Let the Madness begin! The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament’s first round kicks off Friday with 64 teams vying to be the best in college basketball.Here’s a look at Friday’s games. All times Eastern.(3) Duke 81, (14) Col. of Charleston 64Toby Fournier scored 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting and Duke maintained its momentum by opening the first round of March Madness with a victory over the College of Charleston.Jordan Wood had 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and Delaney Thomas had 19 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Blue Devils, who are hosting the first and second rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year at Cameron Indoor Stadium.Since a 3-6 start, Duke is on a 22-2 run that includes their second ACC Tournament championship in a row.But coach Kara Lawson still was frustrated, becoming animated with her players during a four-quarter timeout despite a comfortable margin. She noted that 20 Duke turnovers led to 22 points by Charleston, which also scored 12 second-chance points and made 22 free throws.(3) TCU 86, (14) UC San Diego 40 Olivia Miles had her 12th career triple-double with 12 points and career highs of 16 rebounds and 14 assists as third-seeded TCU beat UC San Diego 86-40 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game.The 30-5 Horned Frogs have won their last 43 home games. Taylor Bigby added a career-high 27 points with seven 3-pointers and TCU got double-doubles from Clara Silva and Marta Suarez.Miles became only the third player with to triple-doubles in women’s NCAA Tournament games. Her other came with Notre Dame in 2022.(8) Oregon 70, (9) Virginia Tech 60Katie Fiso scored 22 points and Oregon used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Virginia Tech for a 70-60 win Friday to open the NCAA Tournament.Ehis Etute added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 8 seed Ducks. Oregon pulled away behind an 18-0 run in the third. The Ducks advance to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive season.Carys Bakers scored 21 to lead the No. 9-seed Hokies, who shot under 30 percent over the first three quarters.(6) Baylor 67, (11) Nebraska 62Taliah Scott scored 15 points and Baylor rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, making 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch, to beat Nebraska 67-62 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.After leading 19-11 after the first quarter, the sixth-seeded Bears went cold and were down 50-41 with 9:33 to play in their March Madness opener. Baylor then turned up the full-court press and forced six turnovers by Nebraska in the final quarter.The turning point came on a jump ball with the game tied at 53 with 3:48 to play. Baylor coach Nicki Collen appealed for officials to review the play for a flagrant foul on Nebraska junior forward Jessica Petrie.Baylor won the appeal, and Scott made two free throws to give Baylor the lead for good. Petrie, who had 10 points for the Cornhuskers, fouled out on the next play.(6) Washington 72, (11) South Dakota State 54Avery Howell had 30 points and nine rebounds to lead Washington to its first women’s NCAA Tournament victory since 2017, beating South Dakota State.South Dakota State jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first five minutes, but the game was tied at 15 when Howell made a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Howell made another 3 only 55 seconds into the second quarter to break that tie and put Washington ahead to stay.Howell, the transfer from Southern Cal who as a freshman last season was part of the Trojans’ run to the Elite Eight, finished with seven 3s.Brooklyn Meyer had 29 points and seven rebounds for South Dakota State.(5) Maryland 99, (12) Murray State 67Redshirt freshman Kyndal Walker scored a career-high 20 points and she had plenty of help from Maryland teammates as the Terrapins defeated Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Mir McLean scored 19 points and Addi Mack added 18 points, while Yarden Garzon had 12 points and Saylor Poffenbarger added 10 points for fifth-seeded Maryland, which hammered the Racers on the boards.The Terrapins matched their highest point total in a regulation game this season with the aid of 50% shooting from the field.Halli Poock poured in 27 points and Haven Ford and Keslyn Secrist each scored 17 points for No. 12 seed Murray State, which finished with a school-record win total even though its 15-game winning streak ended.Maryland’s 24 offensive rebounds were more than Murray State’s overall rebounding total in what finished as a 51-21 gap on the boards.(5) Ole Miss 81, (12) Gonzaga 66Latasha Lattimore led a balanced offense with 15 points as Mississippi overpowered Gonzaga.Cotie McMahon scored 13 points and Sira Thienou had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Mississippi.Denim DeShields added 11 points and four assists for the No. 5-seed Rebels, who were ranked 19th in the most recent AP poll and are playing in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.Allie Turner led Gonzaga, champions of the West Coast Conference Tournament, with 27 points. Jaiden Haile had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Whittaker added eight points and 13 rebounds.