In the Women’s tournament, South Carolina beat Iowa 87-75, their 3rd championship win. They had an undefeated season. Last year, Iowa upset an also undefeated South Carolina in the Final 4. 

It was Iowa’s second time in the championship. Previously, they beat #16 seed Holy Cross, #8 seed West Virginia, #5 seed Colorado (the game having a record number of people tuning in) and #3 seed LSU, who won the tournament last year. South Carolina beat #16 seed Presbyterian, #8 seed North Carolina, #4 seed Indiana, and #3 seed Oregan. 

The largest upset in the women’s bracket was in the first round, with #11 seed Middle Tenn. beating #6 seed Louisville, but later losing to LSU in the second round. The largest lead was in South Carolina’s game against Presbyterian, with a score of 91-39. In both tournaments, #1 seeds made it to the finals. 

In the Men’s tournament, Purdue and UConn made it to the finals, with UConn winning 75-60, the greatest point difference in NCAA tournament history. Let’s track how they both made it to the championship. 

Purdue (#1 seed) beat NC State, a #11 seed who had a Cinderella run to the Final Four. Previously, the defeated #2 seed Marquette, and only played against 1 team seeded lower than them, #14 Oakland, who also had a big upset in the first round against Kentucky. Purdue faced NC State, Tennessee, Gonzaga,  Utah State, and Grambling State. 

UConn (#1 seed) had a high point lead throughout there games, with a 39 point lead against Stetson, a 17 point lead against Northwestern, a 30 point lead against San Diego State, a 25 point lead against Illinois, and a 14 point lead against Alabama, along with their record 15 point lead against Purdue in the championship. 

Cites

https://www.fayobserver.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2024/03/29/nc-state-basketball-elite-8-marquette-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-wolfpack/73152079007/

https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket