Jones to defeat No. 10 Tennessee in the first round.
Jones went off for a career-high 30 points on a 60% shooting clip. She also grabbed a team-high five steals. Khamil Pierre (16) and Qadence Samuels (12) also scored in double digits.
The Wolfpack shot 71.4% from the floor and outscored the Volunteers 26-19 in the first quarter. After taking a 4-2 lead within the game’s first minute, NC State never trailed the rest of the way.
However, All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks suffered a foot injury in the win, keeping her out of NC State’s 92-63 loss to Michigan in the second round.
The Wolfpack trailed by three at halftime, but the Wolverines outscored them 64-38 in the second half. Michigan knocked down seven of its 10 3s in the fourth quarter.
NC State had no answer for Olivia Olson, who led all scorers with 27 points, and Syla Swords, who made four 3s and shot 50% from the field in a 26-point effort. For the first time since 2023, NC State will not be in the Sweet 16.
No. 15 High Point, making its second straight Tournament appearance, fell to No. 2 Vanderbilt 102-61 in the first round.
Macy Spencer scored 27 points for the Panthers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Commodores’ high-powered attack led by Mikayla Blakes’ 30 points. High Point is still looking for its first Tournament win after three tries.