(1) Texas 87, (16) Missouri State 45Jordan Lee scored 19 points and Texas opened the women’s NCAA Tournament with a romp over Missouri State, building a 32-point lead by halftime as the Longhorns started what they hope will be a return trip to the Final Four.All-American Madison Booker had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Texas against the overmatched No. 16-seed Lady Bears.The Longhorns overwhelmed Missouri State early with their size and speed at both ends of the court. Kyla Oldacre, at 6-foot-6, scored 15 points was an immovable force under the basket. The quickness of Texas guards Lee, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston created open lanes to the basket or shut them down on defense.(2) Michigan 83, (15) Holy Cross 48Mila Holloway and Syla Swords each had seven points in a dominant opening quarter and combined to score 33 points, leading Michigan to a win over Holy Cross.Holloway finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Swords scored 13 and Olivia Olson had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.The Crusaders earned a bid for the third time in four years and entered March Madness with a nine-game winning streak and exited with just their second loss in two months.Kaitlyn Flanagan scored 11 points as the only double-digit scorer for Holy Cross.(4) North Carolina 82, (13) Western Illinois 51Nyla Harris scored 17 points, Lanie Grant had 15 and North Carolina rolled past cold-shooting Western Illinois.Nyla Brooks added 14 points and Indya Nivar had 11 as the Tar Heels, hosting games on the opening weekend for the second year in a row, won a first-round game for the fifth straight season. Mia Nicastro scored 21 points for No. 13 seed Western Illinois, which shot 30.4% from the field. The Leathernecks were 2 for 15 on 3-pointers. Nicastro shot 6 for 15 from the floor and 9 for 10 on free throws, coming up just short of her 24.2 points per game scoring average.(2) LSU 116, (15) Jacksonville 58Flau’jae Johnson scored 20 points, Mikaylah Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, and LSU easily surpassed its nation-leading scoring average with a victory over Jacksonville.LSU entered the game averaging 94.5 points per game and scored 100 or more for the 15th time this season.The Tigers also had a season-high 18 steals and finished with a 38-13 advantage in points off turnovers.Jada Richard scored 17 points and four steals, and ZaKiyah Johnson added 16 points for the Tigers, who had seven players score at least 10 points. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 13 points.Carmaya Bowman scored 14 points and Tatum Brown scored 10 for Jacksonville, the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament champions, who were making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance.(4) Minnesota 75, (13) Green Bay 58Minnesota survived a home-court scare by No. 13 seed Green Bay, getting 21 points from Amaya Battle and using a 30-point fourth quarter for a 75-58 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sophie Hart had 19 points and Mara Braun saved her best for the sizzling fourth quarter to finish with 16 points as the No. 4 seed Gophers celebrated their first tournament appearance since 2018 with a memorable comeback that had the Williams Arena crowd roaring. Minnesota trailed 43-34 midway through the third quarter.Minnesota shot 12 for 16 in the fourth quarter with just one turnover. Green Bay went 4 for 15 with five giveaways in the final period and was outscored 41-15 over the final 16:09 of the game.7:30 p.m. | (5) Michigan State vs. (12) Colorado StateGrace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair each scored 18 points, and Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat Colorado State 65-62 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State, the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region. Brooke Carlson had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists for No. 12 seed Colorado State, which played without leading scorer Lexus Bargesser.Hannah Ronsiek missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.(7) NC State 76, (10) Tennessee 61Zamareya Jones scored 15 of her career-high 30 points in the first half to help build a double-digit lead and seventh-seeded North Carolina State went on to beat the slumping, 10th-seeded Tennessee 76-61 in the first round of March Madness. The Wolfpack might be without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who had a right leg injury in the quarter and didn’t return. The Lady Vols have lost eight straight for the first time in the NCAA women’s basketball era.Khamil Pierre had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack and Qadence Samuels scored 12.(7) Texas Tech 57, (10) Villanova 52Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed Villanova 57-52 in the first round of March Madness. Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech, which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range and made 14 of 15 foul shots. Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe led all scorers with 21 points but had a pivotal turnover in the final minute.Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.Villanova’s Denae Carter missed a 3-point shot that would have tied it with 8 seconds left.(4) Oklahoma 89, (13) Idaho 59Raegan Beers had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 seed Oklahoma overwhelmed No. 13 seed Idaho 89-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.The senior center also had four assists and four blocks. Sahara Williams had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 points and Payton Verhulst added 14 for the Sooners. Oklahoma stopped Idaho’s win streak at 18 games.Kyra Gardner scored 19 points and Hope Hassmann added 12 for Idaho.
