Crazy here. Friday is the first full day of the women's NCAA Tournament and there are plenty of stars and noteworthy matchups to keep an eye on.
No. 1 overall seed South Carolina will be without star Camila Cardoso as it looks to remain perfect this season. LSU's title defense begins when it hosts Angel Reese and Co. Rice is No. 14. Also in contention: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Stanford, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon.
Here's the full schedule for Friday as the NCAA Tournament gets underway.
Friday afternoon
11:30 AM – No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Michigan State (ESPN2)
IT'S A TIED GAME IN BATON ROUGE BETWEEN MTSU AND LOUISVILLE!! Many Cardinals players are in deep trouble. Can MTSU pull off a surprising comeback??
Halftime: South Carolina 48, Presbyterian 25
Folwile leads the Gamecocks with 12 points. She already has a professional game.
MTSU is back in the game. Savannah Wheeler cut Louisville's lead to single digits with a 3-pointer.
As expected, South Carolina got off to a strong start in Columbia.
No. 10 Richmond vs. No. 7 Duke is underway! Duke's first points came off a jumper by Regan Richardson.
South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley is here and ready to go! She already has two 3-pointers on the board.
Louisville holds the lead at halftime versus MTSU
Assuming they beat Rice, LSU will have to meet the winner of the Louisville vs. MTSU in the round of 64. LSU coach Kim Mulkey watched intently as Louisville dominated the first quarter in Baton Rouge. Middle Tennessee went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 38-27 heading into halftime.
It's game time! Sania Feagin scores the Gamecocks' first points against Presbyterian on a jumper.
No. 1 seed South Carolina is in action
No. 1 overall seed and undefeated South Carolina is underway in the tournament. The Gamecocks' quest for a championship with No. 16 Presbyterian begins here.
Final: Ohio State 80, Maine 57
Four Ohio State players score in double figures, with Jesse Sheldon (19) leading the way as the Buckeyes reach the second round.
North Carolina leads Albany 1
The first game is in the books. North Carolina State took an early lead over Michigan State by 16 points, but allowed the Spartans to get back in it. UNC secured two huge offensive boards in the final five seconds to take a 59-56 lead. It was a strong finish, but that's been an issue for the Tar Heels all season. They give up the threads, and at least in the past, they couldn't close them.
Alyssa Ostby has packed the stat line once again as North Carolina's leading contributor. She scored 16 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Maria Jackding, the transfer center UNC brought in to stabilize the paint, had a 17-point and 10-rebound double-double.
It sets up half of an interesting regular-season rematch: North Carolina vs. South Carolina. The Gamecocks take on No. 16 Presbyterian in an hour.
North Carolina State's Alyssa Ostby and Mariah Jackding combined for 33 points and 27 rebounds as the Tar Heels overcame a late Michigan State attack for a 59-56 victory in the first game of the day.
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