JuJu Watkins is one of the most electrifying talents in college basketball.

Around this time last year, Watkins' dominance had the Trojans heading toward a potential Final Four run. But a torn ACL in the second round forced Watkins to miss the rest of the tournament, and the Trojans fell to eventual champion UConn in the Elite Eight.

USC is back in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed. Jazzy Davidson has been the driving force as she leads the Trojans in points (17.6), rebounds (5.7), assists (4.2), steals (2) and blocks (2).

So, with just under a year removed from Watkins' injury, will she return for the Trojans during March Madness?

The answer is no. Watkins announced in September she'd be sitting out the entire season to focus on making a full recovery.

"JuJu's health and well-being are our top priority, and we fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement at the time. "While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate. The strength and maturity she has shown through this process is a reflection of who she is, and we know the Trojan Family will continue to rally behind her. We look forward to the day she returns to competition stronger than ever."

With Watkins sidelined, the Trojans start March Madness against No. 8 seed Clemson on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is JuJu Watkins playing in 2026 March Madness?

Day 1 of the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament is in the books.

In the 16 games played on Friday, March 20, all of the lower seeds prevailed, including No. 1 Texas, which picked up a dominant 87-45 win over Missouri State to open March Madness. No. 4 Minnesota and No. 6 Baylor needed huge fourth quarters to advance. 

REQUIRED READING: March Madness games today: Ranking the 16-game Women's NCAA Tournament schedule for Saturday

For women's college basketball fans who filled out brackets with the expectation that the NCAA Tournament selection committee made the right calls, that decision likely paid off.

However, for the fans who filled out brackets while hoping and praying for upsets, well, sorry. Your bracket is likely busted.

Here's a look at how many perfect brackets remain in women's March Madness, with some opportunities for upsets on the horizon, still:

How many people still have a perfect bracket in women's March Madness?

Last updated Noon ET on March 21

• A little under 1 million (beginning with 5 million)

As of Noon ET on March 21, less than one million perfect brackets remain in either the ESPN or NCAA bracket challenges. The NCAA does not provide the full number of brackets submitted.

Depending on how many perfect brackets under a million are remaining, that means around 20% of the brackets filled out are still perfect.

Of course, with 16 more games scheduled for Saturday, March 21, there's a good chance we see that percentage fall even more by the end of the day.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many perfect brackets are left in women's March Madness?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes is more than just a baller. She’s also a sister.

Blakes is the kind of sister her brother, Jaylen, proudly brags about often.

Jaylen, who played college basketball at Stanford, has watched her grow into the player she is today. Starting with pickup games at home in New Jersey to hitting game-winning shots on consecutive days while playing at Vanderbilt and Stanford.

He pushed her to be the best from a young age, literally.

“It was very physical because I wouldn't like to be pushed around,” Jaylen said. “Besides that, he’s really like, who I look up to just training-wise and work ethic-wise.”

Mikayla is breaking away from the competition in her sophomore season, tallying new accolades often. She was named first-team All-America by the Associate Press and is the 2025-26 SEC Player of the Year.

The duo reunited this season as Jaylen is home from playing professionally in Israel for Hapoel Galil Elyon while rehabbing a torn ACL in his knee.

“This is going to be his first time watching me in the March Madness tournament,” Mikayla said. “This year was his first year actually watching me play a game in person, but we’re on the phone 24/7.”

Her support system extends beyond her brother. Her parents have been in their corners throughout their whole college careers.

“They made a pact with us that at least one parent would be at each game,” Mikayla said. “It’s kind of full circle, and everybody’s here for me today, so I’m just excited.”

The constant support has helped shape Blakes into the player she is today.

“The thing I learned from [Jaylen] is just to stay consistent and know who you truly are,” Mikayla said. “You’re going to go through ups and downs a lot of the time and rely on your family.”

To most, Blakes is one of the SEC’s biggest stars, but to her family, she is the sister and daughter they have supported every step of the way.

Lily Grace Kilgoreis a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes’ rise into Women's NCAA Tournament

The Women's NCAA Tournament starts Friday highlighted by top teams like Texas, Duke, TCU and Michigan.

If the opening round of women's March Madness is anything like the men's, we are in for a treat.

Odds say we'll see a repeat Final Four with UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. There are 64 other teams who want to have a say in that.

The No. 1 overall seeds UConn is the favorite to win. Recent history doesn't favor the Huskies. Since 2017, the top seed has won the national championship three times: Baylor in 2019 and South Carolina in 2022 and 2024.

Grab a drink and snack and settle in for a full day on the couch.

Here is the schedule:

Here's a look at Friday's full slate of games and TV listings:

Women's March Madness schedule: NCAA Tournament games, TV listings for Friday, March 20

• No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Charleston, 11:30 AM on ESPN2
• No. 3 TCU vs. No. 14 UC San Diego, 12:00 PM on ESPN
• No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech, 1:30 PM on ESPN2
• No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 11 Nebraska, 2:00 PM on ESPN
• No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 South Dakota State, 2:30 PM on ESPNews
• No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 12 Murray State, 3:00 PM on ESPNU
• No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Gonzaga, 3:30 PM on ESPN2
• No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Missouri State, 4:00 PM on ESPN
• No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Western Illinois, 5:30 PM on ESPNews
• No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross, 5:30 PM on ESPN2
• No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Green Bay, 6:00 PM on ESPNU
• No. 2 LSU vs. No. 15 Jacksonville, 6:00 PM on ESPN
• No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Colorado State, 7:30 PM on ESPNews
• No. 7 North Carolina State vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 8:00 PM on ESPN
• No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Villanova, 8:30 PM on ESPNU
• No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Idaho, 10:00 PM on ESPN

Stream March Madness on Fubo

2026 Women's NCAA Tournament full schedule

• March 18-19: First Four
• March 20-21: First Round
• March 22-23: Second Round
• March 27-28: Sweet 16
• March 29-30: Elite 8
• April 3: Final Four
• April 5: National Championship

Where is Women's March Madness this year?