Let the Madness begin! The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament’s first round kicks off Friday with 64 teams vying to be the best in college basketball.
Here’s a look at Friday’s games. All times Eastern.
(3) Duke 81, (14) Col. of Charleston 64
Toby Fournier scored 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting and Duke maintained its momentum by opening the first round of March Madness with a victory over the College of Charleston.
Jordan Wood had 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and Delaney Thomas had 19 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Blue Devils, who are hosting the first and second rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Since a 3-6 start, Duke is on a 22-2 run that includes their second ACC Tournament championship in a row.
But coach Kara Lawson still was frustrated, becoming animated with her players during a four-quarter timeout despite a comfortable margin. She noted that 20 Duke turnovers led to 22 points by Charleston, which also scored 12 second-chance points and made 22 free throws.
(3) TCU 86, (14) UC San Diego 40
Olivia Miles had her 12th career triple-double with 12 points and career highs of 16 rebounds and 14 assists as third-seeded TCU beat UC San Diego 86-40 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game.
The 30-5 Horned Frogs have won their last 43 home games. Taylor Bigby added a career-high 27 points with seven 3-pointers and TCU got double-doubles from Clara Silva and Marta Suarez.
Miles became only the third player with to triple-doubles in women’s NCAA Tournament games. Her other came with Notre Dame in 2022.
(8) Oregon 70, (9) Virginia Tech 60
Katie Fiso scored 22 points and Oregon used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Virginia Tech for a 70-60 win Friday to open the NCAA Tournament.
Ehis Etute added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 8 seed Ducks. Oregon pulled away behind an 18-0 run in the third. The Ducks advance to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive season.
Carys Bakers scored 21 to lead the No. 9-seed Hokies, who shot under 30 percent over the first three quarters.
(6) Baylor 67, (11) Nebraska 62
Taliah Scott scored 15 points and Baylor rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, making 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch, to beat Nebraska 67-62 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After leading 19-11 after the first quarter, the sixth-seeded Bears went cold and were down 50-41 with 9:33 to play in their March Madness opener. Baylor then turned up the full-court press and forced six turnovers by Nebraska in the final quarter.
The turning point came on a jump ball with the game tied at 53 with 3:48 to play. Baylor coach Nicki Collen appealed for officials to review the play for a flagrant foul on Nebraska junior forward Jessica Petrie.
Baylor won the appeal, and Scott made two free throws to give Baylor the lead for good. Petrie, who had 10 points for the Cornhuskers, fouled out on the next play.
(6) Washington 72, (11) South Dakota State 54
Avery Howell had 30 points and nine rebounds to lead Washington to its first women’s NCAA Tournament victory since 2017, beating South Dakota State.
South Dakota State jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first five minutes, but the game was tied at 15 when Howell made a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Howell made another 3 only 55 seconds into the second quarter to break that tie and put Washington ahead to stay.
Howell, the transfer from Southern Cal who as a freshman last season was part of the Trojans’ run to the Elite Eight, finished with seven 3s.
Brooklyn Meyer had 29 points and seven rebounds for South Dakota State.
(5) Maryland 99, (12) Murray State 67
Redshirt freshman Kyndal Walker scored a career-high 20 points and she had plenty of help from Maryland teammates as the Terrapins defeated Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Mir McLean scored 19 points and Addi Mack added 18 points, while Yarden Garzon had 12 points and Saylor Poffenbarger added 10 points for fifth-seeded Maryland, which hammered the Racers on the boards.
The Terrapins matched their highest point total in a regulation game this season with the aid of 50% shooting from the field.
Halli Poock poured in 27 points and Haven Ford and Keslyn Secrist each scored 17 points for No. 12 seed Murray State, which finished with a school-record win total even though its 15-game winning streak ended.
Maryland’s 24 offensive rebounds were more than Murray State’s overall rebounding total in what finished as a 51-21 gap on the boards.
(5) Ole Miss 81, (12) Gonzaga 66
Latasha Lattimore led a balanced offense with 15 points as Mississippi overpowered Gonzaga.
Cotie McMahon scored 13 points and Sira Thienou had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Mississippi.
Denim DeShields added 11 points and four assists for the No. 5-seed Rebels, who were ranked 19th in the most recent AP poll and are playing in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.
Allie Turner led Gonzaga, champions of the West Coast Conference Tournament, with 27 points. Jaiden Haile had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Whittaker added eight points and 13 rebounds.
(1) Texas 87, (16) Missouri State 45
Jordan Lee scored 19 points and Texas opened the women’s NCAA Tournament with a romp over Missouri State, building a 32-point lead by halftime as the Longhorns started what they hope will be a return trip to the Final Four.
