Women's March Madness: Six biggest questions for the Sweet 16 as South Carolina, Duke eye revenge

The Sweet 16 tips off Friday in the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament. Here's what to watch.

The women's Sweet 16 officially tips off on Friday afternoon, and with it, one of the most intriguing four days of basketball in the entire calendar year. While the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is filled with mismatches, and the Final Four games are often swallowed up by the enormity of the event, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight offer the perfect middle ground.

Here are the biggest questions heading into the business end of the tournament.

Women's March Madness predictions: NCAA Tournament expert picks for Sweet 16 games Isabel Gonzalez

1. Can anyone challenge the top seeds? 

The No. 1 seeds (UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina) this season have simply been a cut above the rest of the field from start to finish -- or actually, from finish to finish, considering they all made the Final Four last year, too, and have held the top four spots in the AP top 25 rankings ever since. None were challenged at all in the first weekend of the tournament, and all are heavy favorites in the Sweet 16, too. Still, you have to play the games, right? And March Madness didn't get its name by accident.

No. 4 Oklahoma has the best chance to get an upset, considering they've already beaten South Carolina this season. More about that in a minute. Elsewhere, No. 5 Kentucky will need a massive day from Clara Strack on the boards if the Wildcats are going to challenge Texas; in February, Kentucky lost by 11 points to Texas and was outrebounded 27-21. No. 4 Minnesota is going to need to find more offense if it hopes to avenge its 18-point loss to UCLA in January. And No. 4 North Carolina is going to need Lanie Grant to simply catch fire if it has even a sliver of hope against UConn. And, let's face it: All of the underdogs will need the top dogs to have an off day. -- Lindsay Gibbs

2. Who will win the Blakes vs. Hidalgo matchup?

There is simply no more intriguing individual match-up in the Sweet 16 than the one between Mikayla Blakes and Hannah Hidalgo in the game between No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Notre Dame on Friday afternoon.

Blakes is just a sophomore, but she leads the nation in scoring with 27 points per game. Hidalgo, a junior, is third in the nation in scoring and first in the nation in steals. Both were named Players of the Year in their conferences (the SEC and ACC) and it is not a stretch to say they are the best guards in the country. 

Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo ready for 'full circle' moment in Sweet 16 showdown Lindsay Gibbs

While this is their first matchup in the college ranks, they actually had some very intriguing showdowns in high school and AAU, because these two New Jersey guards grew up just over an hour from one another. It is rare that we get to see two of the most electric players in the sport, who both play the same position, go head-to-head on such a big stage. Enjoy it. -- Lindsay Gibbs

3. Will Duke's revenge tour continue?

The Blue Devils started this season 3-6, including an opening-day loss to Baylor and then four consecutive losses in a tough stretch that featured South Carolina, UCLA and LSU. The Tigers picked up a convincing 93-77 victory during against Duke in December, and by this point, Duke had already dropped out of the AP Top 25. It was still early in the season, but a shaky start will surely test a team's mental fortitude. Kara Lawson's squad responded by winning 17 consecutive matchups. This streak included victories over Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina.

That momentum slowed down with a surprising loss to Clemson in February, but the Blue Devils still looked much better at the end of the regular season than they did in November. In the second round, they got a revenge win over Baylor. In the Elite Eight, they'd likely face UCLA. But first, LSU awaits on Friday night. The Blue Devils have gone through a lot of growth, but now the big test will be whether or not they can figure out how to overcome LSU this time around. -- Isabel Gonzalez

4. Are Olivia Olson and Syla Swords ready for the big time?

The game between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Louisville on Saturday will feature two of the best sophomore classes in the country -- both were ranked in the top 10 in recruiting rankings. While Louisville's super sophomores -- Taj Roberts, Anaya Hardy, Mackenly Randolph and Imari Berry -- all play an important role, the Cardinals don't rely on a single star to carry them. That's a bit different in Michigan, where Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway are the top three scorers on the team, averaging 19.2, 14.8 and 12.2 points, respectively. 

Olson and Swords in particular have morphed into superstars, with both making the All-Big Ten First Team this season. In the Big Ten tournament, both players were held to just 10 points in a paltry offensive showing against Iowa. Can they redeem themselves on one of the biggest stages of the sport? Saturday's game will tell us a lot about both players and how high Michigan's ceiling is going forward. -- Lindsay Gibbs

5. Can Aaliyah Chavez do it again vs. South Carolina?

Oklahoma is one of just two teams that figured out how to beat South Carolina this season, and that 94-82 victory in January was possible due to an outstanding overtime performance by freshman Aailyah Chavez. 

She started the game shooting just 1 of 7 from the field, but then a flip was switched. Chavez put up 26 points against the Gamecocks, with 15 of those happening in the extra period.

As Joyce Edwards already stated, Dawn Staley's team does not forget losses and the Gamecocks will surely come out ready for vengeance. Chavez will need to channel the same energy she had in that overtime period, but she will also need her co-star Raegan Beers and the rest of the Sooners to be locked in. -- Isabel Gonzalez

6. Can Virginia continue its Cinderella run?

Seeing double-digit seeds is a lot less common in the women's tournament than the men's, and the Cavaliers entered this tournament with the odds against them. Before this year, No. 10 seeds had an overall 50-124 record, and no team that played in the First Four had made it to the Sweet 16.

Virginia has truly given it all and then some. Kymora Johnson, who leads the team in points, assists and steals, has played a total of 133 minutes in this tournament -- including all 50 minutes of the double overtime win against Iowa in the second round.

TCU won't be an easy opponent by any means, especially with a player like Olivia Miles, who does whatever it takes for her team to win, as seen by her six triple-doubles this season. The Cavaliers are the underdogs, but that's what makes them one of the best stories of this tournament. -- Isabel Gonzalez