• First and second rounds:
  • Duke, Durham, North Carolina | Cameron Indoor Stadium
  • Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena
  • LSU, Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Pete Maravich Assembly Center
  • Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky | KFC Yum! Center
  • Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan | Crisler Center
  • Minnesota, Minneapolis | Williams Arena
  • North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Carmichael Arena
  • Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio | Value Center Arena
  • Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center
  • South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena
  • TCU, Forth Worth, Texas | Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena
  • Texas, Austin, Texas | Moody Center
  • UCLA, Los Angeles | Pauley Pavilion
  • UConn, Storrs, Connecticut | Gampel Pavilion
  • Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee | Memorial Gym
  • West Virginia, Morgantown | Hope Coliseum
• Sweet 16 & Elite 8: Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, California
• Final Four & National Championship: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women's March Madness games today: Times, how to watch Friday first-round games

FORT WORTH, TX — As TCU women's basketball prepares for its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, some can't shake the feeling of déjà vu in the air.

The Horned Frogs secured the Big 12 regular-season championship for the second straight season and are one victory away from back-to-back 30-win seasons with a team built almost entirely from the transfer portal. Olivia Miles, a senior guard who's made an instant impact in her first season in purple and white, has led the charge.

Does that sound familiar? It's the same playbook TCU used last year, when senior transfers Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince led the Horned Frogs to their first Elite Eight appearance in program history.

Junior guard Donovyn Hunter, one of five returning players, credited head coach Mark Campbell's ability to "put together pieces of a puzzle and build a program." Consider Campbell a puzzle enthusiast because he's found the perfect match yet again.

"To have sustainability, you have to be able to rebuild each year," Campbell said ahead of TCU's first-round game against No. 14 UC San Diego on Friday. "We've just put together really good teams the last two years out of the portal.

"We've done a really good job of that."

MORE: How transfer-heavy TCU has bonded, set a goal for first Final Four

TCU is riding a NCAA-leading 42-game home win streak into Friday's matchup at Schollmaier Arena. The streak dates back to Feb. 24, 2024, highlighting the program's continuity year after year.

Campbell has made reloading his program look effortless with TCU's second March Madness appearance in his third season, but Hunter assured "it's not as easy as he makes it look."

"Being able to play last year, make it to March (Madness) and then continue that this year," Hunter added, "I think (Campbell's) just done a great job putting together pieces of a puzzle and making sure that we all fit together, making sure that the culture is right, that our consistency as a team is put together well."

Their culture starts and ends with one of the best dynamic passers in women's college basketball.

Campbell landed Miles, a former Notre Dame guard, in the transfer portal after she bypassed the 2025 WNBA Draft to further develop her skills in college. Miles is the cornerstone of the Horned Frogs' offense and has generated over 40% of the team's total points with her playmaking and scoring abilities. Miles was named the Big 12's Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, just like Van Lith in 2025.

Miles formed a one-two punch with Cal transfer Marta Suárez, the team's second-leading scorer with 17.2 points a game. Kentucky transfer Clara Silva added length and size under the basket and leads TCU with 7.3 rebounds a game. Olivia, Suárez and Silva join returners Taylor Bigby and Hunter in the starting lineup.

"We have 10 players on this year's roster that had never played a game for TCU," Campbell said. "Two big returners, (Donovyn Hunter) and Taylor Bigby, have done a tremendous job with their leadership."

Although the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament marks the first March Madness run for this collective unit, TCU's players are individually experienced. Nine players on the team have appeared in a combined 37 NCAA Tournament games, led by Bigby (10), Hunter (8) and Miles (6).

"The people coming from last year, like (Donovyn Hunter) ... she knows what it takes. They had a great run," Suárez said. "Then Olivia (Miles) has been very successful during her career. So just having that experience all together and bringing it to the team, to this new team, I think it matters. And I think it's a big part of the tournament. That's why mature teams and experienced teams usually are the most successful."

Miles said "experience wins games" in March, adding the stakes are higher because each time she laces up her sneakers could be the last game of her college career: "When you get into some adversity, maturity always helps you to get over that hump."

TCU experienced adversity earlier this month. The Horned Frogs suffered a 62-53 loss against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament final. The loss not only denied TCU a second-consecutive title, it likely bumped them from the Fort Worth regional. Instead of potentially playing the first four rounds in Fort Worth, TCU will host the first two rounds at home before playing in Sacramento if the team advances to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Campbell said the loss was a reminder TCU must show up if they want to keep their season alive. He hammered the point home by having all players wear a jersey with No. 40 on the front and back during practice to signify "the only thing we're promised right now is 40 more minutes of basketball," he said.

"Everything happens for a reason. Who knows, it may be a blessing in disguise for us. Just grateful that we heard our name called," Miles said on Selection Sunday, adding on Thursday, "We would have loved to have that win (at the Big 12 Tournament) in Kansas City, but it taught us a lot more than maybe it would have if we won the game."

It doesn't matter where TCU plays, as long as it's on "a hardwood court," Miles added, poking fun at the Big 12 Tournament's controversial LED glass court that was switched out during the men's tournament after the women's Big 12 Tournament had concluded. TCU intends to leave it on the line for their seniors.

"A year ago we were one of the oldest teams in the country, and this year we're one of the oldest teams in the country. So these players understand what's at stake," Campbell said. "They understand March. And they have big goals and things that they want to accomplish."

Although this roster has a lot of similarities to last year, it is up to the Horned Frogs to forge their own legacy in March.

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TCU women's basketball follows last year’s blueprint into March