All-American Madison Booker had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Texas against the overmatched No. 16-seed Lady Bears.
The Longhorns overwhelmed Missouri State early with their size and speed at both ends of the court. Kyla Oldacre, at 6-foot-6, scored 15 points was an immovable force under the basket. The quickness of Texas guards Lee, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston created open lanes to the basket or shut them down on defense.
(2) Michigan 83, (15) Holy Cross 48
Mila Holloway and Syla Swords each had seven points in a dominant opening quarter and combined to score 33 points, leading Michigan to a win over Holy Cross.
Holloway finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Swords scored 13 and Olivia Olson had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.
The Crusaders earned a bid for the third time in four years and entered March Madness with a nine-game winning streak and exited with just their second loss in two months.
Kaitlyn Flanagan scored 11 points as the only double-digit scorer for Holy Cross.
(4) North Carolina 82, (13) Western Illinois 51
Nyla Harris scored 17 points, Lanie Grant had 15 and North Carolina rolled past cold-shooting Western Illinois.
Nyla Brooks added 14 points and Indya Nivar had 11 as the Tar Heels, hosting games on the opening weekend for the second year in a row, won a first-round game for the fifth straight season.
Mia Nicastro scored 21 points for No. 13 seed Western Illinois, which shot 30.4% from the field. The Leathernecks were 2 for 15 on 3-pointers. Nicastro shot 6 for 15 from the floor and 9 for 10 on free throws, coming up just short of her 24.2 points per game scoring average.
(2) LSU 116, (15) Jacksonville 58
Flau’jae Johnson scored 20 points, Mikaylah Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, and LSU easily surpassed its nation-leading scoring average with a victory over Jacksonville.
LSU entered the game averaging 94.5 points per game and scored 100 or more for the 15th time this season.
The Tigers also had a season-high 18 steals and finished with a 38-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
Jada Richard scored 17 points and four steals, and ZaKiyah Johnson added 16 points for the Tigers, who had seven players score at least 10 points. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 13 points.
Carmaya Bowman scored 14 points and Tatum Brown scored 10 for Jacksonville, the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament champions, who were making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance.
(4) Minnesota 75, (13) Green Bay 58
Minnesota survived a home-court scare by No. 13 seed Green Bay, getting 21 points from Amaya Battle and using a 30-point fourth quarter for a 75-58 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sophie Hart had 19 points and Mara Braun saved her best for the sizzling fourth quarter to finish with 16 points as the No. 4 seed Gophers celebrated their first tournament appearance since 2018 with a memorable comeback that had the Williams Arena crowd roaring.
Minnesota trailed 43-34 midway through the third quarter.
Minnesota shot 12 for 16 in the fourth quarter with just one turnover. Green Bay went 4 for 15 with five giveaways in the final period and was outscored 41-15 over the final 16:09 of the game.
7:30 p.m. | (5) Michigan State vs. (12) Colorado State
Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair each scored 18 points, and Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat Colorado State 65-62 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State, the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region.
Brooke Carlson had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists for No. 12 seed Colorado State, which played without leading scorer Lexus Bargesser.
Hannah Ronsiek missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
(7) NC State 76, (10) Tennessee 61
Zamareya Jones scored 15 of her career-high 30 points in the first half to help build a double-digit lead and seventh-seeded North Carolina State went on to beat the slumping, 10th-seeded Tennessee 76-61 in the first round of March Madness.
The Wolfpack might be without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who had a right leg injury in the quarter and didn’t return. The Lady Vols have lost eight straight for the first time in the NCAA women’s basketball era.
Khamil Pierre had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack and Qadence Samuels scored 12.
(7) Texas Tech 57, (10) Villanova 52
Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed Villanova 57-52 in the first round of March Madness. Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech, which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range and made 14 of 15 foul shots. Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe led all scorers with 21 points but had a pivotal turnover in the final minute.
Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.
Villanova’s Denae Carter missed a 3-point shot that would have tied it with 8 seconds left.
(4) Oklahoma 89, (13) Idaho 59
Raegan Beers had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 seed Oklahoma overwhelmed No. 13 seed Idaho 89-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The senior center also had four assists and four blocks. Sahara Williams had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 points and Payton Verhulst added 14 for the Sooners. Oklahoma stopped Idaho’s win streak at 18 games.
Kyra Gardner scored 19 points and Hope Hassmann added 12 for Idaho.