The 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament begins Wednesday, Mar. 20 with a pair of First Four matchups. First, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart meet for the right to become the No. 16 seed that will face undefeated and No. 1-overall South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU). Then, a No. 12 seed is on the line when Columbia and Vanderbilt meet (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU), with the winner taking on No. 5-seed Baylor.
Tune in for the Ny’Ceara Pryor Show
It seems a bit unfair that teams that win their conference tournament, and, ostensibly, “automatically” qualify for the NCAA Tournament, must then earn their way into the 64-team field by winning a First Four game.
On the other hand, competing in a First Four contest gives teams that usually do not receive the spotlight an opportunity to shine. Expect the brightest star to be Sacred Heart sophomore guard Ny’Ceara Pryor. The 5-foot-3 Pryor is the irrepressible engine for the Pioneers, leading her team in scoring (18.9 per game), rebounding (7.1 per game) and assists (4.5 per game). She was named the NEC Player of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP. Along the way, she also set Sacred Heart’s single-season scoring record.
Last year, Sacred Heart made the tournament as No. 16 seed, struggling against No. 1-seed Stanford in the first round. While a win over Presbyterian would pit them against the powerhouse that is South Carolina, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, last year’s experience should have the Pioneers and Pryor better prepared to give the Gamecocks their best effort.
Presbyterian, arguably, is one of the weakest teams in the 68-team field. However, they deserve credit for knocking off the top seed in the Big South Tournament, High Point, to advance to the title game, where they bested Radford to earn the Big South’s bid . Tilda Sjokvist, a sophomore guard from Sweden, leads the Blue Hose in scoring at 12.4 points per game.
These bubble teams can ball
During ESPN’s Selection Special on Sunday, Columbia and Vanderbilt gave some of the most genuine reactions to their selections, as the members of teams on the 68-team bubble burst with joy when learning that they would be dancing. Yet, neither team should simply be happy to be here, and the winner certainly will have the chops to hang with No. 5-seed Baylor in the first round.
During the regular season, Columbia tied Princeton atop the Ivy League standings, finishing the conference slate 13-1 before falling to the Tigers in the Ivy League Tournament championship game. The Lions also showed themselves capable of competing with mid-tier Power Five teams, such as Vanderbilt, this season, with a four-point loss to Duke and a two-point loss to Florida in November. If Columbia is to come out ahead in the first tournament game in program history, it likely will be due to the excellent play of Abbey Hsu, the Ivy League Player of the Year. The senior guard, who is the leading scorer in school history, averaged 20.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season.
Vastly-improved Vanderbilt returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, as the Commodores last danced in 2014. Vandy can boogie their way into the Big Dance’s 64-team field behind the trio of junior guard Iyana Moore, junior forward Sacha Washington and grad guard Jordyn Cambridge. Moore captains the scoring for the Commodores at 13.9 points per game, Washington commands the boards by grabbing 7.9 per game and Cambridge controls the offense with 4.4 assists per game. A three-time SEC All-Defense honoree, Cambridge also will be tasked with pestering Hsu; she led the SEC in steals this season with 111 total and 3.6 per game. Turning the game into a defense battle likely would favor Vanderbilt, whereas a freer, higher-scoring affair would give the edge to Columbia.
Game information
No. 16-seed Presbyterian (20-14) vs. No. 16-seed Sacred Heart (24-9)
When: Wednesday, Mar. 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
How to watch: ESPNU
No. 12-seed Columbia (23-6) vs. No. 12-seed Vanderbilt (22-9)
When: Wednesday, Mar. 20 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA
How to watch: ESPNU
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