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Paige Bueckers drops career-high 40 points in Sweet 16 win (2:36)

Paige Bueckers sets a new UConn NCAA Tournament record with 40 points to lead the Huskies past Oklahoma and into the Elite Eight. (2:36)

Mar 29, 2025, 10:05 PM ET

The Elite Eight is set. And joining Duke, LSU, South Carolina and UCLA in the next round of the women’s NCAA tournament are TCU, Texas, UConn and USC.

The matchups set on Saturday are intriguing ones: an in-state showdown between No. 2 TCU and No. 1 Texas, as well as an Elite Eight rematch between the Huskies — who rode Paige Bueckers‘ career-high 40 points in their win over Oklahoma — and Trojans, who rallied despite the season-ending injury to JuJu Watkins in their round of 32 game.

We were there for all the action, and here’s your guide — complete with analysis from on-site reporters in Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington — to everything that happened in Saturday’s games.

Jump to: Full results and analysis | Re-live the action

(3) Oklahoma vs.

(2) UConn Huskies

Final: UConn 82, Oklahoma 59

How UConn won: Paige Bueckers and steals. It’s hard to believe the Huskies were down four at halftime. UConn completely controlled the final 20 minutes, outscoring Oklahoma 50-23 behind Bueckers’ highest-scoring half ever (29 points on 10-of-14 shooting). That gave Bueckers, who was scoreless in the second quarter but had 11 in the first period, a career-high 40 points — the most by a Huskies player in an NCAA tournament game. Kerry Bascom previously set the record with 39 points in 1991.

Because the Sooners were reluctant to bring their post players out of the paint, Bueckers was able to regularly dribble into pull-up jumpers that were too easy for her. Bueckers shot 8-of-14 from midrange and also made 6-of-8 3-point attempts, tying a career high.

Defensively, UConn wreaked havoc with nearly as many steals (18) as the Sooners had field goals (22). The Huskies did a terrific job of taking away Oklahoma’s leading scorer, center Raegan Beers, in the paint. Beers had 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

UConn’s key to the Elite Eight: Getting Sarah Strong going. Bueckers was so hot it barely mattered that Strong, the Huskies’ second-leading scorer, had just 11 points and missed 6-of-7 3-point attempts before fouling out. Strong did well when matched up against the bigger Beers defensively and was a factor in UConn’s 16-0 third-quarter run, but the Huskies might need more efficient offense from her to return to the Final Four. — Kevin Pelton

(5) Kansas State Wildcats vs.

(1) USC Trojans

Final: USC 67, Kansas State 61

How USC won: It was a grind-it-out kind of battle between USC and Kansas State — the kind you wouldn’t expect from two teams with top-11 offenses. Through the first half, neither team was shooting better than 35%. In the end, the game was decided by which team could hit just one more basket. With 30 seconds to go and USC up by four, Serena Sundell missed a layup and Clarice Akunwafo secured the rebound. But the Wildcats failed to capitalize, needed to foul and watched USC’s Kayleigh Heckel sink both free throws to put the Trojans up six with just seconds to go.

USC’s freshmen were tremendous, with Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell — who started in place of Watkins — becoming the first freshman duo with at least 18 points each in an NCAA tournament game since Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards for UConn in 2021. Their points, along with Heckel’s eight, combined for 45 points — the highest percentage of USC’s points that have come from freshmen all season (67%). The Trojan’s defense was also stellar — they contested 84% of the Wildcats’ shots and held them to 18-of-47 on those shots.

What’s next for USC: If the Trojans want any chance to get past Paige Bueckers — who scored a career-high 40 points on Saturday — they need more from Kiki Iriafen. The senior has been USC’s second-leading scorer all season, averaging 18.6 points per game but finished with just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting against the Wildcats. Without JuJu Watkins, Iriafen has to take on more of the scoring responsibilities. Overall, USC’s offense needs to do more. It will be hard without Watkins and her 23.9 points. But, they have to find some way to score — especially in the paint. — Kendra Andrews

(5) Tennessee vs.

(1) Texas

Final: Texas 67, Tennessee 59

How Texas won: Tennessee came into its rematch with the Longhorns averaging 87.5 points per game, with coach Kim Caldwell saying she felt her team had been playing its best basketball in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. The team scored 101 points in the opener against USF and 82 points on the road to upset Ohio State last week. But against a stifling Longhorns defense, it was much tougher to generate good looks. The Lady Vols managed their second-lowest point total of the season, with Texas contesting nearly every shot and putting the clamps down on the 3-point line. Jewel Spear and Talaysia Cooper, who average a combined 29 points per game, scored a total of nine points on 4-of-17 shooting thanks to the Texas defense. Tennessee averages more than 10 made 3-pointers a game. Against Texas? Just 5-of-26. Texas stayed committed to its defensive game plan and it led to the win.

What’s next for Texas: The storylines headed into the matchup with TCU are enough to get anyone excited. First off, there is no love lost between the schools, so there is a little extra juice to the matchup. Texas is trying to get back to a Final Four for the first time since 2003; TCU is looking to reach its first Final Four ever. If Texas shut down Tennessee, can Hailey Van Lith continue her hot streak? There should be plenty of fireworks. — Andrea Adelson

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Harmon hypes up Texas’ camaraderie, standout freshmen

After the Longhorns reach their fourth Elite Eight in five years, Rori Harmon praises her younger teammates for their contributions to the win over Tennessee.

(3) Notre Dame vs.

(2) TCU

Final: TCU 71, Notre Dame 62

How TCU won: The Horned Frogs took control in the fourth quarter, using their size not only to get to the free throw line but also to disrupt shots and make the Irish uncomfortable. TCU outscored Notre Dame 20-10 in the decisive quarter and contested nearly every shot, clinching its first Elite Eight appearance as this unprecedented season continues. The game might have been won with the defensive effort TCU had on the Notre Dame guard trio of Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron. The three were held in check, going a combined 10-of-44. The defense on Hidalgo, one of the best players in the country, was huge. Hidalgo shot 3-of-19 and couldn’t get her usual buckets on drives to the lane, and she did not shoot well on contested shots or jumpers. On the flip side, Hailey Van Lith came up big once again with 26 points, and becomes the first player, men’s or women’s, to appear in the Elite Eight five different times in their collegiate career since 2000.

What’s next for TCU: We have seen the resilience with which this team has played throughout the season, and that came through once again after finding itself down by as many as nine points in the third quarter. There was no panic, just the steady leadership this team has come to expect from Van Lith, Sedona Prince and their teammates. This stage clearly is not too big for this team — and that will be crucial as it tries to make the Final Four. — Andrea Adelson

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Van Lith stands her ground with impressive block on Hidalgo

Hailey Van Lith denies Hannah Hidalgo with a great block in the paint for for TCU vs. Notre Dame.