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The Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament tips off on Friday with four games: No. 3-seed Oregon State vs. No. 2-seed Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), No. 4-seed Indiana vs. No. 1-seed South Carolina (5 p.m. ET, ESPN), No. 3-seed NC State vs. No. 2-seed Stanford (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 4-seed Gonzaga vs. No. 1-seed Texas (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s something to watch in each of Friday’s consequential contests:
Does Notre Dame have a “Big 3”?
Through much of Notre Dame’s season, the Fighting Irish have been the Hannah Hidalgo Show. And it’s been quite entertaining, as the freshman guard, with her high-motor, two-way do-it-all play, delivered several incredible performances for an often injury-plagued Notre Dame team.
However, might Notre Dame be better off if Hidalgo does less? In Notre Dame’s run to the ACC Tournament title and their two tourney games thus far, junior forward Maddy Westbeld and junior guard Sonia Citron have stepped up as co-stars to the ACC Freshman of the Year. In the ACC Tournament championship game, Westbeld carried the second-half scoring for the victorious Irish; she also led Notre Dame in scoring in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In Notre Dame’s first-round win, Citron dropped a game-best 29 points.
As Eric Nemchock detailed when highlighting freshmen to watch in the Sweet 16, Hidalgo has been superb in tournament, and she certainly might need to put the Irish on her back if they keep advancing. But, Notre Dame seems more likely to succeed against No. 3-seed Oregon State, a team unafraid to experiment with different defensive schemes, if Friday afternoon’s game (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) is a three star show featuring Hidalgo, Westbeld and Citron.
Can Indiana keep it close?
Yep, that’s where we’re at with No. 1-seed South Carolina, asking if an opponent can just make a game of it against the Gamecocks. As a team that relies on a mostly upper-classmen core, No. 4-seed Indiana profiles as a team that could trip up South Carolina, with the Hoosiers’ experience winning out over the relatively-inexperienced Gamecocks.
The issue, however, is Indiana’s five starters—grad big Mackenzie Holmes, fifth-year senior guard Sara Scalia, senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil, senior guard Sydney Parrish and sophomore guard Yarden Garzon—are about the only players head coach Teri Moren can trust; the Hoosiers have gotten little help from their bench all season.
Depth, of course, is the Gamecocks’ greatest strength, with head coach Dawn Staley able to mix-and-match lineups, finding the group that provides the punch needed to power past a particular opponent. Through two tournament games, freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley has fueled South Carolina’s two-way machine. In Friday’s Sweet 16 game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN), it won’t be surprising when another Gamecock, or two, steps up to ignite South Carolina into the Elite Eight.
Big-game James?
Offense often can be a problem for No. 3-seed NC State, with the Wolfpack’s losses defined by stalled halfcourt sets and scoring droughts. And with 6-foot-4 Cameron Brink and 6-foot-3 Kiki Iriafen anchoring the defense for No. 2-seed Stanford, NC State shouldn’t expect to find many points in the paint.
That means it’s time for another big game from junior guard Aziaha James, who has emerged as the Wolfpack’s high-volume scoring option. For the season, she’s averaged a career-high 16.0 points per game on career-best shooting percentages. And she’s been even better in the tournament. After leading NC State with 19 points in the first round, she scored a team-high 22 points in the second round. She’s also displayed the diversity of her scoring bag. While James drained five 3-pointers against No. 14-seed Chattanooga, she got the job done with mostly 2-pointers against No. 6-seed Tennessee. She’ll need to access her spectrum of her shotmaking talent to help the Wolfpack keep pace with the Cardinal on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Aziaha James in a 79-72 win vs. 6 seed Tennessee : 22 points (9-20 shooting, 1-4 from 3 & 3-3 from the FT line), 7 assists, 2 steals & played all 40 minutes pic.twitter.com/6stJrAP2tW
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) March 26, 2024
Book(er) a trip to the Elite Eight?
In his story on the freshmen of the Sweet 16, Eric also emphasized the accelerating excellence of Texas forward Madison Booker. Expected to be a supporting piece for the Longhorns before star junior guard Rori Harmon was lost for the season due to an ACL injury, Booker expedited her star turn, comfortably raising her play in every way needed for the Big 12 Tournament champions.
For head coach Vic Schaefer’s defensive-minded squad, Booker has been the floor-raising offensive force. She’s not just a smooth bucket-getter capable for scoring at all three levels, but she also is the team’s primary offensive initiator, charged with creating opportunities for teammates. In short, she doesn’t play like a freshman. And if Gonzaga cannot induce some freshman foibles from Booker during Friday night’s matchup (10 p.m. ET, ESPN), Texas looks destined to dance into the Elite Eight.
Game information
No. 3-seed Oregon State (26-7) vs. No. 2-seed Notre Dame (28-6)
When: Friday, Mar. 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: MVP Arena in Albany, NY
How to watch: ESPN
No. 4-seed Indiana (26-5) vs. No. 1-seed South Carolina (34-0)
When: Friday, Mar. 29 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: MVP Arena in Albany, NY
How to watch: ESPN
No. 3-seed NC State (29-6) vs. No. 2-seed Stanford (30-5)
When: Friday, Mar. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Moda Center in Portland, OR
How to watch: ESPN
No. 4-seed Gonzaga (32-3) vs. No. 1-seed Texas (32-4)
When: Friday, Mar. 29 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Moda Center in Portland, OR
How to watch: ESPN